"We are, we are [we are] the youth of the nation," may repeat as the chorus, but it's on purpose in this song comparable to Superchic[k]'s "Hero." (It came out about the same time on Satellite, in 2002.)
The verses explore lives of today's commonly depressed youth and what comes of it. The first verse starts with a boy's tale of going to school like he did every day and getting killed in a school shooting, then questions why the shooter might've done it. It makes the song's beginning of children laughing probably in a schoolyard all the creepier.
And the heart-wrenching tales continue from there, reminding the listener of how many of today's youth actually feel. I've never been clinically depressed, but even I've had a point when I realized virtually no one would miss me at school if I never went back.
I can name on one hand the number of actual rap-style songs that I like enough to eagerly listen to them. This is one. The "wet" (resonating) sound of the song and echo meld with children's voices and the rap versus to even haunt hearers who usually dislike rap.
The individual elements of this song are pretty normal, like Sonny Sandoval's vocals and the Nu metal music that might bring Linkin Park's "In the End" to mind if you think about it, but they're different. This Christian song's better than that secular one, in my opinion.
The way P.O.D. put the music and vocals together, though, causes "Youth of the Nation" to rise above average. It's definitely rapcore-ish metal with synthesized elements, but if you're the type who focuses on lyrics, you don't care. Even the overall sound just accents the influence of the song.
Okay, so the song's dark. If you don't like that, you probably shouldn't be listening to the youth band P.O.D. to begin with. With a name that stands for "Payable On Death"—a reference to Christ's death—I don't think they tend to focus on cute fuzzy feelings and bunnies, unless they have sharp, pointy teeth associated with them.
The emotions of today's youth displayed in "Youth of the Nation" are as true now as they were five years ago. These are the youth of the nation—and that leaves the listener wondering, what am I gonna do about this?
Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 8/10
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