Won't Get Fooled Again

"Won't Get Fooled Again"
Single by the Who
from the album Who's Next
B-side	"I Don't Even Know Myself"
Released	25 June 1971 (1971-06-25) (UK)
Recorded	April–May 1971
Studio	Rolling Stones Mobile, Stargroves, England Olympic, London
Genre	Hard rock[1] progressive rock[2]
Length	8:32 (album version) 3:36 (single edit)
Label	Track (UK) Decca (US)
Songwriter(s)	Pete Townshend
Producer(s)	The Who Glyn Johns (associate producer)
The Who singles chronology
"See Me, Feel Me" (1970) "Won't Get Fooled Again" (1971) "Let's See Action" (1971)

"Won't Get Fooled Again" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend. It was released as a single in June 1971, reaching the top 10 in the UK, while the full eight-and-a-half-minute version appears as the final track on the band's 1971 album Who's Next, released that August. In the US, the single entered Billboard on 17 July, reaching No. 15.^[3]

Townshend wrote the song as a closing number of the Lifehouse project, and the lyrics criticise revolution and power. The track is known for a staccato keyboard figure, played on a simple home organ with a "rhythm" feature that produced a synth-like effect. The Who tried recording the song in New York in March 1971, but re-recorded a superior take at Stargroves the next month using the organ from Townshend's original demo. Ultimately, Lifehouse as a project was abandoned in favour of Who's Next, a straightforward album, where it also became the closing track. It has been performed as a staple of the band's setlist since 1971, often as the set closer, and was the last song drummer Keith Moon played live with the band.

As well as being a hit, the song has achieved critical praise, appearing as one of Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It has been covered by several artists, such as Van Halen, who took their version to No. 1 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It has been used for several TV shows and films and in some political campaigns.