We’re Not Gonna Take It – Twisted Sister | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning

Chart Performance: Pop (#21) & Mainstream Rock (#7); 1984

Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne

Twisted Sister and MTV were made for each other, what with the former’s outrageous appearance and the latter’s constant need for something new in visual excitement. Formed in the heady days of disco as an answer to all those slick dance moves and grooves, Twisted Sister served up a pop-metal mix of dumb lyrics and thudding beats.

America, however, wasn’t interested and Sister made its first mark in Britain at the Reading Festival, London’s Marquee club, and on UK TV’s The Tub. With the transatlantic buzz ringing in their ears, Atlantic Records picked up Twisted Sister’s indie album and let it loose on an unsuspecting U.S. population.

When the aforementioned MTV moved the We’re Not Gonna Take It video – with its guitar-wielding boy vs. his rock-hating father story line – into hot rotation, Twisted Sister had it made in the shade. Soon TS was all over radio and TV, and overexposed, creating a backlash that quickly thwarted any hopes for long-term success.

This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.

Produced by:

  • Tom Werman

Lyrics Written by:

  • Dee Snider

Check Out all the Song Meanings of the 80s
Top 100 Songs Of The 1980s

Ed Osborne

Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).