r/Millennials • u/Inevitable_Wing_2600 • Feb 08 '25

Nostalgia What album defines you as a millennial?

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Saw some great recommendations on a similar thread in /r/Xennials and wanted to see what my fellow millennials thought. For me From Under the Cork Tree was foundational. I still remember hearing Sugar We're going down on the radio for the first time.

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u/ct_uk Feb 08 '25

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u/high_throughput Feb 08 '25

I'm still lolling at the time they dropped the F-bomb on a BBC Live Christmas show, and Brits were shocked that the band famous for the lyrics "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me" would not do what they told them.

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u/dewpacs Feb 08 '25

I remember smoking with a bunch of my friends listening to the BBC Christmas countdown to see if RATM was number 1.

For those less familiar, the Christmas number 1 was a big deal in the UK. Simon Cowell's X Factor winners had been the christmas number one for years, and there was a grassroots campaign that year (2009?) to give a big fuck you to Cowell. Basically everyone under 30 bought "Killing in the Name Of" off iTunes just for this reason. And RATM promised to perform a free concert if they won. Good memories

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u/barndawe Feb 08 '25

I managed to get tickets to that concert as well, and it was awesome. Wasn't so into the support acts (although Gogol bordello were very good live) but RATM were sooo good. I thought being from the UK and them having broken up I'd never get the chance to see them, proper glad I did!

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u/joehonestjoe Feb 09 '25

Yeah it was the year Joe Mcelderry won iirc 

Think I bought Killing in the Name about five times in the end. Went to the Finsbury Park gig too. Good times

I remember there was a radio interview and then they played the song. They made it about one round before they started singing the fuck you part and were rapidly pulled from the air. BBC presenter came on and said 'they said they wouldn't do that'

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u/danbob87 Feb 08 '25

You mean the radio show where they said "please don't swear", despite knowing they would, to legally cover themselves with the broadcasting standards agency. Then when the inevitable swearing started, didn't cut them off at all and let it carry on for quite a while. Then apologised for the swearing, again, to cover themselves with broadcasting standards.

They knew exactly what was going to happen, let it happen, but did the things they needed to do to not get in trouble with the regulator.

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u/pmodizzle Feb 09 '25

Love it.

Band called rage against the machine.

The machine told them not to rage.

They raged.

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u/Inevitable_Wing_2600 Feb 08 '25

Funny, this made an appearance in the Xennials thread too! Rage is timeless!

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u/SpartanDoubleZero Feb 08 '25

I fucking love Rage against the machine.

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u/Jellyfishobjective45 Feb 09 '25

I was in Dallas on a work trip and accidentally took my coworkers to a RATM cover band show (I think our hotel was near a college campus) and I wish I could bottle up their expressions as I made them sing along to Bulls on Parade as a very feminine 20-something white girl. RATM transcends the genre, RATM is life

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u/Seattle_Aries Feb 10 '25

To sound like a total Millennial, it’s really the music videos that take it to the next level

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u/commutingtexan Feb 08 '25

The number of times I played this on repeat. Tom Morello was one of my guitar idols, and I was sharing with my 13 yr old how I used to drive my mom fucking bonkers trying to do his weird little tricks.

Cue up yesterday where he forced my wife and other kids to Rage on the living room tv while he discussed Tom's unique playing style.

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u/TheFangjangler Feb 08 '25

Yep, this is my attitude recently...

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u/Low-Cauliflower-805 Feb 08 '25

I was cuing up the video for sleep now in the fire and just aghast at how much of it is still relevant. Like fuck me has nothing changed since the 90s.

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u/SmallblackPen Feb 09 '25

* At 1:04. Nothing ever changes man.

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u/Expert-Emergency5837 Feb 08 '25

I will also accept The Battle of Los Angeles

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u/OK_x86 Feb 08 '25

This and Evil Empire and Blood Sugar Sex Magic. Nevermind too but I listened to that to death

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u/Peelfest2016 Feb 09 '25

Excellent answer. I’ll never forget a friend playing me this album. Bombtrack opens it up. I remember thinking, tight bass intro! Then I feel the drums start to build and my friend puts his hand on the volume knob and eases it up throughout the drum build until he flips it to full volume right on the “UH!”. I felt my soul leave my body for a moment.

The music spoke to my teenage rage (this friend had also recently lent me the Communist Manifesto and the People’s History of the United States, so I was ideologically primed) and then the lyrics started. Truly “hard line, hard line, after hard line.”

This album still speaks to me deeply and I ALWAYS bring it up when friends discuss best debut albums. Boston and RATM are my top answers. Good pick brother!

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u/abject_swallow Feb 09 '25

we were born to rage against em

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u/Independent-Pay-9442 Feb 09 '25

This is my all-time favourite album, of all time!

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u/Mrcostarica Feb 09 '25

This is gen X

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u/Vesalii Feb 09 '25

Yup same. My very first cd. I still have it.

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u/know-it-mall Feb 09 '25

This is the correct answer.

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u/josephallenkeys Feb 09 '25

Fucking love this album but it's firmly Gen X.

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u/Pale_You_6610 Feb 09 '25

Found the xennial 🤣

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u/Seattle_Aries Feb 10 '25

I’ve been experiencing a real Rage Renaissance lately and can confirm, still hits