| "We're Not Gonna Take It" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Who | ||||
| from the album Tommy | ||||
| A-side | "I'm Free" | |||
| Released | 5 July 1969 (US) | |||
| Genre | Hard rock [1] | |||
| Length | 7:02 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Pete Townshend | |||
| Producer(s) | Kit Lambert | |||
| The Who USsingles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"We're Not Gonna Take It" is the final track on the Who's rock opera Tommy . Written by Pete Townshend, the song also contains the "See Me, Feel Me" anthem that is central to the structure of Tommy.
According to Pete Townshend, "We're Not Gonna Take It" was not originally written for the Tommy storyline. Instead, he says the people's reaction to politics inspired it.
Again something written before Tommy had actually been formed as a total idea, and that particular song wasn't about Tommy's devotees at all. It was about the rabble in general, how we, myself as part of them, were not going to take fascism, were not going to take dreary, dying politics; were not going to take things the way they were, the way they always had been and that we were keen to change things."
— Pete Townshend [2]
In the storyline of Tommy, this song describes Tommy's followers' rejection of Tommy's new religion that bans drinking and drugs and centers around pinball. The song reprises the "See Me, Feel Me" and "Listening to You" themes that were seen previously throughout the album.
"They've paid their money and they've walked in the door thinking they're going to get a shortcut to God-realization. [Tommy] starts to make the rules hard. He says 'you can't drink, you can't smoke dope, you can't do this, you can't do that, you've got to play pinball, you've got to do it my way; if you don't do it my way, you're out.' And he starts to get so tough that they rebel. 'We don't want your religion. What we want is a shortcut away from all our problems.' That's what they really want.
— Pete Townshend [2]
The disciples become disillusioned with Tommy; that is often the way with heroes. They feel that the whole idea has become commercialized and begin to question their hero worship.
— Pete Townshend [3]
In addition to being released on the Tommy album, "We're Not Gonna Take It" was released as a single in different forms. In America, it was the B-Side to "I'm Free", another album track. However, in 1970, the "See Me, Feel Me" portion was released as a single, backed with "Overture from Tommy". This version has been included on numerous compilation albums.
Tommy is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 19 May 1969. Written primarily by guitarist Pete Townshend, Tommy is a double album and an early rock opera that tells the story of the fictional Tommy Walker and his path to becoming a spiritual leader and messianic figure.
Tommy is a 1975 British musical fantasy drama film written and directed by Ken Russell and based on the Who's 1969 rock opera album of the same name about a "psychosomatically deaf, mute, and blind" boy who becomes a pinball champion and religious leader. The film featured a star-studded ensemble cast, including the band members themselves, Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, Elton John, Robert Powell and Jack Nicholson.
"Overture" is a song by English rock band the Who, written by Pete Townshend. The track is one of three instrumental tracks on Tommy, the other two being "Underture" and "Sparks".
"Pinball Wizard" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend and featured on their 1969 rock opera album Tommy. The original recording was released as a single in 1969 and reached No. 4 in the UK charts and No. 19 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Then and Now is a 2004 greatest hits compilation album by The Who released internationally by Polydor Records and by Geffen Records in the United States. It features 18 Who classics and two new tracks—"Real Good Looking Boy" and "Old Red Wine"—which were the first Who originals since "Dig" from Pete Townshend's 1989 album The Iron Man. "Real Good Looking Boy" is a tribute to Elvis Presley, and "Old Red Wine" is a tribute to former band member John Entwistle, who died in 2002. The album was re-released in 2007 and replaced "Old Red Wine" with "It's Not Enough" from the 2006 album Endless Wire and "Summertime Blues" was replaced by "Baba O'Riley".
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"I'm Free" is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by the Who on the album Tommy. The song has since been released as a single, becoming one of the best known tracks from Tommy.
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The Who Tour 2006–2007 was The Who's first worldwide concert tour since 1997, supporting their Endless Wire album.
The Who's Tommy is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Pete Townshend and a book by Townshend and Des McAnuff. It is based on the 1969 rock opera Tommy by The Who.
Tommy is a soundtrack album by The Who with contributions from numerous artists. The soundtrack was used in the 1975 Tommy film that was based on the original album that was released by The Who in 1969. Pete Townshend oversaw the production of this double-LP recording that returned the music to its rock roots, and on which the unrecorded orchestral arrangements he had envisaged for the original Tommy LP were realised by the extensive use of synthesiser.
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Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 is concert film of The Who's concert at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970. While the concert occurred on 30 August 1970 at 2:00 am, a VHS was not released until 1996. A compact disc of the concert was also released in 1996. The concert was re-released on DVD in 1998 in the United States and 2006 in the United Kingdom.
The Who Tour 1979 was The Who's first concert tour after the death of original drummer Keith Moon. The tour supported their 1978 album Who Are You, and consisted of concerts in Europe and the United States and acknowledged the band's return to live performance.
The Who Tour 1980 was The Who's second concert tour since the death of original drummer Keith Moon, supporting their 1978 album Who Are You.
Now is a 1973 album by British pop group the New Seekers. It was retitled Pinball Wizards in the US.
2017 Tommy & More was a United Kingdom 7-date concert tour by British band The Who. The first two nights saw the band performing live in its entirety their 1969 studio album Tommy along with a few classics, with the rest of the tour featuring an extended Tommy set as a centerpiece to an otherwise greatest hits show.
The Moving On! Tour was a symphonic concert tour by the British rock band the Who, partially in support of their album Who.
The Who by Numbers Tour was a concert tour by the English rock band the Who, in support of their seventh album, The Who by Numbers (1975). It began on 3 October 1975, ended on 21 October 1976 and consisted of 79 concerts split between North America and Europe. Despite being named after The Who by Numbers, few songs from the album were actually performed during the tour.
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