My Generation is 60 years old: the rock explosion of The Who
On October 29, 1965, The Who unleashed a primal scream that would change rock history forever: My Generation. A three-minute single that didn’t just define a decade — it redefined rebellion itself. Sixty years later, its raw energy still crackles through speakers with the same urgency.
⚡ The unfiltered voice of youth
Recorded at London’s IBC Studios, My Generation was born out of Pete Townshend’s frustration with post-war English conformity. Legend has it that he wrote the song after an upper-class driver smashed his guitar. The result: a furious anthem for the Mods — scooter-riding youth who refused to grow old quietly. With the iconic line “I hope I die before I get old”, the song became the battle cry of an entire generation.
🎬 Below, a rare 1967 television performance where The Who perform My Generation with raw intensity — a true manifesto of the British rebellious spirit.
🎸 A sonic revolution
Keith Moon pounds the drums like controlled chaos, John Entwistle invents the fuzz bass solo on his Danelectro, and Roger Daltrey spits the lyrics with a rebellious stutter — meant to mimic teenage defiance. The BBC tried to ban the track, thinking it mocked people with speech impediments. Too late: the movement had begun.
🔥 Destruction as art
On stage, The Who turned mayhem into art. Smashed guitars, shattered amps, cymbals ripped apart — every concert was a ritual of destruction and renewal. Townshend, who studied sculpture, described it as performance art — a statement against consumerism and conformity. This radical idea paved the way for punk, hard rock, and every act of musical rebellion that followed.
📀 Legacy and influence
My Generation remains one of the most important singles in rock history — a sonic Molotov cocktail that ignited generations to come. From the Sex Pistols to Nirvana, countless bands drew from its fury. In 2009, it was added to the U.S. Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry as a work of “cultural, historical and aesthetic significance.” In 2025, as it turns 60, it still sounds like a revolution about to happen.
🖤 The Who on MusikMachine
At MusikMachine, The Who’s spirit lives on through officially licensed patches, t-shirts and flags featuring their legendary designs. Each piece celebrates the defiant energy that made The Who a cornerstone of rock rebellion.
🎶 Check out the latest arrivals on MusikMachine RockShop — where music becomes a declaration of independence.