The true meaning of rock ‘n’ roll, according to Pete Townshend
Rock and roll means different things to different people. For some, the rock world provides a sense of solace and comfort to the disenfranchised, a place to express their deepest emotions, while others use rock as little more than background music. Is it possible, therefore, to find out the definitive true meaning of rock and roll? Probably not. However, if anybody is qualified to hypothesise on the meaning of the movement, it is The Who’s iconic guitarist and songwriter, Pete Townshend.
Growing up in the 1950s, Townshend was perfectly positioned to witness the first influences of rock and roll travelling over the Atlantic Ocean from places like Memphis. What’s more, Townshend was responsible for a complete reinvention of the genre when he formed The Who back in 1964. Carving out the defiant sound of London’s swinging sixties period, Townshend’s songwriting provided a voice for the disenfranchised youth of post-war Britain, reflecting the times while also laying the foundations for virtually all future alternative rock and punk outfits.
Particularly during the early period of The Who, Townshend managed to boil rock and roll down to its core components, crafting tunes that were short, sharp, and rooted in youth. As the band progressed, however, Townshend developed his songwriting into something much more profound and inventive, represented by rock operas and concept albums like Tommy and Quadrophenia. Tommy, in particular, represented a bold new era for rock and roll, which reflected Townshend’s artistic manifesto.
Opening up about his views on rock and roll as a movement back in 1971, the songwriter told Beat Instrumental, “I’d always felt rock was capable of doing more than the three-minute-15-second track approach, but the question now is what we can do with this extended piece of time?”
Expanding upon this, he continued, “Today, The Who’s problem is that piece of time on the album and on stage has become so predictable. We feel we have to find a new thread that maybe isn’t a standard rock procedure, but that nevertheless has the same fundamental simplicity.”
“My cause is to liberate the group from its own shackles,” the guitarist declared. This aim likely explains The Who’s move from the popular sounds of singles like ‘My Generation’ or ‘I Can’t Explain’ towards the postmodern masterpiece of The Who Sell Out and the rock opera Tommy. “It’s quite simple music directed at the young at heart,” he said, summarising both The Who’s discography and the wider sphere of rock music itself.
Revealing his take on the meaning and message of the rock sphere, Townshend shared, “Rock’s essential thread is that the music is not the primordial thing, but it does keep the balance. I can’t think of any other organised coming together where the fundamentals tied up are so well defined and where the ethics are so well defined.” He added, “Rock doesn’t pretend to relieve the tedium. In fact, it reflects their frustrations. It embodies it and then blows it up. It gets rid of it.”
This profound take on the meaning and history of rock and roll could only have come from Townshend, whose trailblazing rock and roll songwriting set the tone for countless future artists. Furthermore, he and The Who were on the cutting edge of rock inventiveness during the time he gave that interview, constructing wonderfully inventive records like Quadrophenia, which completely redefined perceptions of rock music, closely following Townshend’s own take on the meaning and importance of the genre.
