Five songs that define the millennial generation
Every generation has those few songs that seem to define their youth for them. The children of the 1970s will probably have endless stories about listening to Led Zeppelin albums in their room with their friends, and most 1980s kids will have distinct memories of seeing the first music videos launching on MTV. However, as the wave of grunge slowly faded from view in the 1990s, it was time for something new with the millennial generation when acts like The Killers started rearing their heads.
Coming right after the rise of nu-metal and amid the pop-punk regime, every rock fan around this time wasn’t afraid to let their emotions show. It was clear that there was still a lot of angst that needed to get out of their system, and when listening to some of the heavier material on display, it’s hard to see how many of these acts struck a nerve so potently.
But it was never meant to be a pity party by any stretch. Looking at some of the highlights from the late 1990s into the 2000s, it was just as much about having fun whenever you were onstage, whether that meant twisting the pop formula in different directions or making bold leaps towards new sounds that no one had even suggested.
More than anything, the millennial generation was never interested in making the typical mindless song that makes people think. It was about having something to say and airing it out to the biggest audience possible, and considering a lot of these songs are still in heavy rotation today, it’s fair to say that they hit the nail right on the head.
Five songs to define the millennial generation:
5. ‘Numb’ – Linkin Park
There was no way to ignore the nu-metal generation if you tried in the late 1990s. Everyone seemed to be worshipping Fred Durst as the next musical god, and despite some of the most insipid lyrics imaginable, it’s not like the songs weren’t catchy. But at the heart of the genre was just pure rage, and Linkin Park took all of the trashy elements out of the mix when they hit on ‘Numb’.
Because outside of the other heavy material on Meteora, this might be Chester Bennington’s greatest vocal performance, singing about how he’s trying to break through the noise and talk to his loved ones about his struggles but just can’t. While it’s tragic to see Bennington eventually succumb to his problems in 2017, hearing ‘Numb’ put into words what millions of kids didn’t have the courage to actually say outright.
4. ‘American Idiot’ – Green Day
Anyone growing up as a millennial probably has a story of what happened when 9/11 occurred. It might not have been the nicest thing for a kid to be exposed to, but the minute that George Bush started sending troops to Iraq, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realise that it may have been a contentious decision. And for a pop-punk act going strong for over a decade, Green Day touched a political nerve the moment they released ‘American Idiot’.
While far from the most complex tune on the accompanying concept record, this was the first time that we had heard pressing social commentary in mainstream rock since the days of The Clash or U2. The entire world seemed tense and on the verge of destroying itself, but Billie Joe Armstrong was the one willing to put his neck on the line and rally against what he saw as the redneck ruining his country. It was still a great tune, but if The Dixie Chicks got blackballed for daring to speak their mind, Yankee Doodle Armstrong was there to call out hypocrisy for what it was.
3. ‘Paper Planes’ – MIA
All music has to evolve at some point. Regardless of how many rock bands started resting on their laurels during the 2000s, the masses started shifting closer to hip-hop when it came to finding the new and daring talent crawling up the charts. The days of Tupac and Biggie were long gone, but while Eminem was still a massive presence, MIA gave us the ultimate alternative hip-hop tune.
Riding in on a sample of ‘Straight to Hell’ by The Clash, ‘Paper Planes’ is the kind of innovative hit that never let up for a second, whether it was the sound of gunshots as the hook of bringing in wild production tricks during the verses. While there’s hardly a problem with alternative hip-hop getting play on the charts, this wasn’t A Tribe Called Quest. This was the kind of art rap that most emcees only wished they had a part of.
2. ‘Clint Eastwood’ – Gorillaz
For any older millennial witnessing the birth of Britpop, the 2000s just felt like a sad hangover for the scene. Oasis had come and gone, and while other acts like Travis were still going strong, it was telling that the most airtime that the post-Britpop movement got was maybe a handful of Coldplay songs. Damon Albarn didn’t even try to ride the wave anymore with Blur, so what better way to get back to business than launching Gorillaz?
While Albarn’s melodies are as sharp as ever on ‘Clint Eastwood’, the entire aesthetic took on a life of its own. From the cartoon character aliases to recruiting Del the Funky Homosapien to provide the rap verses, this was Albarn breaking down the mechanics of his sound and trying his best to find something new to work with. The Britpop checks may have still been coming in, but as soon as he sang, “The future is coming on”, everyone was following right behind him.
1. ‘Mr Brightside’ – The Killers
Any millennial song normally has to speak to how the masses were feeling at the time. Most people may have felt angry over political unrest or scared out of their minds about what the future held, but there were just as many looking to bring the good times of old back into the mix. And while The Killers sounded like the greatest 1980s band that never was, nothing defined the turn of the century quite like ‘Mr Brightside’.
Whether it’s the opening guitar motif that sends shivers down your spine or Brandon Flowers’s lyrics about this imaginary relationship he knows his ex is having, there’s no one on Earth who doesn’t know this chorus at this point. But when looking at the kind of tense moments that many millennial songs deal with, this kind of romantic angst fits right in. Whereas most people were much more literal, Flowers dreaming of the worst-case scenario to one of the most optimistic backing tracks in the world is practically a metaphor for how we were feeling. Things looked dire, but at least it sounded like a blast.
