"My Generation" was one of the biggest early hits of the British rock group The Who, and quickly became their anthem. Written by Pete Townshend in 1965 for rebellious British youths called Mods, it expressed their feeling that older people "just don't get it". He reportedly wrote the song on a train and is said to have been inspired by the Queen Mother who is alleged to have had Pete's 1935 Packard hearse towed off a street in Belgravia because she was offended by the sight of it during her daily drive through the neighbourhood ("Hope I die before I get old").

The most striking thing about "My Generation" was that Roger Daltrey sang the lead vocals with a angry and frustrated stutter. Various stories exist as to the reason for the stutter. One is that the song began as a slow "talking" blues number without the stutter, but after being inspired by John Lee Hooker's "Stuttering Blues", Pete reworked the song into its present form. Another reason is that it was suggested to Roger that he stutter to sound like a British kid on speed. However, Producer Shel Talmy insisted it was simply one of those "happy accidents" that he thought they should keep.

The BBC initially refused to play "My Generation" because they did not want to offend people who stutter. But after it became a huge hit, they reversed their decision. "My Generation" also featured one of the first bass solos (by John Entwistle) in Rock history.

Released as a Single in 1965, "My Generation" also appeared on The Who's 1965 debut album of the same name, and on many of their live albums, including Live At Leeds (1970). In their live performances Roger Daltrey replaced the line "Why don't you all f-f-f-fade away" with "Why don't you all f-f-f-fuck off", which is what it was originally supposed to be.

"My Generation" was covered by Green Day on their album Kerplunk and Gorky Park on their album Gorkey Park. "My Generation" was ranked as the eleventh best song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

The song in pop culture

• Featured in the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
• Limp Bizkit would later write a song by the same name, but it was neither a cover nor an homage to the original.