2 JANUARY 1966
The Who’s wild single ‘My Generation’ was still in the UK Top 10, after peaking at #2 some weeks before. Despite only reaching #74 in the US, this is one of the legendary songs of the ‘60s, embodying the heavy turn that rock was taking at that time. Punk before punk. Elvis would never have sung ‘Hope I die before I get old’.
Why did Daltrey sing this song with a stutter? One story is that the song began as a slow-talking blues number without the stutter, but Townshend reworked the song after being inspired by John Lee Hooker's ‘Stuttering Blues’. Another story is that it was intended to sound like a Mod on speed. It has also been suggested that the stutter implied an expletive in the lyrics: ‘Why don't you all fff... fade away!’ Daltrey has also said that he had not rehearsed prior to recording, was nervous, and was unable to hear his own voice through the monitors. The stutter came about as he tried to fit the lyrics to the music as best he could, and the band decided it worked well. The BBC initially refused to play ‘My Generation’ because it did not want to offend people who stutter, but reversed its decision after the song became more popular.
B-side: 'Shout and Shimmy' (UK), 'Out in the Street' (USA)
Recorded: 13 October 1965, IBC Studios, London
Released: 29 October 1965 (UK), 5 November 1965 (US)
Released: 29 October 1965 (UK), 5 November 1965 (US)
Highest chart positions: #2 (UK), #74 (US)
Length: 3:18
Writer: Pete Townshend
