The blatantly image conscious group soon secured management, fired their first drummer, and auditioned over 50 drummers before settling on Mark Laff of Subway Sect. They were photogenic and signed a worldwide long term deal to Chrysalis (also home of Blondie) and had popsmith Phil Wainman, producer of The Bay City Rollers and Sweet mix their debut album. In September 1977 they became the first punk group to "sell out" and lip synch their debut single Your Generation on TV's Tops of The Pops, and also that month performed on Marc Bolan's TV show just days before the T-Rex frontman's death. Generation X also appeared in films like DOA and in Don Letts' Punk Movie.
In October of 1978, recordings for a second Generation X album produced by Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople followed, the resulting Valley Of The Dolls hitting the streets in 1979. Guitarist Bob Dagwood Anderson eventually quit the lineup after completing a Japanese tour and the recordings for a third album in 1979.(The final Derwood lineup LP actually doesn't resurface for almost 20 years until 1998, and was finally released on an indie against Idol's wishes as Sweet Revenge).
After a troubling two year period of uncertainty due to legal and financial battles with manager Stewart Joseph, Billy Idol and Tony James re-recruited & re-christened for their re-dubbed Gen X project. Friends, foes, pros and fellow fools then convened and attempted to get another record out. Outside the core Idol/James duo, studio collaborators like ex-Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, ex-Clash drummer Terry Chimes, Chelsea guitarist James Stevenson, Steve New of Rich Kids, Danny Kustow of Tom Robinson Band, as well as John McGeogh later of Siouxsie & the Banshees.
With renewed spirit and producer Keith Forsey at the helm, Gen X would go on to release one more LP Kiss Me Deadly in 1981. After neither the album nor the singles "Dancing With Myself" and "Kiss Me Deadly" took the charts, the band broke up. Idol joined up with NYC based Kiss manager Bill Aucion, re-releasing "Dancing with Myself" and the rest, as they say, is history.
A one off Generation X reunion occurred in 1993 at London's Astoria. Hopes for future reunions have popped up infrequently, but, with the band members ensconced in their own projects, prospects have seemed unlikely.The group's music remains popular among punk rock, new wave, and power pop revivalists in the U.K. and elsewhere, with a cult following lasting into the new millennium.
Your Generation
Generation X Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know all the ways when in what I see
The ends must justify the means
Your generation don't mean a thing to me
I say your generation don't mean a thing to me
I say your generation don't mean a thing to me
Might take a bit of violence
Might make our friends enemies
But we gotta take that chance
There ain't no time for substitutes
There ain't no time for idle threats
Actions are rather hard to place
'Cause what you give is what you get
So, that's your generation
It's your generation
Well it's your generation
It's your generation
Trying to forget your generation
You know all the ways when in what I see
The ends must justify the means
Your generation don't mean a thing to me
I say your generation don't mean a thing to me
I say your generation don't mean a thing to me
Might take a bit of violence
But violence ain't our only stance
Might make our friends enemies
But we gotta take that chance
There ain't no time for substitutes
There ain't no time for idle threats
Actions are rather hard to place
Cause what you give is what you get
So, that's your generation
It's your generation
Well it's your generation
It's your generation
To the end justify the means
To the end justify the means
To the end justify the means
To the end justify the means
It time for generation
The lyrics of "Your Generation" by Generation X call out the faults and shortcomings of the singer's generation. The chorus, "Trying to forget your generation / You know all the ways when in what I see / The ends must justify the means / Your generation don't mean a thing to me / I say your generation don't mean a thing to me," highlights the singer's disdain for their generation and their actions. The line "The ends must justify the means" implies that the current generation is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their desired outcome, even if it means neglecting ethics or morals. The singer believes that this mentality is harmful and that their generation lacks substance or significance.
The verses discuss the singer's willingness to use violence and make enemies to achieve their goals. They suggest that their generation is impatient and unwilling to settle for anything less than what they desire. The lines "There ain't no time for substitutes / There ain't no time for idle threats / Actions are rather hard to place / 'Cause what you give is what you get" further emphasize this point. The singer believes that their generation is action-oriented and that words are empty if not backed up with concrete actions.
Overall, "Your Generation" by Generation X is an anthem of rebellion against the singer's own generation. It critiques the values and morals of their peers and highlights the need for change.
Line by Line Meaning
Trying to forget your generation
I am actively trying to forget the values, ideologies and behaviors I associate with your generation
You know all the ways when in what I see
I am aware of all the behaviors and actions I associate with your generation when I observe them
The ends must justify the means
I believe that the outcomes of actions must be positive enough to justify any negative actions taken to obtain those outcomes
Your generation don't mean a thing to me
I have no respect for the values, ideologies and behaviors that I believe are associated with your generation
I say your generation don't mean a thing to me
I emphasize that I have absolutely no respect for your generation
Might take a bit of violence
Although violence may be necessary, it is not the only approach we take
But violence ain't our only stance
We do not only rely on violence, we have more strategies to employ
Might make our friends enemies
Some of our allies may not agree with our approach and may become our opponents
But we gotta take that chance
Despite the risk that some of our allies may disagree with our approach, we must still take the chance because we believe it is necessary
There ain't no time for substitutes
There is no time for alternative approaches or replacement actions, we must act now
There ain't no time for idle threats
We cannot afford to make empty threats, we must act on our promises
Actions are rather hard to place
It is difficult to determine the right course of action
Cause what you give is what you get
The consequences of our actions will directly reflect the actions themselves
So, that's your generation
That is the way I see your generation and the values, ideologies, and behaviors I associate with it
It's your generation
Those values and behaviors are emblematic of your generation, and not something I respect or recognize
Well it's your generation
I emphasize once again that those negative values and behaviors are characteristic of your generation
To the end justify the means
Repeating this line several times reinforces the belief that outcomes must be positive enough to justify negative actions
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BILLY IDOL, TONY JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lanachan5136
Trying to forget your generation
You know all the ways when in what I see
The ends must justify the means
Your generation don't mean a thing to me
I say your generation don't mean a thing to me
I say your generation don't mean a thing to me
Might take a bit of violence
But violence ain't our only stance
Might make our friends enemies
But we gotta take that chance
There ain't no time for substitutes
There ain't no time for idle threats
Actions are rather hard to place
'Cause what you give is what you get
So, that's your generation
It's your generation
Well it's your generation
It's your generation
Trying to forget your generation
You know all the ways when in what I see
The ends must justify the means
Your generation don't mean a thing to me
I say your generation don't mean a thing to me
I say your generation don't mean a thing to me
Might take a bit of violence
But violence ain't our only stance
Might make our friends enemies
But we gotta take that chance
There ain't no time for substitutes
There ain't no time for idle threats
Actions are rather hard to place
Cause what you give is what you get
So, that's your generation
It's your generation
Well it's your generation
It's your generation
To the end justify the means
To the end justify the means
To the end justify the means
To the end justify the means
It time for generation
@jermaineguillory2694
Only one word to describe Billy Idol, Legendary!
@edfriday7048
Brilliant one of my all time favourite bands! Made me realise how exciting music could be, better than the crap around today!
@noahfexpayton
If you haven't already, listen to the proto-punk band Death.
@clxvdsxvl
Nah
@sonnyday6727
@noahfexpayton Nah, that band is wack. Only trendy posers, hipsters, afrocentrics and black supremacists rave about that band, they didn't even listen to punk last year
@noahfexpayton
@sonny day Hate the world, then.
@toiletpaper5770
And back then
@shack7631
One the best original punk tunes for the class of '77.
@guillermogayoso1566
Tengo 46 años y sigo escuchando este grupo como uno de los mejores de la historia del rock
@oscarmeza1010
Merecieron mas reconocimiento ese sonido del genuino punk , ellos no tenian nada que envidiarle nada a Sex Pistols o a The Clash