This Generation

Album: Permanent Shade Of Blue (1994)
Charted: 38
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "This Generation" is about having faith in younger people to change society for the better. It's one of Roachford's most political songs, with the lyrics touching on the hope for a more tolerant, accepting, and compassionate future.
  • In a Songfacts interview with Andrew Roachford, he said that the inspiration behind "This Generation" was similar to that of the Black Lives Matter movement, adding: "I just felt like some people at that time were old, stuck in their ways, and they were stunting the growth of society. Society needs to move forward. I don't know exactly, but there was something on the news that just triggered it and made me think about it. My journey, coming as a kid from Caribbean descent with my experiences, I just felt impassioned to write a song that was positive about the future."
  • Permanent Shade of Blue was Roachford's third studio album after Roachford (1988) and Get Ready! (1991). It was particularly popular in Australia, where it peaked at #2 and spent a total of 36 weeks on the chart.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of WayneSongwriter Interviews

The guy who brought us "Stacy's Mom" also wrote the Jane Lynch Emmy song and Stephen Colbert's Christmas songs.

Intentionally Atrocious

Intentionally AtrociousSong Writing

A selection of songs made to be terrible - some clearly achieved that goal.

Judas Priest

Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton talk twin guitar harmonies and explain how they create songs in Judas Priest.

Dr. John

Dr. JohnSongwriter Interviews

The good doctor shares some candid insights on recording with Phil Spector and The Black Keys.

When Rock Belonged To Michelob

When Rock Belonged To MichelobSong Writing

Michelob commercials generated hits for Eric Clapton, Genesis and Steve Winwood in the '80s, even as some of these rockers were fighting alcoholism.