Won't Get Fooled Again
Encyclopedia : W : WO : WON : Won't Get Fooled Again
"Won't Get Fooled Again" is a rock song by the British rock band The Who and composed by band member Pete Townshend.
History
The song originally appeared on the 1971 album Who's Next and has since appeared on various other recordings, including the live compilation soundtrack for The Kids Are Alright, a documentary film about the band. It is famous for its angular synthesizer backing part set against guitar power chords, leading up to an extended synthesizer break into a drum entrance followed by a long scream, a scream which is considered to be one of the defining moments in rock and roll history. The song is quite long, ranging from eight to nine minutes depending on the version. A shortened single was also released for use on broadcast radio.
Meaning
Like many songs, the meaning has been debated by listeners for a long time. One interpretation is that it expresses disenchantment with the counterculture and supposed "revolution" of the 1960s. For this reason, the song was banned in South Korea until the emergence of democracy there in the early 1990s; copies of Who's Next sold there omitted it. The song's final lines are "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss," which many take to be an expression of dissatisfaction with the results of the revolution. In an April 2006 editorial for Time magazine, retired Lieutenant General Greg Newbold referenced the song, calling it an "antiwar anthem" that "conveyed a sense of betrayal by the nation's leaders, who had led our country into a costly and unnecessary war in Vietnam". [link]
Media usage
"Won't Get Fooled Again" is used as the theme song for the CBS television series , and was used on The Simpsons in episode BABF20 ("A Tale of Two Springfields"), in which The Who guest starred. It was also featured for a commercial of the 2000 Nissan Maxima. It was also used as background music throughout the documentary Supersize Me by Morgan Spurlock.
Michael Moore requested to use the song over the end credits of his 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, as it tied in with both Moore's sentiments over George W Bush's impending re-election, and the movie's last line, delivered by Bush — "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." However, permission was refused, and Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World" was ultimately used instead. Townshend later said that Moore "bullied" him about his refusal, and defended his decision by saying that he was "not convinced" by Moore's previous film, Bowling for Columbine [link]
Live 8
The song, along with "Who Are You", formed part of The Who's Live 8 line-up, which they performed in Hyde Park, London on July 2, 2005 to over 200,000 onlookers. It was also performed at the original Live Aid in 1985, along with "Love, Reign O'er Me".
Accolades
- Appears at #133 on the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
- Was #1 in National Review Online's [50 Greatest Conservative Rock Songs]
- In March 2005, Q magazine placed it at number 7 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.