Music Videos Characterizing MH troubles of Gen X/Y/X

Which music videos best fit the psychological and relational problems experienced by the youth in Generations X, Y, and Z?

Note: as I'm unlikely to have much time to write any articles for Substack over the summer, I post one that I wrote some time ago but have not posted yet because its light tone might clash with the more scholarly nature of this site — but I figure readers can easily decide on their own if they wish to skip the article based on its title.

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If you had to chose one music video that best characterizes the mental health of Generation Z, which one would it be? And what about Generation Y (Millennials) and Generation X when they were young?

Ideally, such a music video would feature a young singer who is a member of the appropriate generation, and both the lyrics and the video would illuminate some of the mental health challenges of that generation.

My choices are three music videos by female singers, none of whom, incidentally, are American — and yet I think all three characterize the mental health of American youth within their respective generations quite well.

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Let's start with Generation X.

This is the Generation that, in its youth, was the most troubled of the three, at least regarding boys, who not only had similarly high rates of suicide as current boys do, but also much higher rates of violence, drug abuse, and risky behavior. It is also the last youth generation that largely frowned upon admitting any mental health problems and tended to treat such subjects irreverently while projecting a tough persona.

The video I selected is My Favorite Game from The Cardigans, sung by Nina Persson.

The lyrics speak of a female protagonists trying -- and failing -- to help someone close to her, presumably a boyfriend, who has psychological and behavioral problems:

I should have seen it when my hope was new
My heart is black and my body is blue
And I'm losing my favorite game
You're losing your mind again

I've tried
I've tried
But you're still the same
I'm losing my baby
You're losing a savior and a saint

There is implied abuse and violence within the relationship, and the female protagonist seems ready to give up on trying to help her troubled lover.

The video shows the singer driving a car at high speeds dangerously, barely missing other cars and causing mayhem on the road. The ending is both extremely violent and funny:

The video fits the mental and relational problems of Generation X while the tough and fearless persona of the protagonist as well as the over-the-top approach and dark humor are also typical of the youth at the time.

There is, admittedly, one severe flaw in the video: to better fit the lyrics, it should be the female protagonist who keeps having to evade cars driven dangerously by young males (or perhaps always the same young man). With that alteration, the video would be close to perfect, as it was boys who were in forefront of the difficulties of Gen X youth while the girls were often left having to deal with the resulting problems.

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Next is Generation Y, aka The Millennials.

The mental health of this generation appears far better off than that of Gen X, there having been a rapid decline in suicide, drug abuse and risky behavior during the late nineties and early noughts. It is also a generation where boys and girls seemed to value stable relationships more and in which sexist attitudes lessened.

The video I selected is Stay by Rihanna (ft. Mikky Ekko). It is actually a duet, although the main focus is on Rihanna.

The lyrics speak of troubles within a relationship that, however, both partners are determined to overcome:

Well, funny you're the broken one
But I'm the only one who needed saving
'Cause when you never see the light
It's hard to know which one of us is caving

Not really sure how to feel about it
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can't live without you

It takes me all the way
I want you to stay
Stay
I want you to stay

It is clear in the song that both protagonists care about each other and wish to help each other.

The video shows mostly Rihanna signing in a bathtub. Although she is naked, the mood is intimate and sensual rather than exploitative or exhibitionist, which again fits the difference between Gen Y and Gen X well:

As with the lyrics, the attitudes of the protagonists in the video give the impression of two young adults able to admit personal problems and willing to address them.

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Finally, Generation Z.

This is a generation whose rates of suicide have returned to those of Gen X and whose rates of depression are double those of Gen Y. Furthermore, the youngest seem to suffer the most, with suicides of adolescents being highest on the record, especially for girls. Rates of drug abuse and violence as well as risky behavior, however, have remained at the low Gen Y levels.

The video I selected is When the Party's Over by Billie Eilish. The song's title implies that good times are over and the future looks glum. It is once again about relationship troubles, but this time there is neither much hope of an improvement nor does it seem that the female protagonist is ready to just move on:

Don't you know I'm no good for you?
I've learned to lose you, can't afford to
Tore my shirt to stop you bleedin'
But nothin' ever stops you leavin'

Quiet when I'm comin' home and I'm on my own
I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that
I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that

It seems both sides hurt each other’s feelings and view the situation as hopeless — and yet are unable to just end the dysfunctional relationship.

The video itself is disturbing, with Eilish drinking a black liquid and then 'bleeding' the dark liquid out of her eyes, with the liquid spilling in a large quantity on the floor toward the end of the song as the camera moves away from her face:

The implied harm that Eilish inflicts upon herself, possibly fatal in its consequences, is indeed characteristic of the record high rates of self-harm and suicide among teen girls of Gen Z.

Of note is the youth of Eilish, she being the only adolescent among the three singers. Note also that the idea behind the troubling video was that of Eilish herself. This again is fitting of Gen Z, given that the youngest of the generation suffer the most psychologically but also tend to be willing to admit and discuss the mental health problems they face.

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So these are my choices. No doubt some readers will know of music videos that fit the mental health problems of each generation even better than those above -- and if you do, please mention them in the comments.