The Who – My Generation (1965)

The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. One of the most important
bands of the British Invasion, the Who had a remarkable voice for expressing generational
rage and an explosive performance style to match it. While neither the Beatles nor the
Rolling Stones appeared at either of the most iconic 1960s music festivals— Monterey
Pop in 1967 and Woodstock in 1969— the Who delivered signature performances at both.
Through their songs, which expressed the visceral frustrations of adolescence and young
adulthood, and their concerts, which set standards for a new kind of showmanship, the
Who established a reputation as one of the toughest, most articulate, most influential
bands in Rock and Roll. This lesson centers on the Who’s 1965 song “My Generation.”
The band’s second hit single (after “I Can’t Explain”), it has become perhaps its bestknown
record, an anthem for the youth of the 1960s that still resonates today. “My Generation”
captures the spirit of the Who as well as, if not better than, anything the group recorded
over its long career: confrontational lyrics that are simultaneously full of angst and
defiance, stuttering vocals that evoke frustration and confusion, and a performance that at
times feels on the edge of collapse.
Concerning their song "My generation", Townsent (the guitarist and one of the founding
members) said : "Well there is a story that it's inspired by the Queen Mother having my
Packard Hearse towed away from outside my house, but that's not really what happened.
"My Generation" was inspired by the fact that I felt as artists we had to draw a line
between all those people who had been involved in the second world war and all those
people who were born right at the end of the war."

Trace écrite :

The Who are one of the most important bands in the Rock history.
One of their most famous songs is « My generation »

Remarkable (adj) = extraordinary, astonishing, sensational ≠ usual, normal, ordinary

Visceral (adj) = profound, deep ≠ superficial
Showmanship (n) = ability to attract attention = skill, talent, theatricals ≠ inability
Anthem = hymn
Confrontational (adj) - tending toward or ready for confrontation ≠ agreeable
Angst (n) = a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish ≠ calmness
Angsty (adj) ≠ calm (adj)
Defiance (n) = disobediance, disregard ≠ obedience
defiant (adj) ≠ obedient (adj)
to defy (v) ≠ to obey (v)
Stuttering (adj) = spoken with or characterized by a stutter ; progressing in a hesitant or
irregular way.
a stutter (n) British English
to stutter (v)
a stammer (n) American English
Edge = border, brink, verge

To draw a line - to put a limit on what you will do or allow to happen, esp. because you feel
something is wrong.
People try to put us d-down (talkin' 'bout my generation)
Just because we 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)
This is my generation
This is my generation, baby
Why don't you all f-fade away (talkin' 'bout my generation)
Don't try to dig what we all s-s-s-say (talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm not trying to 'cause a big s-s-sensation (talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-g-generation (talkin' 'bout my generation)
My generation
This is my generation, baby
Why don't you all f-fade away (talkin' 'bout my generation)
And don't try to d-dig what we all s-s-say (talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm not trying to 'cause a b-big s-s-sensation (talkin' 'bout my generation)
I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-generation (talkin' 'bout my generation)
This is my generation
This is my generation, baby
My my my generation
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)
Yeah, I hope I die before I get old (talkin' 'bout my generation)
This is my generation
This is my generation, baby
My my my generation
this is my generation
(Talkin' 'bout my generation) this is my generation x6

Trace écrite :

To put (someone) down (phrasal verb) = to make someone feel silly or not important by
criticizing them:
To get around (phrasal verb) - deal successfully with a problem
To dig something (phrasal verb) = to understand, to grasp the meaning of something

Let’s discuss :

• Whom is the singer speaking to? (Who is “you”?) What is his message to them?
• Who is the singer speaking for? (Who is “we”?) What is his message on their behalf?
• When the singer says, “I hope I die before I get old,” what do you think he means? Do you think
he means this literally? Or might there be a figurative meaning? Does “old” represent a physical
age, a state of mind, or perhaps something else?
• Why do you think these particular lyrics have become widely known? Do you think it was in any
way irresponsible of the Who to sing this song to young people?
• How does the music reflect the lyrics? What instruments do you hear? What is the overall mood
and tone of the music? How does the band use music to emphasize the message of the lyrics?
• Why do you think the singer stutters on certain words? What message might he be trying to
convey?
• Who do you think was the intended audience for this song?