"We're Not Gonna Take It" is a 1969 song written by Pete Townshend of The Who. The song is most famous for being the final song on the band's famed Tommy album.
One of the longest songs on the album, clocking in at seven minutes, "We're Not Gonna Take It" features the climax of Tommy's spiritual journey, and the beginning of a new one. In it, Tommy's followers reject his request for them to blind, deafen and mute themselves in order to truly reach their spiritual height. All of the followers then abandon Tommy, leaving the ending uncertain.
We're Not Gonna Take It is is also the title of a Twisted Sister song from the album Stay Hungry, but there is no relation between the two.
The "See Me, Feel Me" portion of the song was a famous moment of the 1969 Woodstock Festival. As lead singer Roger Daltrey began to sing the opening lines, the sun began to come up, as did the 500,000 concert goers. The moment is captured on film in The Kids Are Alright and Woodstock. The moment was also recreated in the film version
On the Deluxe Edition of Tommy, the song was split into two individual songs, "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "See Me, Feel Me/Listening to You".
"We're Not Gonna Take It" is a 1984 hit song by the band Twisted Sister from their album Stay Hungry. The song was first released as a single (With B-Side song "You Can't Stop Rock & Roll") on April 27, 1984. The Stay Hungry album was released two weeks later, on May 10, 1984. The single reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, making it Twisted Sister's only Top 40 single, and the song was ranked #47 on VH1's 100 Greatest 80's Songs.
The song was written by vocalist Dee Snider. As influences for the song, he cites the glam rock band Slade, the punk band Sex Pistols, and the Christmas carol, "O Come, All Ye Faithful".
"We're Not Gonna Take It" is also the title of the last song on The Who's Tommy album, but there is no connection between the two.
The song is notable for its popular music video directed by Marty Callner, with its emphasis on slapstick comedy, where a crazy physco gets the worst of the band's mischief. Controversy arose when the depiction of family in the video caused a public outcry long before the "explicit lyrics" warning was placed on records, cassettes, and CDs. This led to the formation of the Parents Music Resource Center. Mark Metcalf, the actor portraying the abusive father in the video, had previously played Neidermayer, the ROTC student commander in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978). In a reference to his role in the film, Metcalf yells "A Twisted Sister pin? On your uniform?!" in the video. Snider himself can also be heard shouting the question "A pledge pin? On your uniform?" at the end of the song. The actor (Dax Callner) portraying the teenager went on to become a somewhat well-known Industrial Rock artist in Texas. Two of his songs became part of the dance videogame In the Groove.
In 1999, the US rock band Lit parodied the opening scene in their video for "Zip Lock". The angry father was played by Dee Snider.
