Will.i.am, Slash Remix the Who's "My Generation" For Super Bowl

There will be a little extra Who at Super Bowl XLIV on February 7th: in addition to rocking the halftime show, the band's "My Generation" will debut as a remix. Will.i.am has recruited Slash to help rework the classic track. Following the big game, the song will go on sale on iTunes, with all proceeds benefiting Haiti earthquake relief funds.

Check out photos of Springsteen, Prince, U2 and more stars rocking the Super Bowl.

"I altered the lyric to fit my generation now," Will.i.am told Billboard, adding that Slash plays on the track. "It was awesome. I loved that song way before this even came up, and talking to Pete Townshend on the phone is like, 'What?! I'm talking to Pete Townshend on the phone?!' Those guys are just awesome." It's unclear whether the band will premiere the song during their halftime performance, or whether it will play during a break in the action or an ad.

This marks the second consecutive Super Bowl Sunday to sport a classic song remixed by the Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am. Last year, the rapper-producer teamed with Bob Dylan for a new version of "Forever Young" that played during a Pepsi commercial during the game.

"My Generation" is one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. As RS previously reported, Townshend told Billboard the bulk of the mashup medley the Who will perform during their Super Bowl set, and the "immortal fuck-off to the elders" as RS called the track, was not among the songs he named. The list did include "Baba O'Riley," "Pinball Wizard," "Tommy," "Who Are You" and "Won’t Get Fooled Again."

Related Stories:
• The Who's Townshend Says Super Bowl Set Will "Mashup" Big Hits
• The Who Booked for Super Bowl XLIV, Source Tells Rolling Stone
• Bob Dylan Teams Up With Will.i.am for Pepsi Super Bowl Commercial

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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