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{{Short description|1965 single by the Who}}
{{Short description|1965 single by the Who}}
{{About|the song by the Who|the album by the Who|My Generation (album)||My Generation (disambiguation)}}
{{About|the song by The Who|the album|My Generation (album){{!}}''My Generation'' (album)|other uses|My Generation (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use British English|date=March 2012}}
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"'''My Generation'''" is a song by the English rock band [[The Who]], written by guitarist and primary songwriter [[Pete Townshend]]. One of the band's most recognizable songs, it was placed number 11 by ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' on its list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]" in 2004 and 2010, re-ranked number 232 in the 2021 edition. It became part of [[The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll]] and is inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]] for "historical, artistic and significant" value. It is considered one of the band's [[List of signature songs|signature songs]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/readers-poll-the-whos-10-greatest-songs-10410/3-my-generation-232334/|title=The Who's 10 Greatest Songs|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=17 October 2012}}</ref>
"'''My Generation'''" is a song by the English rock band [[the Who]], written by guitarist and primary songwriter [[Pete Townshend]], from their [[My Generation (album)|debut album of the same name]] (1965). It was released as a single on 29 October 1965, reaching number two in the United Kingdom (their highest-charting single in their home country with 1966's "[[I'm a Boy]]") and number 74 in the United States. The song also appeared in greatly extended form on their live album ''[[Live at Leeds]]'' (1970).


"My Generation" was released as a single on 29 October 1965, reaching No. 2 in the United Kingdom (The Who's highest-charting single in their home country along with 1966's "[[I'm a Boy]]") and No. 74 in the United States. The song also appeared on The Who's 1965 debut album, ''[[My Generation (album)|My Generation]]'' (''The Who Sings My Generation'' in the United States), and in greatly extended form on their live album ''[[Live at Leeds]]'' (1970).
One of the band's [[List of signature songs|signature songs]],<ref>{{cite magazine |date=17 October 2012 |title=The Who's 10 Greatest Songs |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/readers-poll-the-whos-10-greatest-songs-10410/3-my-generation-232334/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> "My Generation" was placed number 11 by ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' on its list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]" in 2004 and 2010, re-ranked number 232 in the 2021 edition. It was included in the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]'s "[[500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll]]" and inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]] for being "historical, artistic and significant".


==Inspiration==
==Recording==
Townshend reportedly wrote the song on a train and is said to have been inspired by the [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Mother]], who is alleged to have had Townshend's 1935 [[Packard]] [[hearse]] towed off a street in [[Belgravia]] because she was offended by the sight of it during her daily drive through the neighbourhood.<ref>{{cite web|title= Amazing Journey: The Life of Pete Townshend – Chapter 2 |url= http://www.townshendbio.com/Chap%202.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071202011326/http://www.townshendbio.com/Chap%202.htm |archive-date= 2 December 2007}}</ref> Townshend has also credited [[Mose Allison]]'s "[[Young Man Blues]]" as the inspiration for the song, saying "Without Mose I wouldn't have written 'My Generation'."<ref>{{cite web|first= Paul |last= Bernays |title= Mose Allison – Director's Statement |date= 1 December 2005 |publisher= [[BBC Four]] |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/features/mose-bernays.shtml |archive-date= 25 February 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090225171901/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/features/mose-bernays.shtml}}</ref> Townshend told ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' in 1985 that "'My Generation' was very much about trying to find a place in society."<ref>{{cite magazine|title= My Generation – The Who |magazine= [[Rolling Stone]] |date= 9 December 2004 |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595856/my_generation |archive-date= 9 April 2010 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100409085315/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595856/my_generation}}</ref>
Townshend reportedly wrote the song on a train and is said to have been inspired by the [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Mother]], who is alleged to have had Townshend's 1935 [[Packard]] [[hearse]] towed off a street in [[Belgravia]] because she was offended by the sight of it during her daily drive through the neighbourhood.<ref>{{cite web|title= Amazing Journey: The Life of Pete Townshend – Chapter 2 |url= http://www.townshendbio.com/Chap%202.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071202011326/http://www.townshendbio.com/Chap%202.htm |archive-date= 2 December 2007}}</ref> Townshend has also credited [[Mose Allison]]'s "[[Young Man Blues]]" as the inspiration for the song, saying "Without Mose I wouldn't have written 'My Generation'."<ref>{{cite web|first= Paul |last= Bernays |title= Mose Allison – Director's Statement |date= 1 December 2005 |publisher= [[BBC Four]] |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/features/mose-bernays.shtml |archive-date= 25 February 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090225171901/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/features/mose-bernays.shtml}}</ref>  


On a later interview for ''[[Good Morning America]]'', in 1989, the band was discussing the upcoming 1989 tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ''[[Tommy (The Who album)|Tommy]]'', and Townshend talked about the famous line "I hope I die before I get old." He said that, for him, when he wrote the lyrics, "old" meant "very rich".
The Who re-recorded the song for the ''[[Ready Steady Who]]'' EP in 1966; ultimately it was not included, and remained unissued until the 1995 remaster of ''[[A Quick One]]''. The main difference between this version and the original is that it is heavily abridged and instead of the hail of [[Audio feedback|feedback]] which closes the original, the band play a chaotic rendition of [[Edward Elgar]]'s "[[Land of Hope and Glory]]". In the album's liner notes the song is thus credited to both Pete Townshend and Elgar.


==Composition==
==Composition==
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2019}}
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2019}}
The song's lyrics comprise a distilled statement of youthful rebellion. The's song's melody and composition is considered a forebear to [[punk rock]]. One of the most quoted—and patently rewritten—lines in rock history is "I hope I die before I get old," famously sneered by lead singer [[Roger Daltrey]].


Like much of the Who's earlier [[Mod (subculture)|mod]] output, the song showcases influences of American [[rhythm and blues]], most explicitly in the [[Call and response (music)|call and response]] form of the verses. Daltrey would sing a line, and the backing vocalists, [[Pete Townshend]] (low harmony) and [[John Entwistle]] (high harmony), would respond with the refrain "Talkin' 'bout my generation":
=== Music and lyrics ===
Townshend told ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' in 1985 that "'My Generation' was very much about trying to find a place in society."<ref>{{cite magazine |date=9 December 2004 |title=My Generation – The Who |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595856/my_generation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409085315/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595856/my_generation |archive-date=9 April 2010 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> On a later interview for ''[[Good Morning America]]'', in 1989, the band was discussing the upcoming 1989 tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ''[[Tommy (The Who album)|Tommy]]'', and Townshend talked about the famous line "I hope I die before I get old." He said that, for him, when he wrote the lyrics, "old" meant "very rich". The song's lyrics comprise a distilled statement of youthful rebellion. The song's melody and composition is considered a forebear to [[punk rock]]. One of the most quoted—and patently rewritten—lines in rock history is "I hope I die before I get old," famously sneered by lead singer [[Roger Daltrey]].


[[File:My Generation vocal melody with response.PNG|thumb|400px|right|"My Generation" vocal melody with call and response. {{audio|My Generation vocal melody with response.mid|Play}}]]
For the band the song was the basis for an extended medley or improvisation, going on as long as fifteen minutes, as evinced by the version appearing on ''[[Live at Leeds]]''. Live recordings from 1969 to 1970 include snippets of music from ''[[Tommy (The Who album)|Tommy]]'' as well as parts of what would become "Naked Eye". Townshend's demo version of the song (together with a demo of "[[Pinball Wizard]]") appeared on a [[flexi disc]] included in the original edition of the book ''The Who: Maximum R&B'' by Richard Barnes.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barnes |first=Richard |title=The Who: Maximum R&B |publisher=Plexus Publishing |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-85965-351-0 |location=Medford, New Jersey, USA |page=168}}</ref>


<blockquote><poem>
The instrumental elements of the song are fast and aggressive. Significantly, "My Generation" also featured one of the first bass solos in rock history.<ref>{{cite book |last=Drabløs |first=Per Elias |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ODKrCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA40 |title=The Quest for the Melodic Electric Bass: From Jamerson to Spenner |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-4724-3482-1 |page=40}}</ref> This was played by Entwistle on his [[Fender Jazz Bass]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Jazz bass (serial no. L89716) |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/753541 |access-date=20 September 2021 |publisher=[[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]}}</ref> rather than the [[Danelectro]] bass he wanted to use; after buying three Danelectros with rare thin strings that kept breaking easily (and were not available separately), a frustrated Entwistle used his Fender strung with nylon tapewound strings and was forced to simplify the solo. The song's [[Coda (music)|coda]] features drumming from [[Keith Moon]], as well, whereupon the song breaks down in spurts of guitar feedback from Townshend's [[Rickenbacker]], rather than fading out or ending cleanly on the [[Tonic (music)|tonic]]. There are two guitar parts. The basic instrumental track (as reflected on the instrumental version on the My Generation Deluxe edition) followed by Townshend's overdubs including the furious feedback on the coda. Similarly to [[the Kinks]]'s "[[You Really Got Me]]" (also produced by Shel Talmy), the song [[Modulation (music)|modulates]] from its opening key of G up to C via the keys of A and B{{music|flat}}. Townshend's guitars were tuned down a whole step for the recording.
People try to put us d-down (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Just because we g-g-get around (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I hope I die before I get old (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
</poem></blockquote>


The vocal melody of "My Generation" is an example of the [[shout-and-fall]] [[modal frame]]. This call and response is mirrored in the instrumental break with solo emphasis passing from Townshend's guitar to Entwistle's bass and back again several times.
=== Vocals ===
[[File:John Lee Hooker two.jpg|thumb|Roger Daltrey's famous lyrical approach in "My Generation" was inspired by bluesman [[John Lee Hooker]]]]
[[File:My Generation vocal melody with response.PNG|thumb|400px|right|"My Generation" vocal melody with call and response. {{audio|My Generation vocal melody with response.mid|Play}}]]
Another salient aspect of "My Generation" is Daltrey's delivery: an angry and frustrated [[Stuttering|stutter]]. Various stories exist as to the reason for this distinct delivery. One is that the song began as a slow [[talking blues]] number without the stutter (in the 1970s it was sometimes performed as such, but with the stutter, as "My Generation Blues"), but after being inspired by [[John Lee Hooker]]'s "Stuttering Blues", Townshend reworked the song into its present form. Another reason is that it was suggested to Daltrey that he stutter<ref>{{cite magazine|title= The Who's 20 best songs, chosen by Roger Daltrey |magazine= [[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |page= 3 |date= 24 February 2015 |access-date= 25 May 2019 |url= https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/roger-daltrey-s-track-by-track-guide-to-the-who-s-greatest-hits-28335/3}}</ref> to sound like a British mod on [[Amphetamine|speed]] (amphetamines). It is also proposed, albeit less frequently, that the stutter was introduced to give the group a framework for implying an expletive in the lyrics: "Why don't you all fff ... fade away!" However, producer [[Shel Talmy]] insisted it was simply "one of those happy accidents" that he thought they should keep. Roger Daltrey has also commented that he had not rehearsed the song prior to the recording, was nervous, and he was unable to hear his own voice through the monitors. The stutter came about as he tried to fit the lyrics to the music, and Talmy decided it worked well enough to keep.<ref name="DayinMusic">{{cite web|title= My Generation – Why Don't You All F-Fade Away |website= This Day in Music |date= 17 August 2018 |access-date= 20 September 2021 |url= https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/liner-notes/the-who-my-generation/}}</ref> The BBC initially refused to play "My Generation" because it did not want to offend people who stutter, but it reversed its decision after the song became more popular.<ref>{{cite web|first= Jeremy |last= Allen |title= 8 songs banned by the BBC for the strangest of reasons |publisher= [[BBC Music]] |date= 26 October 2017 |access-date= 8 December 2019 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/46f837da-9ffa-494d-94e7-c7ffb0781bea}}</ref>


The instrumental elements of the song are fast and aggressive. Significantly, "My Generation" also featured one of the first bass solos in rock history.<ref>{{cite book|first= Per Elias |last= Drabløs |year= 2016 |title= The Quest for the Melodic Electric Bass: From Jamerson to Spenner |publisher= [[Routledge]] |page= 40 |isbn= 978-1-4724-3482-1 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ODKrCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA40}}</ref> This was played by Entwistle on his [[Fender Jazz Bass]],<ref>{{cite web|title= Jazz bass (serial no. L89716) |publisher= [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] |access-date= 20 September 2021 |url= https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/753541}}</ref> rather than the [[Danelectro]] bass he wanted to use; after buying three Danelectros with rare thin strings that kept breaking easily (and were not available separately), a frustrated Entwistle used his Fender strung with nylon tapewound strings and was forced to simplify the solo. The song's [[Coda (music)|coda]] features drumming from [[Keith Moon]], as well, whereupon the song breaks down in spurts of guitar feedback from Townshend's [[Rickenbacker]], rather than fading out or ending cleanly on the [[Tonic (music)|tonic]]. There are two guitar parts. The basic instrumental track (as reflected on the instrumental version on the My Generation Deluxe edition) followed by Townshend's overdubs including the furious feedback on the coda. Similarly to [[the Kinks]]'s "[[You Really Got Me]]" (also produced by Shel Talmy), the song [[Modulation (music)|modulates]] from its opening key of G up to C via the keys of A and B{{music|flat}}. Townshend's guitars were tuned down a whole step for the recording.
The vocal melody of "My Generation" is an example of the [[shout-and-fall]] [[modal frame]]. This call and response is mirrored in the instrumental break with solo emphasis passing from Townshend's guitar to Entwistle's bass and back again several times. Like much of the Who's earlier [[Mod (subculture)|mod]] output, the song showcases influences of American [[rhythm and blues]], most explicitly in the [[Call and response (music)|call and response]] form of the verses. Daltrey would sing a line, and the backing vocalists, [[Pete Townshend]] (low harmony) and [[John Entwistle]] (high harmony), would respond with the refrain "Talkin' 'bout my generation":
[[File:John Lee Hooker 1981.jpg|thumb|Roger Daltrey's famous lyrical approach in "My Generation" was inspired by bluesman [[John Lee Hooker]]]]
Another salient aspect of "My Generation" is Daltrey's delivery: an angry and frustrated [[Stuttering|stutter]]. Various stories exist as to the reason for this distinct delivery. One is that the song began as a slow [[talking blues]] number without the stutter (in the 1970s it was sometimes performed as such, but with the stutter, as "My Generation Blues"), but after being inspired by [[John Lee Hooker]]'s "Stuttering Blues", Townshend reworked the song into its present form. Another reason is that it was suggested to Daltrey that he stutter<ref>{{cite magazine|title= The Who's 20 best songs, chosen by Roger Daltrey |magazine= [[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |page= 3 |date= 24 February 2015 |access-date= 25 May 2019 |url= https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/roger-daltrey-s-track-by-track-guide-to-the-who-s-greatest-hits-28335/3}}</ref> to sound like a British mod on [[Amphetamine|speed]] (amphetamines). It is also proposed, albeit less frequently, that the stutter was introduced to give the group a framework for implying an expletive in the lyrics: "Why don't you all fff ... fade away!" However, producer [[Shel Talmy]] insisted it was simply "one of those happy accidents" that he thought they should keep. Roger Daltrey has also commented that he had not rehearsed the song prior to the recording, was nervous, and he was unable to hear his own voice through the monitors. The stutter came about as he tried to fit the lyrics to the music, and Talmy decided it worked well enough to keep.<ref name="DayinMusic">{{cite web|title= My Generation – Why Don't You All F-Fade Away |website= This Day in Music |date= 17 August 2018 |access-date= 20 September 2021 |url= https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/liner-notes/the-who-my-generation/}}</ref>


For the band the song was the basis for an extended medley or improvisation, going on as long as fifteen minutes, as evinced by the version appearing on ''[[Live at Leeds]]''. Live recordings from 1969 to 1970 include snippets of music from ''[[Tommy (The Who album)|Tommy]]'' as well as parts of what would become "Naked Eye".
The BBC initially refused to play "My Generation" because it did not want to offend people who stutter, but it reversed its decision after the song became more popular.<ref>{{cite web |first=Jeremy |last=Allen |title=8 songs banned by the BBC for the strangest of reasons |publisher=[[BBC Music]] |date=26 October 2017 |access-date=8 December 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/46f837da-9ffa-494d-94e7-c7ffb0781bea}}</ref>


Townshend's demo version of the song (together with a demo of "[[Pinball Wizard]]") appeared on a [[flexi disc]] included in the original edition of the book ''The Who: Maximum R&B'' by Richard Barnes.<ref>{{cite book|first= Richard |last= Barnes |year= 1982 |title= The Who: Maximum R&B |publisher= Plexus Publishing |location= Medford, New Jersey, USA |page= 168 |isbn= 978-0-85965-351-0}}</ref>
==Reception and legacy==
[[File:My Generation - ad 1965.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' advertisement, November 20, 1965]]The song was released as a single on 29 October 1965, reaching No. 2 in the UK, the Who's highest-charting single in their home country<ref>{{cite web |title=Who |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/11649/WHO/ |access-date=28 August 2014 |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]}}</ref> and No. 74 in America.<ref name="awards" /> The song has been said by ''[[NME]]'' to have "encapsulated the angst of being a teenager", and has been characterised as a "nod to the [[Mod (subculture)|Mod counterculture]]".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=100 Best Songs of the 1960s > 26: The Who – My Generation |url=https://www.nme.com/list/100-best-songs-of-the-1960s/263950/article/264037 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226201927/http://www.nme.com/list/100-best-songs-of-the-1960s/263950/article/264037 |archive-date=26 February 2015 |magazine=[[NME]]}}</ref> ''NME'' journalist Larry Bartleet in 2015 rated the Who's recording ten points out of ten.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Bartleet |first=Larry |date=3 December 2015 |title=The Who's 'My Generation' Album at 50 – The Best and Worst Covers of Its Era-Defining Single, Starring Oasis, Green Day and More |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/the-whos-my-generation-album-at-50-the-best-and-worst-covers-of-its-era-defining-single-starring-oas-12345 |access-date=16 November 2020 |magazine=[[NME]]}}</ref> ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' described it as a "rollicking, [[blues]]-drenched handclapper which sez [sic] that today's kids have more rights than their elders think."<ref>{{cite magazine |date=20 November 1965 |title=Record Reviews > Pick of the Week |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1965/CB-1965-11-20.pdf |access-date=12 January 2022 |magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]] |page=14 |volume=XXVII |issue=18}}</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' said that "The young generation will find that this generates good times."<ref>{{cite magazine |date=20 November 1965 |title=Singles Reviews |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/60s/65/RW-1965-11-20.pdf |access-date=2023-07-19 |magazine=[[Record World]] |page=6}}</ref>


The Who re-recorded the song for the ''[[Ready Steady Who]]'' EP in 1966; ultimately it was not included, and remained unissued until the 1995 remaster of ''[[A Quick One]]''. The main difference between this version and the original is that it is heavily abridged and instead of the hail of [[Audio feedback|feedback]] which closes the original, the band play a chaotic rendition of [[Edward Elgar]]'s "[[Land of Hope and Glory]]". In the album's liner notes the song is thus credited to both Pete Townshend and Elgar.
=== Accolades ===
In 2012, ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' ranked the song number six on their list of the 20 greatest The Who songs,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-songs/the-20-best-songs-by-the-who|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424202457/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-songs/the-20-best-songs-by-the-who/|title=The 20 Best Songs by The Who|first=Brian|last=Tremml|work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|date=7 November 2012|access-date=21 June 2025|archive-date=24 April 2021}}</ref> and in 2022, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked the song number three on their list of the 50 greatest The Who songs.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-whos-50-greatest-songs-81794/|title=The Who's 50 Greatest Songs|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=30 June 2022|access-date=20 March 2023}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' named the song the eleventh greatest song on its [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|500 Greatest Songs of All Time]] list in 2004 and 2011,<ref name="RS">{{cite magazine |title=The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (1–500) |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/1 |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023195417/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/1 |archive-date=23 October 2006}}</ref> re-ranked to number 232 in the 2021 edition.  In 2009, [[VH1]] named it the thirty-seventh Greatest Hard Rock Song.<ref name="VH1">{{cite web|first= Andrew |last= Winistorfer |title= VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs list only slightly less annoying than their hip-hop list |work= Prefix Magazine |date= 5 January 2009 |access-date= 28 August 2014 |url= http://www.prefixmag.com/news/vh1s-100-greatest-hard-rock-songs-list-only-slight/24504/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910030052/http://www.prefixmag.com/news/vh1s-100-greatest-hard-rock-songs-list-only-slight/24504/ |archive-date=10 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It is also part of [[The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll]]<ref>{{cite web|title= Experience The Music: One Hit Wonders and The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll |publisher= [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] |url= https://www.rockhall.com/exhibits/one-hit-wonders-songs-that-shaped-rock-and-roll/ |archive-date= 4 June 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160604160549/https://www.rockhall.com/exhibits/one-hit-wonders-songs-that-shaped-rock-and-roll/}}</ref> and is inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]] for "historical, artistic and significant" value.<ref name="DayinMusic" />


==Personnel==
==Personnel==
Personnel per Pete Townshend.<ref name="Townshend">{{cite book|first= Pete |last= Townshend |year= 2012 |title= Who I Am: A Memoir |publisher= [[HarperCollins]] Publishers |location= New York |page= 85}}</ref>
Credits are according to Pete Townshend.<ref name="Townshend">{{cite book |last=Townshend |first=Pete |title=Who I Am: A Memoir |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] Publishers |year=2012 |location=New York |page=85}}</ref>
*[[Roger Daltrey]] – lead vocals
*[[Roger Daltrey]] – lead vocals
*[[Pete Townshend]] – electric guitar, backing vocals
*[[Pete Townshend]] – electric guitar, backing vocals
Line 76: Line 74:
*[[Keith Moon]] – drums
*[[Keith Moon]] – drums


==Reception==
==Charts==
[[File:My Generation - ad 1965.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' advertisement, November 20, 1965]]
In 2012, ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' ranked the song number six on their list of the 20 greatest The Who songs,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-songs/the-20-best-songs-by-the-who|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424202457/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-songs/the-20-best-songs-by-the-who/|title=The 20 Best Songs by The Who|first=Brian|last=Tremml|work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|date=7 November 2012|access-date=21 June 2025|archive-date=24 April 2021}}</ref> and in 2022, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked the song number three on their list of the 50 greatest The Who songs.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-whos-50-greatest-songs-81794/|title=The Who's 50 Greatest Songs|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=30 June 2022|access-date=20 March 2023}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' named the song the eleventh greatest song on its [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|500 Greatest Songs of All Time]] list in 2004 and 2011,<ref name="RS">{{cite magazine |title=The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (1–500) |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/1 |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023195417/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/1 |archive-date=23 October 2006}}</ref> re-ranked to number 232 in the 2021 edition.  In 2009, [[VH1]] named it the thirty-seventh Greatest Hard Rock Song.<ref name="VH1">{{cite web|first= Andrew |last= Winistorfer |title= VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs list only slightly less annoying than their hip-hop list |work= Prefix Magazine |date= 5 January 2009 |access-date= 28 August 2014 |url= http://www.prefixmag.com/news/vh1s-100-greatest-hard-rock-songs-list-only-slight/24504/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910030052/http://www.prefixmag.com/news/vh1s-100-greatest-hard-rock-songs-list-only-slight/24504/ |archive-date=10 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It is also part of [[The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll]]<ref>{{cite web|title= Experience The Music: One Hit Wonders and The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll |publisher= [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] |url= https://www.rockhall.com/exhibits/one-hit-wonders-songs-that-shaped-rock-and-roll/ |archive-date= 4 June 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160604160549/https://www.rockhall.com/exhibits/one-hit-wonders-songs-that-shaped-rock-and-roll/}}</ref> and is inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]] for "historical, artistic and significant" value.<ref name="DayinMusic"/>
 
The song has been said by ''[[NME]]'' to have "encapsulated the angst of being a teenager", and has been characterized as a "nod to the [[Mod (subculture)|Mod counterculture]]".<ref>{{cite magazine|title= 100 Best Songs of the 1960s > 26: The Who – My Generation |magazine= [[NME]] |url= https://www.nme.com/list/100-best-songs-of-the-1960s/263950/article/264037 |archive-date= 26 February 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150226201927/http://www.nme.com/list/100-best-songs-of-the-1960s/263950/article/264037}}</ref> ''NME'' journalist Larry Bartleet in 2015 rated the Who's recording ten points out of ten.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Larry |last= Bartleet |title= The Who's 'My Generation' Album at 50 – The Best and Worst Covers of Its Era-Defining Single, Starring Oasis, Green Day and More |magazine=[[NME]] |date= 3 December 2015 |access-date= 16 November 2020 |url= https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/the-whos-my-generation-album-at-50-the-best-and-worst-covers-of-its-era-defining-single-starring-oas-12345}}</ref> ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' described it as a "rollicking, [[blues]]-drenched handclapper which sez [sic] that today's kids have more rights than their elders think."<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Record Reviews > Pick of the Week |magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]|volume= XXVII |issue= 18 |page= 14 |date= 20 November 1965 |access-date= 12 January 2022 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1965/CB-1965-11-20.pdf}}</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' said that "The young generation will find that this generates good times."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Singles Reviews|magazine=[[Record World]]|date=20 November 1965|page=6|access-date=2023-07-19|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/60s/65/RW-1965-11-20.pdf}}</ref>
 
==Chart performance==
The song was released as a single on 29 October 1965, reaching No. 2 in the UK, The Who's highest-charting single in their home country<ref>{{cite web|title= Who |publisher= [[Official Charts Company]] |access-date= 28 August 2014 |url= http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/11649/WHO/}}</ref> and No. 74 in America.<ref name="awards"/>
 
===Charts===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Chart (1965–1966)
!Chart (1965–1966)
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===Certifications===
== Certifications ==
{{certification Table Top}}
{{certification Table Top}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United Kingdom|artist=Who|title=My Generation|award=Platinum|certyear=2025|relyear=2004|id=4461-1463-1|access-date=23 April 2025}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United Kingdom|artist=Who|title=My Generation|award=Platinum|certyear=2025|relyear=2004|id=4461-1463-1|access-date=23 April 2025}}
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[[Category:Decca Records singles]]
[[Category:Decca Records singles]]
[[Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients]]
[[Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients]]
[[Category:Protest songs]]
[[Category:British protest songs]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Shel Talmy]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Shel Talmy]]
[[Category:Songs written by Pete Townshend]]
[[Category:Songs written by Pete Townshend]]

Latest revision as of 21:51, 16 December 2025

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"My Generation" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend, from their debut album of the same name (1965). It was released as a single on 29 October 1965, reaching number two in the United Kingdom (their highest-charting single in their home country with 1966's "I'm a Boy") and number 74 in the United States. The song also appeared in greatly extended form on their live album Live at Leeds (1970).

One of the band's signature songs,[1] "My Generation" was placed number 11 by Rolling Stone on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004 and 2010, re-ranked number 232 in the 2021 edition. It was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll" and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for being "historical, artistic and significant".

Recording

Townshend reportedly wrote the song on a train and is said to have been inspired by the Queen Mother, who is alleged to have had Townshend's 1935 Packard hearse towed off a street in Belgravia because she was offended by the sight of it during her daily drive through the neighbourhood.[2] Townshend has also credited Mose Allison's "Young Man Blues" as the inspiration for the song, saying "Without Mose I wouldn't have written 'My Generation'."[3]

The Who re-recorded the song for the Ready Steady Who EP in 1966; ultimately it was not included, and remained unissued until the 1995 remaster of A Quick One. The main difference between this version and the original is that it is heavily abridged and instead of the hail of feedback which closes the original, the band play a chaotic rendition of Edward Elgar's "Land of Hope and Glory". In the album's liner notes the song is thus credited to both Pete Townshend and Elgar.

Composition

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Music and lyrics

Townshend told Rolling Stone in 1985 that "'My Generation' was very much about trying to find a place in society."[4] On a later interview for Good Morning America, in 1989, the band was discussing the upcoming 1989 tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Tommy, and Townshend talked about the famous line "I hope I die before I get old." He said that, for him, when he wrote the lyrics, "old" meant "very rich". The song's lyrics comprise a distilled statement of youthful rebellion. The song's melody and composition is considered a forebear to punk rock. One of the most quoted—and patently rewritten—lines in rock history is "I hope I die before I get old," famously sneered by lead singer Roger Daltrey.

For the band the song was the basis for an extended medley or improvisation, going on as long as fifteen minutes, as evinced by the version appearing on Live at Leeds. Live recordings from 1969 to 1970 include snippets of music from Tommy as well as parts of what would become "Naked Eye". Townshend's demo version of the song (together with a demo of "Pinball Wizard") appeared on a flexi disc included in the original edition of the book The Who: Maximum R&B by Richard Barnes.[5]

The instrumental elements of the song are fast and aggressive. Significantly, "My Generation" also featured one of the first bass solos in rock history.[6] This was played by Entwistle on his Fender Jazz Bass,[7] rather than the Danelectro bass he wanted to use; after buying three Danelectros with rare thin strings that kept breaking easily (and were not available separately), a frustrated Entwistle used his Fender strung with nylon tapewound strings and was forced to simplify the solo. The song's coda features drumming from Keith Moon, as well, whereupon the song breaks down in spurts of guitar feedback from Townshend's Rickenbacker, rather than fading out or ending cleanly on the tonic. There are two guitar parts. The basic instrumental track (as reflected on the instrumental version on the My Generation Deluxe edition) followed by Townshend's overdubs including the furious feedback on the coda. Similarly to the Kinks's "You Really Got Me" (also produced by Shel Talmy), the song modulates from its opening key of G up to C via the keys of A and B♭. Townshend's guitars were tuned down a whole step for the recording.

Vocals

File:My Generation vocal melody with response.PNG
"My Generation" vocal melody with call and response. Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler

The vocal melody of "My Generation" is an example of the shout-and-fall modal frame. This call and response is mirrored in the instrumental break with solo emphasis passing from Townshend's guitar to Entwistle's bass and back again several times. Like much of the Who's earlier mod output, the song showcases influences of American rhythm and blues, most explicitly in the call and response form of the verses. Daltrey would sing a line, and the backing vocalists, Pete Townshend (low harmony) and John Entwistle (high harmony), would respond with the refrain "Talkin' 'bout my generation":

File:John Lee Hooker 1981.jpg
Roger Daltrey's famous lyrical approach in "My Generation" was inspired by bluesman John Lee Hooker

Another salient aspect of "My Generation" is Daltrey's delivery: an angry and frustrated stutter. Various stories exist as to the reason for this distinct delivery. One is that the song began as a slow talking blues number without the stutter (in the 1970s it was sometimes performed as such, but with the stutter, as "My Generation Blues"), but after being inspired by John Lee Hooker's "Stuttering Blues", Townshend reworked the song into its present form. Another reason is that it was suggested to Daltrey that he stutter[8] to sound like a British mod on speed (amphetamines). It is also proposed, albeit less frequently, that the stutter was introduced to give the group a framework for implying an expletive in the lyrics: "Why don't you all fff ... fade away!" However, producer Shel Talmy insisted it was simply "one of those happy accidents" that he thought they should keep. Roger Daltrey has also commented that he had not rehearsed the song prior to the recording, was nervous, and he was unable to hear his own voice through the monitors. The stutter came about as he tried to fit the lyrics to the music, and Talmy decided it worked well enough to keep.[9]

The BBC initially refused to play "My Generation" because it did not want to offend people who stutter, but it reversed its decision after the song became more popular.[10]

Reception and legacy

File:My Generation - ad 1965.jpg
Billboard advertisement, November 20, 1965

The song was released as a single on 29 October 1965, reaching No. 2 in the UK, the Who's highest-charting single in their home country[11] and No. 74 in America.[12] The song has been said by NME to have "encapsulated the angst of being a teenager", and has been characterised as a "nod to the Mod counterculture".[13] NME journalist Larry Bartleet in 2015 rated the Who's recording ten points out of ten.[14] Cash Box described it as a "rollicking, blues-drenched handclapper which sez [sic] that today's kids have more rights than their elders think."[15] Record World said that "The young generation will find that this generates good times."[16]

Accolades

In 2012, Paste ranked the song number six on their list of the 20 greatest The Who songs,[17] and in 2022, Rolling Stone ranked the song number three on their list of the 50 greatest The Who songs.[18] Rolling Stone named the song the eleventh greatest song on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list in 2004 and 2011,[19] re-ranked to number 232 in the 2021 edition. In 2009, VH1 named it the thirty-seventh Greatest Hard Rock Song.[20] It is also part of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll[21] and is inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for "historical, artistic and significant" value.[9]

Personnel

Credits are according to Pete Townshend.[22]

Charts

Template:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chart
Chart (1965–1966) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[23] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 74
US Cash Box Top 100[24] 99
Chart (1988) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[23] 88

Certifications

Template:Certification Table Top Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Bottom

See also

References

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