I’ve written a lot about Millennial anthems just because that’s sort of my area of expertise. But looking just a few years back, there’s a whole array of incredible songs that defined a generation way better than Lady Gaga or The Killers ever did. Gen X is often forgotten, and a lot of it has to do with how drastically popular culture changed within those decades.
It’s a difficult generation to define, if you’re into that sort of thing. But it’s hard to forget some of the great songs those years produced.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
Looking through comment sections and Reddit threads about Gen X anthems, there are two songs that come up frequently: “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. Overwhelmingly, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is usually the more popular choice. It all comes down to the raw, evocative discontent in that song.
Some have described it as “a song by Gen X for Gen X,” which is a pretty spot-on assessment. Even though it came out in the Elder Millennial years, it wasn’t exactly relevant to a bunch of newborns in 1991. But for the teenagers and young adults of the time, it was exactly the anthem they needed.
“We’re Not gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister released “We’re Not Gonna Take It” in 1984. Since then, it’s become an anthem for underdogs, the unappreciated, the overworked and underpaid. Basically, everyone who’s ever been kicked while they’re down. Which is basically Gen X in a nutshell, according to some.
What started out as an anthem of teenage rebellion has morphed into a song for bottom of the ninth, three runs behind, bases loaded and two outs. It’s a song for that work email that comes through at 4:55 p.m. with the subject line Urgent!! Need This EOD or Else!! Twisted Sister wrote the true Gen X anthem, but it’s applicable to every generation after.
“Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles
“Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles was released in 1979. But it’s a top Gen X anthem for its role in ushering in the MTV era. On August 1, 1981, it was the first music video shown on MTV in the U.S., a harbinger of the decline of radio. From there, we all know how music videos took over. Until recent years, MTV was music video royalty.
Beyond its hand in killing radio, the song isn’t much of a Gen X anthem specifically. But a few artists of that era have since covered it. So, in a way, it lives on in covers by Ben Folds Five, Robbie Williams, and The Presidents of the United States of America.