Talk:My Generation (The Who song)

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The song was actually covered by Green Day on the Sweet Children EP. That EP comes on the same disc as kerplunk now.

I have never heard of Roger saying "fuck off" instead of "fade away." Can someone provide evidence for this? Sensation002 18:47, 29 May 2005 (UTC)

On Live at Leeds he quite clearly says "fuck off". --Bruce1ee (Talk) 06:20, 30 May 2005 (UTC)

Sorry to bother you, but I have the album and I listened to the song multiple times and I cannot find this. do you mind providing a specific time in the song, just for my clarity? Sensation002 15:24, 30 May 2005 (UTC)

Unfortunately I don't have my copy of Live at Leeds anymore but I can remember those words very clearly because at the time four-letter words on LPs were rare. I'm not sure which release of Live at Leeds you have but the LP I had had a 15-odd minute version of "My Generation" that becomes "See Me, Feel Me / Listening to You". But the original lyrics were supposed to be "Why don't you all f-f-f-fuck off" [1] [2]. Perhaps someone else can confirm (or deny) that Roger Daltrey does replace "f-f-fade away" with "f-f-fuck off" on Live at Leeds. --Bruce1ee (Talk) 09:46, 31 May 2005 (UTC)

No, he sings that verse twice, and very clearly sings "fade away" both times. I have listened to it this very moment. — B.Bryant 11:55, 31 May 2005 (UTC)

Just as a side note, he does say, "fuck off" at the end of Young Man Blues on the same record. Sensation002 13:28, 31 May 2005 (UTC)

I'm listening to Live at Leeds now. Yes, Daltrey ends Young Man Blues with "sweet fuck all". However, he sings "fade away" in My Generation. I assume that the legend arose because people vaguely remembered hearing the word fuck on the album, but were unwilling to sit through all fourteen tedious, self-indulgent minutes of My Generation to make sure where it was.

With regards to "But the original lyrics were supposed to be "Why don't you all f-f-f-fuck off" [3] [4]", the first source is a user comment at Songfacts.com, which is a totally unreliable source, and the second source qualifies this with "supposedly", which is the language of weakness.

Bruce1ee's "On Live at Leeds [Daltrey] quite clearly says "fuck off"" and his subsequent rapidy retreat from this position, which is now preserved on this talk page for all eternity, damages his credibility terribly and will undoubtedly be used against him in any further disputes in which he chooses to participate.

• There is no need to be patronising. Looks like he made an honest mistake. Assume good faith. exolon 22:59, 7 October 2005 (UTC)

I'm sure Pete Townshend was aware of the word fuck in 1965, and I can imagine someone hearing the song for the first time in 1965 might have been shocked or surprised by the stuttering f-f-f-; and I'm doubly sure that Thownsend was fully aware that he couldn't possibly include the f-word in a pop single, and he didn't. The MC5 had enough trouble with the word motherfuckers in 1969, and they were an underground band. When was the first f-word used, uncensored, on a mainstream rock record put out by a major label? John Lennon had a potty mouth, but that was a couple of years hence.

So far as I know, it was on Volunteers by Jefferson Airplane. "Up against the wall, motherfucker!" Big stink with the company, but they got their way.

Kalisphoenix

Besides which, "Why don't you all fuck off" doesn't fit the song's rhythm, and I'm sure that 'fade away' was a reference to the Rolling Stones' Not Fade Away. -Ashley Pomeroy 20:14, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

In the movie Quadrophenia, the mods listen to My Generation at a party and they all sing it "f-f-fuck off," although the recording probably does not say that. They also listen to The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" and sing "so I masterbate at night" instead of "so I can't sleep at night."

[edit] Cleanup

I removed the cleanup notice. I believe the information it referred to had already been removed. Sensation002 01:53, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Should the Green Day categorization be removed?

Just wondering. This wasn't an original Green Day song, so...

[edit] Magic Bus as Prototype

I'm having trouble finding out when the title track of "Magic Bus" was recorded. The song is identical in structure and melody to "My Generation. It only differs in beat and lyrics. I'm trying to figure out if it is prototype to My Generation or did it come later as just a rehash?--Mark 2000 06:49, 19 June 2006 (UTC)