Song 474: This week the playlist comes around to My Generation by The Who, written by Pete Townshend, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. This weekend being the 50th anniversary reunion of my HS graduating class, this cut seems to fit the moment quite well. I just had the opportunity to reconnect with a bunch of former classmates and talk about the times, both old and new. Ironically, though, I didn't actually know this hit before I graduated, despite its chart run a few years before I put on the robe. Indeed, I didn't get to discover the track until after I started college and I got to hear a lot more rock, thanks to the radio, my circle of musically-savvy friends, and the fact that I no longer lived with a family who despised the devil's music. Learning the message of this number's lyrics roughly coincided with me joining others of My Generation in opposing the war in Viet Nam, so even though it was already a golden oldie, at the time, it seemed to fit that moment quite appropriately also. During that stretch, older people would sometimes try to put us d-down, and all too often, it seemed to happen because we opposed a needless, destructive war. Such behavior from the previous generations did certainly make the Things they do look awful c-cold, yet I still disagreed with the follow-up line - I don't hope I die before I get old, and I didn't back then either. Instead, I hope to get the chance to hang out with fellow members of My Generation when the next milestone rolls around.
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