“We're Not Gonna Take It” by The Who

"We're Not Gonna Take It" is how the Who bring Tommy, their 1969 rock opera, to a close, and it carries the "See Me, Feel Me" anthem that holds the whole piece together. Pete Townshend wrote it, and Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle and Townshend all take lead vocals, with Kit Lambert producing.

The song predates the opera. Townshend has said it started out as a song about ordinary people refusing fascism and worn-out politics, himself among them, before it was drafted into the plot. In the story, it's the moment Tommy's followers turn on him, rejecting the new religion he's built around pinball and a ban on drink and drugs. Along the way it brings back the "See Me, Feel Me" and "Listening to You" themes heard earlier on the album.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.