The Who – My Generation
As some of us are already aware, the 1950’s and so were an angsty time for youth in places like the United Kingdom, i.e. The Who’s homeland. And “My Generation” is an expression of such pent-up anxiety. In fact it was one of the original songs which featured the rebellious-teen, me-against-the-world vibe which has since become ubiquitous in rock music.
In this feature, whom The Who’s criticisms are aimed at specifically are the older generation. This is actually founded in the senior folks rather having issues with the youth.
The song was written at a particular juncture in the writer’s, Peter Townshend, life when he was “trying to find a place in society” and felt “very, very lost”. Such disenfranchisement was partially due to him residing in an area where economic classism was the norm. In other words, he didn’t partially appreciate how some rich people treated him. So in a way, we can say that in this song the older group actually represents the wealthy or those in power.
And in the face of all of this, the singer is instead touting “his generation”. That is they know their senior counterparts are intimidated by and even try to repress them. But the singer and his peers are not privy to the idea of modifying their behavior in order to appease such individuals. Indeed they seem to reject the older generation, rather stating a strong desire to never get old and become like them. But this isn’t about them hating their elders. Rather it is more based on a line of thinking which implies that personal freedoms are paramount to conformity.
A Great, Great Song
“My Generation” has been placed on Rolling Stone’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”, just barely missing the top 10 at number 11.
And a song ranked that high would have also made a number of similar lists. So for instance, VH1 has named it the 13th ‘Greatest Song of Rock and Roll’ ever. Moreover the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has placed it among the “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll”. And “My Generation” also holds a spot in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Accordingly the track did perform well on the charts, though perhaps not as well as you think a song of this caliber would. For instance, it only managed to peak at number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100. Moreover it did not top the UK Singles chart though does represent the highest The Who has ever reached in their home country, peaking at number 2. Moreover the track has been certified Silver (at least 250,000 copies sold) in the United Kingdom.
“My Generation” also charted in Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and West Germany. And in all those instances made it into the top 10.
Strange Title
And regarding its relatively-poor showing in the United States, perhaps this was in part attributable to the track being given the awkward name. Strangely enough, it was titled “The Who Sing My Generation” in that country.
When did “My Generation” come out?
This song originally came out on 5 November 1965. It was actually the lead single from The Who’s debut album, which was also entitled “My Generation”. And the labels behind the project were Decca Records and in the UK their subsidiary, Brunswick Records.
Songs that influenced “My Generation”
“My Generation” is known to have been influenced by the work of other musicians, specifically the following:
- “Young Man Blues” (1957) by Mose Allison
- “Stuttering Blues” (1963) by John Lee Hooker.
BBC Bans “My Generation”
Initially the BBC banned “My Generation” for a reason which even now their own website recognizes as a bit suspect. This occurred due to the stuttering technique Roger Daltrey utilizes in delivering the vocals. Or more specifically, the BBC did not want to run the risk of offending listeners who did in fact suffer from this vocal infliction. Meanwhile Roger himself was compelled to use this style since it gave the impression that he was high. And eventually when the song actually started blowing up, the BBC decided to lift their ban.
There have been varying, even conflicting stories as to why Daltrey, decided to take the aforementioned approach with the vocals. But ultimately what it boils down to is that listeners were digging it, and it is considered one of the things which makes “My Generation” unique.
Iconic Bass Guitar Solo
“My Generation” is known to have featured one of rock music’s first solos using a bass guitar. And this was performed by The Who member John Entwistle (1944-2002). Indeed this was during the time when the bass guitar wasn’t really a respected part of the mainstream rock community, considering that during TV broadcasts the cameramen would instead focus on Pete Townshend, the band’s electric guitarist, while Entwistle was playing.
Who wrote “My Generation”?
Pete Townshend also served as the writer of this song. And the track was produced by Shel Talmy, who was behind many of The Who’s fan favorites.
Covers
“My Generation” has been covered by prominent pop musicians such as Green Day (1992), Iron Maiden (2002) and Hillary Duff (2005).
