Pete Townshend's amazing five-minute
anthem practically screams "Take us seriously! Please! Really!" From the pulsating
VCS-3 to
Keith Moon's inspired banging to
Dave Arbus' beautiful fiddling, everything fits in perfectly, whether it's a
tempo change, another layer of
sound, or a dramatic
crescendo. Excellent preparation for the rest of
album that it opens:
Who's Next, one of the most
brilliant albums in an age full of brilliant albums.
The musical development that occured in pop music between 1965 and 1975 never ceases to amaze me; I'm still waiting for something to beat out drum 'n' bass and trip-hop on the dance front and grunge on the rock front... that stuff's nearly a decade old now. Where's that next "Take us seriously!" song?
In the meantime, smash that guitar, Pete - it's still art, baby!
Out here in the fields
I fight for my meals
I get my back into my living
I don't need to fight
To prove I'm right
I don't need to be forgiven
Don't cry
Don't raise your eye
It's only teenage wasteland
Sally, take my hand
Travel south crossland
Put out the fire
Don't look past my shoulder
The exodus is here
The happy ones are near
Let's get together
Before we get much older
Teenage wasteland
It's only teenage wasteland
Teenage wasteland
Oh, oh
Teenage wasteland
They're all wasted!
-The Who-
--Who's Next--
By the way, I agree with Rook's analysis below. When I say this song screams "Take us seriously!", I am taking the definition of "us" to be The Who rather than all youth. It's a plea to be taken seriously as musicians.