Author: Pete Townshend
Publisher:Towser Tunes, Inc./Fabulous Music Ltd./ABKCO Music, Inc.

Recorded October 13th, 1965 at Pye Studios, London This was The Who's fourth attempt at recording this song. Pete had written it on May 19th during a train ride to Southampton to appear on a television show. The original was a slow "talking" blues without a stutter. Pete reworked it into its present form with the help of manager Chris Stamp. It was released as a single in the U.K. on November 5th, 1965 and reached #2. The U.S. single release was November 20th, 1965 where it peaked at #74.

If 'My Generation' was the only record The Who ever recorded, they would still deserve an honourable mention in any history of rock. Their third single, the Mod anthem of 1965, is still the best known song in their entire catalogue. Pete Townshend has often regretted penning the memorable lines "Hope I die before I get old" but 'My Generation' remains the hardest hitting single released by any U.K. pop group in 1965. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones remember, were still writing love songs at the time this was released 'My Generation' went through many transformations whenever The Who played it live. Often it became a slow blues that gradually speeded up but here, on what must be one of the longest versions of the song that The Who ever performed, it starts traditionally before meandering off after the bass solo into sections from 'Tommy,' including a whipped-up verse of 'See Me Feel Me,' some unsecured blues and R&B; hollering, and some excellent soloing by Pete who appears to play against his own echo bouncing off the back of the hall. There are many false endings where Pete silences the band before heading off into uncharted territory, apparently finishing the song, only to restart and accelerate again. This version of 'My Generation' is as good an example as any of the way in which The Who could play off each other when they were in the mood. By now, barring Keith, they'd been playing together on stage for around eight years and there's no substitute for intuition that such training generates. Listen for Keith's repeated sixth-sense count-ins, all pre-empted by a Pete line that's familiar only to him and John and Ð as ever Ð listen to John working overtime as he zooms up and down the longest bass fretboard in rock. The original recording was produced by Shel Talmy at Pye Studios, London on October 13, 1965, and released as a single three weeks later. It reached #2 in the U.K. charts, the highest position any Who single would ever achieve. [except for "I'm A Boy" which also reached #2 in the same chart] It didn't chart at all in the U.S. [It did. It reached #74 in the Billboard charts.] [Here's Pete's explanation for this track from his introduction at Leeds: "We do a number now which is kind of a little bit of everything. Mainly, it's mostly The Who. It's mostly The Who of about three years ago and mixed in are little bits of The Who today. This is something which is more or less our hymn. The reason we reprise 'Tommy' in it, in other words we repeat a bit of it, is to mix all the bits of our history together in a one great, huge deafening din." On the Canadian version of "Live at Leeds" this track is broken down into the following songs: 1a. My Generation (Townshend), b. See Me, Feel Me (We're Not Gonna Take It) (Townshend), c. Higher (Townshend, Entwistle, Daltrey, Moon), d. Overbridge (Townshend, Entwistle, Daltrey, Moon), e. Coming Out To Get You (Townshend, Entwistle, Daltrey, Moon), f. Underture (Townshend), g. Driving Four (Townshend, Entwistle, Daltrey, Moon). On the original LP this was the first track on side 2 and was 14'27. On the reissue it is track 13 and is 14'45. The uncut original is 15'03. Other live versions of "My Generation" can be found on the Monterey Pop boxset and movie, "Live At The Isle Of Wight 1970," "The Kids Are Alright" movie, "Who's Last," "Thirty Years Of Maximum R'n'B" video and the "Who's Better, Who's Best" video.]

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)
And don't try to dig what we all 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)

This is 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

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