The Who’s “My Generation” turns 60
“My Generation” of the Who it is the anthem to rebellion par excellence, it was then as it is today which turns 60. The song was written by the guitarist of the English band Pete Townshend – who was 20 at the time – during a trip from London to Southampton. He was born in a period in which the English musician felt alone, disconnected from the world. A sensation fueled by some subtle rumors that Townshend was living a double life, experimenting with homosexual relationships while trying to convince those around him otherwise. This position made him suffer a lot and marginalized him from society.
One myth surrounding the song is that it was written on the
Queen Mother
which removes the Packard Hearse of
Pete Townshend
. A particularly strange scenario but, considering that the guitarist kept the vehicle parked in front of his house on the road between
Clarence House
And
Buckingham Palace
and that one day the car inexplicably disappeared, is somehow plausible, even if the image of the Queen Mother hooking a tow rope to the old car, just thinking about it, raises a smile. Townshend once recounted the episode thus: “One day I came back and it was gone. It turned out that she (the Queen Mother) had moved it because her husband had been buried in a similar vehicle and it reminded her of it. When I went to collect it, they wanted two hundred and fifty pounds. I had only paid thirty.”
Even if that story is true, the only relationship he had with
“My Generation”
is that it was the reason he had to take the train to Southampton. The idea of the Queen Mother being the only reason she composed the song is always funny. In 2019
Pete Townshend
Speaking on Radio we were allowed to join the army, we weren’t allowed to talk, we were supposed to keep quiet and enjoy the peace… And we decided not to do that.”
“My Generation” it’s all about counting and refusing to settle for what was meant for them. It became a call for disenfranchised youth to speak up. It certainly doesn’t have a political weight, but even today, after all these years, or rather decades, listening still pushes young people to get a move on.
