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# Posted 11:56 PM by Ariel David Adesnik

CONSERVATIVE ROCK SONGS? John J. Miller of NRO compiled a list. Number One is "Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who. According to John,

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.

Now, John J. probably never imagined that Pete Townshend himself would take issue with his interpretation. (For the uninitiated, Townshend is/was the songwriter and lead guitarist for The Who.) Writing on his diary/blog, Pete says that

Won't Get Fooled Again has been listed in the UK Independent Newspaper as the number one song with - as I understand it - the political message most often misunderstood - in this case the message is said to be 'conservative', a word that may mean different things in the UK and USA.

Pete does acknowledge, however, that the song is very much concerned about the potential for disillusionment with noble ideals. More than a decade after writing the song, Pete himself experienced one such moment of disillusion in the 1980s:

Peter Gabriel and I spoke often on the phone about work we were doing...to raise money to help spring Nelson Mandela from gaol [jail] in South Africa. We realized quickly that what we were doing was buying guns for the ANC.

Which is guess is a way of saying that we will get fooled again. Oh well.

UPDATE: Perhaps I was too quick to judge. Michael Moore asked Pete Townshend to use "Won't Get Fooled Again" in Fahrenheit 9/11, but Townshend refused. Plus, TAP suggests Pete is a bourgeois, pro-war sell-out.

And more links at Memeorandum.

(4) opinions -- Add your opinion

Comments:

Say it ain't so, David!

Have we really reached such a sad state of affairs that Pete Townsend needs an introduction?

# posted by

tim maguire : 11:06 AM

bad link on the michael moore thing

# posted by

Anonymous : 11:19 PM

Isn't "Won't Get Fooled Again" a perfect song for opponents of neo-conservatism and Bush's Iraq policy? You don't have to be Michael Moore to feel like you've been fooled a few times by this Administration.

# posted by

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