5 Facts Fans Probably Didn’t Know About “The Kids Are Alright” By The Who
Whether it’s the anthem of the youth in the early 60’s or just a phrase, “The Kids Are Alright” by The Who certainly received a lot of recognition over the years. Here are some 5 interesting facts about the song,
1. The Mods
“The Kids Are Alright,” along with “My Generation,” became two anthems for The Who as well as for the Mod movement in England. It was written by Pete Townshend as a tribute to the Mods, the early 1960’s youth sub-culture in Britain that arose as a new type of teenager. They’re often described as trendy and rebellious British youth who shared a common desire be independent and have financial and parental freedom and to stand out above the rest with their fashion and music. Much like the kids today.
2. Keith Moon
Moon’s drumming on this song is incredible. He used his cymbals and toms to emphasize the vocal lines, crashing down at the end of lyrical lines. This was one of his innovations with The Who. The 1979 rockumentary about the Who also titled as The Kids Are Alright was released the year after drummer Moon’s death. The film ends with Moon and Townshend sharing an embrace.
3. Are the kids alright?
The phrase “the kids are alright” became popular describing the successful young people. The phrase was used by sports journalists, who inserted it in stories about extraordinary rookies and in films like the 2010 The Kids Are All Right starring Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. The phrase has invited satire as well: The Offspring and Fall Out Boy both released songs called “The Kids Aren’t Alright.”
4. The Kids are Alright on the top
The song was released on The Who’s debut album My Generation. In the UK, it was their sixth single, peaking at #41 in September 1966. The band didn’t get nearly as much exposure in America at their beginning, when it was released as their third single, it went under at #106 in August 1966.
5. The covers
Band like Goldfinger, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Patti Smith and The Tubes have all covered this song live.
