Although Townshend is a devotee to the religious guru Meher Baba, he claimed in the liner notes of his Anthology CD that "Jesus sings" on the track. "Let My Love Open the Door" was released as the second single from Empty Glass in Britain, where it was backed with the non-album tracks "Classified" and "Greyhound Girl." The song was a minor British hit, reaching number 46. The song saw more success when it was released as the debut single from Empty Glassin America, where the song reached number nine. It was Pete Townshend's only solo top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, but The Who's song "I Can See for Miles," which was written by Townshend, reached the same position on the chart 13 years earlier. Initially, Townshend's manager despised the track due to it "not sounding like Townshend," and wanted it to be removed from Empty Glass. However, upon the song's chart success, his manager called to apologize. Despite the song's critical and commercial success, Pete Townshend did not consider it one of his best songs. He told Rolling Stone in an interview that "Let My Love Open the Door" was "just a ditty," also claiming that he preferred his minor US hit "A Little Is Enough" from the same album. In 1996, Townshend released a new version of the song, called "the E. Cola mix", turning the song into a ballad. This version appeared in different television shows and film soundtracks.
A version of this song by Luminate appears on The Covers EP.
It was also covered by M. Ward
Christian rock group Audio Adrenaline covered this song on their 1999 album Underdog.
Natalie Imbruglia covered the song on her album Male released in 2015.
Great Big Sea covered the song on their 2012 album XX.
Roger Daltrey covered the song in 2015 for a campaign involving Teen Cancer America and First Citizens Bank. A full version was released in February 2016, with all proceeds going to Teen Cancer America.
The group Rogue Wave also covered it in "Cover me" released in 2017.
John Mayer performed the song with regularity during the Summer of his 2019 World Tour
Media featuring song
The song has been used frequently in film, most notably the comedy genre, often as trailer music for movies such as Jerry Maguire and How Do You Know, and then as the closing credits song for Mr. Deeds in 2002; Jersey Girl and Along Came Polly, both in 2004; and also Old Dogs in 2009. It was featured in the following films and TV series:
The Goldbergs, season 1 "Why're You Hitting Yourself?" the "E. Cola Mix" played at end before credits. Also played in Season 4, Episode 15 "So Swayze It's Crazy".
