Civics Lessons: Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Pete Townshend: Won't Get Fooled Again (Demo)

[purchase]

This song has the dubious honor of being named number one on the National Review's oxymoronic list of the Top 50 Conservative Rock Songs. According to NR: "The conservative movement is full of disillusioned revolutionaries; this could be their theme song, an oath that swears off naïve idealism once and for all."

In response to the designation, Townshend explained: "It is not precisely a song that decries revolution--it suggests that we will indeed fight in the streets--but that revolution, like all action can have results we cannot predict. Don't expect to see what you expect to see. Expect nothing and you might gain everything."

My own cyncial opinion is that the song is neither conservative nor liberal, but instead just realistic.

This demo version comes from Pete Townshend's Lifehouse Chronicles box set.

Here is a very funny satire of the National Review list.