Won't Get Fooled Again

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“Won't Get Fooled Again”
Single cover
Single by The Who from the album Who's Next
B-side	"I Don't Even Know Myself"
Released	25 June 1971
Format	7" Vinyl record
Recorded	Berkshire and Olympic Studios, London, April and May 1971
Genre	Rock
Length	8:32 (full-length version) 3:38 (single edit)
Label	Polydor Records (UK) MCA Records (USA)
Writer(s)	Pete Townshend
Producer	The Who, Glyn Johns (associate producer)
The Who singles chronology
"See Me, Feel Me"/"Overture" (1970) "Won't Get Fooled Again" (1971) "Let's See Action" (1971)
Who's Next track listing
"Behind Blue Eyes" (8) "Won't Get Fooled Again" (9)

"Won't Get Fooled Again" is a rock song by the British rock band The Who, composed by band member Pete Townshend.

[edit] Lyrical Meaning

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"Won't Get Fooled Again" is sung in first person, and describes the role of a reluctant revolutionary who goes along with the crowd, but secretly hides his indifference and/or distaste towards the change.

"We'll be fighting in the streets", refers to the revolution, which the main character is participating. "And the men who spurred us on; Sit in judgment of all wrong; They decide and the shotgun sings the song", shows the main character's hidden animosity towards the leaders of the revolt and their use of violence to carry out their motives. "I'll tip my hat to the new constitution; Take a bow for the new revolution; Smile and grin at the change all around me", shows the main character's apparent approval of the revolution in the public eye. “Pick up my guitar and play; Just like yesterday”, conveys the character’s feelings that nothing has actually changed despite the revolution, and that life is still as it was before the change. “Then I'll get on my knees and pray: We don't get fooled again”, is the subject of the song. The main character realizes that his fears and reluctance were correct, and that the revolution was not the glorious, just, and liberating idea that it was made out to be. Because of this, the character prays that a new revolutionary won’t come along and ‘fool’ the people once more into starting a revolt.

[edit] Roger Daltrey's intense scream

After cutting the demo The Who were together listening to it at Mick Jaggers house. Roger Daltrey disappeared and took a portable cassette recorder into a closed hallway and recorded the scream which was later added in the final mix.

[edit] 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, the 1979 documentary film about the band. It is famous for its angular organ part set against guitar power chords, leading up to an extended synthesizer break into a drum entrance followed by a long scream. Townshend is playing block chords spread between the two keyboards of the 1968 Lowrey Berkshire Deluxe TBO-1 organ. The output of the organ is fed into the audio input of the EMS VCS 3 mk1 synth. The first bit of processing to be applied to the organ sound is a low-frequency oscillator (LFO) controlling the frequency of a voltage-controlled filter (VCF), using a sine or triangle wave shape. In other words, the synth is turning the tone of the organ from mellow to bright, up and down automatically. There are pictures of Townshend playing this instrument, as well as a video of Pete Townshend demonstrating how the sound was produced^[1].

The song is quite long, ranging from eight to nine minutes depending on the version (The original album version being about 8:32). A heavily shortened and edited single (3:38) was also released for use on broadcast radio and appeared on some hit collections such as Who's Better, Who's Best.

Pete Townshend wrote this as part of his Lifehouse Project^[2]. He wanted to release a double-album and film about a world where the people are oppressed, but saved by a rock concert. Part of Townshend's wish was to show the power of music and how it reflects the people. "Won't Get Fooled Again" is about a revolution. In the first verse, there is an uprising. In the middle, they overthrow those in power, but in the end, the new regime becomes just like the old one ("Meet the new boss, same as the old boss").

This was the last song that Keith Moon performed with The Who on 25 May 1978 in Shepperton Studios. The song was performed both at Live Aid and 20 years later at Live 8. Townshend also collaborated on a celebrated, live, acoustic duet version of the song with leading classical guitarist John Williams for the 1979 Amnesty International benefit The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979). The Who's Next deluxe edition (released in 2003) contains an early session tape of this song with a different structure featuring Mountain's Leslie West on lead guitar. Numerous live versions of this song have appeared on albums. In addition to The Kids Are Alright soundtrack, the most notable ones are on the Who's Next deluxe edition from the 1971 Young Vic show and on the Live At The Royal Albert Hall album (from a 2000 show with Noel Gallagher guesting). The band's performance of the song at 2001's The Concert for New York City was considered the highlight of that show.

Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle and Townshend have each performed the song at solo concerts. Townshend has most radically rearranged the song several times, using instrumentation varying from acoustic to techno.

The song was covered by Van Halen on their live album Live: Right Here, Right Now in 1993. It eventually made it to #1 on the Rock Charts.

Despite the title, the chorus in the song has the line "We don't get fooled again" rather than "won't".

[edit] Extramusical history

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."^[3]

In a May 2005, article for the National Review, political reporter John J. Miller chose the song as #1 on his list of "the greatest conservative rock songs," saying, "The conservative movement is full of disillusioned revolutionaries; this could be their theme song."^[4]

[edit] Media usage

"Won't Get Fooled Again" was featured in a commercial for the 2000 Nissan Maxima, and, later that same year, used on The Simpsons in episode BABF20 ("A Tale of Two Springfields"), in which The Who guest starred.

This song is also used twice in the film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.

"Won't Get Fooled Again" became the theme song for the CBS television series CSI: Miami.

The beginning of the song, featuring the synthesizer solo, is often played prior to the 1st inning at Yankee Stadium, the home of the New York Yankees baseball team. The song is also played at St. Louis Rams home games accompanying a montage on the Rams' history in St. Louis. It is also traditionally played at Alumni Stadium shortly before the Boston College Eagles football team takes the field. J.T. Snow used this song as his introduction music when he played for the San Francisco Giants. The Arizona Diamondbacks use the closing riff of the song when a home run is hit in Chase Field. The song was also used in commercials for the BBC's coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The song was used as intro music for the AFC Champions, the Indianapolis Colts, for Super Bowl XLI.The ending riff is used at Rutgers Stadium when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team scores. Recently, the NHL's Buffalo Sabres have used the song before the opening puck drop.

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.^[5] Philadelphia-based DJ Pierre Robert of WMMR regularly plays the song with the Bush clip preceding it on his radio show.

An excerpt of the song was used in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind when Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) and Jim Byrd (George Clooney) discussed over the music how there was a mole in their operation.

The synthesizer part was used in the movie Blackball.

The song is featured as a playable track in the video game Rock Band. It is the last song on the solo career mode on the drums and thus it is considered one of the hardest drum tracks in the entire game.

The song was also used in the film Summer of Sam.

The song was heard in the trailer for Robots.

The song's scream is heard in the movie Bewitched.

The song is played when the Philadelphia Phantoms hockey team scores a goal at their home arena, the Wachovia Spectrum.

[edit] Live 8 & Live Aid

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", "My Generation" and "Pinball Wizard".

[edit] Parodies

• "Weird Al" Yankovic performed an unreleased parody of this song titled "Won't Eat Prunes Again."^[6]

• Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff have a parody, with the same title as the original, about computer operating systems. It is on the CD "Retro Rocket Science".

• TISM had a B-side track on the single for "Honk if You Love Fred Durst" called "Won't Get Fooled Again, Again."

• Christian Parody Band ApologetiX released a parody of this song titled "Won't Get Born Again" on their 2006 album Wordplay.

• The Simpsons the band plays this track as a Simpsons closing credits gag is played at the end of Two Springfields Episode.

[edit] Accolades

• #26 on Canada's leading classic rock station's, 500 greatest rock songs of all time. ^[7]
• #1 Conservative rock song ^[8]
• #7, Q magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks
• #17 on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Rock Songs ^[9]
• Chosen as the very first song for Blender Magazine's The Greatest Songs Ever! series.^[10]
• 133rd greatest song by Rolling Stone on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time

[edit] References

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2007)

1. ^ http://youtube.com/watch?v=vEPSruBdSqk&feature=related YouTube video of Pete Townshend demonstrating it
2. ^ http://www.petetownshend.co.uk/projects/lifehouse/life_main_back.html Lifehouse Project
3. ^ www.time.com
4. ^ article.nationalreview.com
5. ^ news.bbc.co.uk
6. ^ com-www.com/weirdal/
7. ^ [1]
8. ^ John J. Miller on Music on National Review Online
9. ^ Rock On The Net: VH1: 100 Greatest Rock Songs: 1-50
10. ^ Blender Magazine