“Anthem for the Year 2000” is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair, released on February 1999 as the first single from their third album, Neon Ballroom. The song reached number three on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, becoming the band’s sixth top-ten single and their first lead single from an album not to reach number one, a feat “Tomorrow“ and “Freak“ had accomplished. The song reached the top ten in New Zealand, on Canada’s RPM Rock Report, and on the UK Rock Chart.
Australian writer Craig Mathieson described the song as “a viciously compressed take on Queen‘s stadium rock moments that made Y2K into a generational battle”.
Songwriter Daniel Johns said “Anthem for the Year 2000” was inspired by a dream:
“The whole thing is about youth rebelling against people who are supposedly more important. It’s about youth having total control over their own minds. They do not need overweight people in suits telling them what to do and how to act. It is all about just being yourself. The chorus is very sarcastic. It is not supposed to be taken seriously”.
The music video was directed by Gavin Bowden, who also made some videos for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Australian actress Maggie Kirkpatrick played the robot politician.
Tracklist:
- Anthem For The Year 2000 (Single Version)
- London’s Burning
- Untitled
- The Millennium Bug (The Paul Mac Remix)
Silverchair
Daniel Johns: vocals, guitar
Ben Gillies: drums
Chris Joannou: bass
