Assignment #19 The Who, My Generation PDF

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The who, My generation answers. ...

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The Who, “My Generation” I. Defining Terms • What is a “generation”? Generation is people who were born in a specific period of time and grow to become adults.

• Do you think of yourself as a member of a particular generation? If so, what title would you give that generation and how would you define it? If not, why do you think being part of a generation is not important to you? I see myself as part of generation Z where technology and information is everywhere. Even though I do not really think much about belonging to a specific generation, I feel good to be living in such a fenomenal time. Technology and the internet are great tools that make our lives easier. I cannot imagine living a time with no internet or technology. There are some things that never change such as the capacity to create since that “The sun that shines today is the sun that shone when thy father was born, and will still be shining when thy last grandchild shall pass into the darkness (George S. Clason).”

• Who do you consider to be in your generation? Who is not in your generation? How do you feel about people who are not part of your generation? I consider most of my friends to be in my generation since we all have around the same age. Also, we share similar experiences and visions. I never classified specific people to belong in my generation or I never thought about it, but I would say that I do not consider very young teens to be in my generation. I feel that people who are not part of my generation do not experience the outside world as they should. Walls will keep the danger away, but will prevent knowledge.

II. Background • When and where were the Who formed? The Who was formed in London in the mid-60s.

• What type of music was the band best known for? Rock.

• According to the description, was what you just saw in the video typical for the Who? It was the earliest performance of the Who singing “My Generation.” It was not typical for the Who since in their others videos they act crazier on the stage.

III. “My Generation,” the Who, 1965 Read the excerpt below from the song lyrics, written by Pete Townsend, and watch the video of the band performing the song on American television in 1967. Then discuss the questions below.

People try to put us d-down Just because we get around Things they do look awful c-c-cold I hope I die before I get old

This is my generation This is my generation, baby

Why don't you all f-fade away

Don't try and dig what we all s-s-s-say

I'm not trying to 'cause a big s-s-sensation I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-g-generation My generation This is my generation, baby • Whom is the singer speaking for? (Who is “we”?) What is his message on their behalf? I think singing on behalf of the baby boomers generation.

• 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? I believe he means a state of mind not a physical age. When he sings “I hope I die before I get old,” he is referring to the word old as bored and cranky.

• How does the music reflect the lyrics? What instruments do you hear? What is the overall mood and tone of the music? For example, does it have a pleasant melody? How does the band use music to emphasize the message of the lyrics? The music makes the lyrics very energetic and fun. The struments that I hear are the drums, guitar, and bass, but the drums capture more attention. The overall mood and tones of the music seems very rebellious. It does not have a pleasant melody. The music fits very well to what they are singing. It is an expression of refusing to accept the rules that adults or older society is imposing on them.

• Why do you think the singer stutters on certain words? What message is he trying to convey? I

think he stutters in certain words to give an empathize of what he is trying to communicate. It is a weird way of doing it since I have not seen other singers doing that. He is trying to convey that his generation is cool and will not stop having fun. • Who do you think was the intended audience for this song? I think it was specifically for teenagers, the baby boomers generation.

• Remember that the video you saw at the beginning of the lesson came at the end of a performance of this song. What is the connection? Do the actions in the video reflect the message of the song? If so, in what way? The connection is the way the performers feel on the stage and the vibes they transmit to the audience. In the video the Who "My Generation" Live 1965, the performance seems very calm. In the live performance at Monterey Pop Festival 1967, the Who became so excited that the guitarist broke his guitar.

IV. Background Reading on “My Generation” The Who released their first album, My Generation, in 1965, when Pete Townsend, the lead guitarist and writer of many of the band’s hits, was 21 years old. The title track of the album was only a minor hit in the United States, but it nonetheless remains one of the Who’s most recognized songs. “’My Generation’ was very much about trying to find a place in society,” Townshend said in a 1987 interview. “I was very, very lost. The band was young then. It was believed that its career would be incredibly brief.” In a 1989 television interview, Townsend, in his mid forties, was asked if his definition of “old”

had changed since he wrote the song. “No, it’s exactly the same,” he replied. “I suppose ‘old’ to me then was really ‘rich.’ It was like somebody who had achieved everything and looked to anybody that was on the ladder up with an eye to kick him off.”

• According to Townsend, did “old” mean physical age? According to these interviews, was the song from his perspective about age or about acceptance? Old did not mean physical age. According to Townsend, the song was not about age or about acceptance. • Does Townsend’s explanation of the song mesh with your own interpretation of it? Do his words change your understanding of it? Townsend’s explanations do not mesh with my own interpretation of the song. His explanation definitely changed my understanding of the song.

• How might one’s interpretation of the song change as one gets older? Can the song still have meaning for someone who is not a teenager or in his early 20s? Someone’s interpretation of the song can change as they get older because their environment can influence their perspective. I think the song can have a meaning for anyone who has the ability to interpret the message in the song....