More recently, its principal conductors have included Pierre Monteux (1961–64), Istvan Kertesz (1965–68), André Previn (1968–79) and Claudio Abbado (1979–88). From 1988-1995, the American Michael Tilson-Thomas took over, and in 1995, became principal guest conductor. Sir Colin Davis served as the LSO's Principal Conductor from 1995-2006, and in 2007 took the post of President of the orchestra. On 1 January 2007, Valery Gergiev became the LSO's Principal Conductor. Previn holds the title of Conductor Laureate. In 2006, Daniel Harding became the co-principal guest conductor alongside Tilson Thomas. Richard Hickox is the Associate Guest Conductor of the LSO.
The LSO became the first British orchestra to play overseas when it went to Paris in 1906. The LSO was due to sail on the RMS Titanic for a concert in New York in April 1912 but fortunately had to change the booking at the last minute. It was also the first to play in the United States, in 1912, and in 1973 it was the first to be invited to take part in the Salzburg Festival. It continues to make tours around the world.
In 1966 the London Symphony Chorus (LSC) was formed to complement the work of the LSO. with more that two hundred amateur singers, the LSC maintains a close association with the LSO; however it has developed an independent life, which allows it to partner other leading orchestras.
The LSO has long been considered the most extraverted of the London orchestras. For most of its life it refused to allow women to become members, ostensibly on the grounds that women would affect the sound of the orchestra (there has been a similar controversy at the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). There is an air of youthful high spirits to much of its music-making that is shown off in performances of such composers as Berlioz and Prokofiev. The LSO has often had internationally-known players as wind soloists, including such artists as James Galway (flute), Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), Roger Lord (oboe), Osian Ellis (harp), John Georgiadis (violin) and Barry Tuckwell (horn). Like most ensembles, the orchestra has a great ability to vary its sound, producing very different tone colours under such diverse conductors as Stokowski (with whom it made a series of memorable recordings), Adrian Boult, Jascha Horenstein, Georg Solti, André Previn, George Szell, Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, John Barbirolli, and Karl Böhm, who developed a close relationship with the orchestra late in his life. Böhm and Bernstein each held the title of LSO President in their later years.
Clive Gillinson, a former cellist with the orchestra, served as the LSO's Managing Director from 1984 to 2005, and is widely credited with bringing great stability to the LSO's organization after severe fiscal troubles.[1] Since 2005, Kathryn McDowell is the Managing Director of the LSO.[2]
We're Not Gonna Take It
London Symphony Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I guess you all know why we're here.
My name is Tommy
And I became aware this year
If you want to follow me,
You've got to play pinball.
And put in your earplugs
You know where to put the cork
Hey you getting drunk, so sorry!
I've got you sussed.
Hey you smoking Mother Nature!
This is a bust!
Hey hung up old Mr. Normal,
Don't try to gain my trust!
'Cause you ain't gonna follow me any of those ways
Although you think you must
Guests:
We're not gonna take it
We're not gonna take it
We're not gonna take it
We're not gonna take it
We're not gonna take it
Never did and never will
We're not gonna take it
Gonna break it, gonna shake it,
Let's forget it better still
Tommy: Now you can't hear me,
Your ears are truly sealed.
You can't speak either,
Your mouth is filled.
You can't see nothing,
And pinball completes the scene.
Here comes Uncle Ernie to guide you to
Your very own machine.
Guests:
We're not gonna take it
We're not gonna take it
We're not gonna take it
We're not gonna take it
We're not gonna take it
Never did and never will
Don't want no religion
And as far as we can tell
We ain't gonna take you
Never did and never will
We're not gonna take you
We forsake you
Gonna rape you
Let's forget you better still.
Tommy:
See me.
Feel me.
Touch me.
Heal me.
Listening to you,
I get the music.
Gazing at you,
I get the heat.
Following you,
I climb the mountains.
I get excitement at your feet.
Right behind you,
I see the millions.
On you,
I see the glory.
From you,
I get opinions.
From you,
I get the story.
The lyrics to the song "We're Not Gonna Take It" by the London Symphony Orchestra tell the story of a character named Tommy who is leading a group of individuals in rebellion against societal norms and expectations. Tommy welcomes his guests to a "camp" where they must play pinball and put on earplugs and eye shades to block out the outside world. The guests are warned against drinking, smoking, and conforming to traditional societal expectations. The message of the song is that the group will not submit to these expectations and will forge their own path.
The lyrics emphasize the idea of individualism and questioning authority. The line "We're not gonna take it, Never did and never will" emphasizes the determination of the group to stick to their beliefs and not be swayed by societal pressure. The line "Don't want no religion, And as far as we can tell, We ain't gonna take you" suggests a rejection of organized religion and the idea that the group does not want to be told what to believe. The song also touches on themes of freedom and self-expression with lyrics like "Gonna break it, gonna shake it, Let's forget it better still" and "Following you, I climb the mountains. I get excitement at your feet."
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome to the Camp, I guess you all know why we're here.
Tommy is introducing the gathering or the ‘Camp’ which everyone seems to know the reason for.
My name is Tommy And I became aware this year
Tommy is introducing himself and suggesting that he has experience or knowledge gained recently.
If you want to follow me, You've got to play pinball.
To join Tommy, one must indulge in playing pinball as if it's a measure of acceptance into the community.
And put in your earplugs, Put on your eye shades, You know where to put the cork
Besides playing pinball to fit into the community, a person must also put in earplugs, wear eye shades and place the cork somewhere in the body such as the mouth or anus.
Hey you getting drunk, so sorry! I've got you sussed.
Tommy is calling out a person who is drunk, and then apologizes before communicating that he understands the person's nature or character.
Hey you smoking Mother Nature! This is a bust!
Tommy is calling out a person who is smoking the herbs of Mother Nature and indicating that it’s not allowed or tolerated in the community.
Hey hung up old Mr. Normal, Don't try to gain my trust! 'Cause you ain't gonna follow me any of those ways Although you think you must
Tommy is calling out someone who is being fake or trying too hard to be accepted, and saying they will not be able to join the community by pretending even though they believe it’s a requirement.
We're not gonna take it Never did and never will
The guests are repeating a phrase to emphasize that they will not conform or be forced into taking certain actions.
Gonna break it, gonna shake it, Let's forget it better still
The guests are stating that they will not just ignore the issue but actively break and shake it with the aim to forget and move on.
Now you can't hear me, Your ears are truly sealed. You can't speak either, Your mouth is filled. You can't see nothing, And pinball completes the scene. Here comes Uncle Ernie to guide you to Your very own machine.
Tommy is indicating that the community has a method to seal a person’s ears and fill one's mouth to a point where they can't speak or see anything. Uncle Ernie is now leading the blind and deaf person to a pinball machine.
Don't want no religion And as far as we can tell We ain't gonna take you Never did and never will We're not gonna take you We forsake you Gonna rape you Let's forget you better still.
The guests are emphasizing their unwillingness to accept any religious instruction or being forced to do anything. They are willing to abandon and even harm such an imposition and move on from it.
See me. Feel me. Touch me. Heal me.
Tommy is expressing his beliefs that one can receive spiritual healing by seeing, feeling, or touching him.
Listening to you, I get the music. Gazing at you, I get the heat. Following you, I climb the mountains. I get excitement at your feet.
Tommy is suggesting that someone's presence can arouse different feelings such as music, heat or excitement.
Right behind you, I see the millions. On you, I see the glory. From you, I get opinions. From you, I get the story.
Tommy is suggesting that the person next to him has the support of many, glory, opinions, and stories to share.
Lyrics © ABKCO MUSIC INC PETE TOWNSHEND CATALOG , FABULOUS MUSIC LTD , SPIRIT MUSIC GROUP
Written by: PETER DENNIS BLANDFOR TOWNSHEND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind