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‘It Came From a Place of Resentment’
Pete Townshend began writing ‘My Generation’ as an anthem for his disaffected peers. Then the queen got involved.
In 1965, Pete Townshend was in his apartment workshopping a new song for his band the Who after a group of fans asked him to write lyrics that spoke to their generation’s frustration with how they were being treated. Townshend’s initial approach was a chug-a-lug acoustic number about kids his age being “put down just because we get around” and wanting “to die before I grow old.” The Who’s manager loved what he heard but told the guitarist to give it a bit more oomph. A bass solo, thudding drums, and a few “f-f-fade away” stutters later, the band landed on “My Generation.” Celebrated and banned (briefly) by the BBC, it became a lodestar for millions of disaffected youths tired of the patronizing stance of their elders.
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