Why was this rock song met with controversy and criticism over its music video?
“You’re in Love with a Psycho” (2017) is a song by rock band Kasabian, about a staff member in a psychiatric hospital admitting their love for one of the patients she cares for.
You know it’s the place I need
But you got me walking circles like a dog on a lead
The doctors say I’m crazy, that I’m eight miles thick
I’m like the taste of Macaroni on a seafood stick
You got me switched on baby, like electric Eel
And I’m tight with Axel Foley, that’s just how I feel
Like a grapefruit and a magic trick
The prodigal son
I’m walking
I’m walking
I’m walking
I walk so quick
And it just don’t mean a thing
We’ve been waiting far too long
We’ll play it out again
This is just my serenade
You’re in love with a Psycho
You’re in love with a Psycho
And there’s nothing you can do about it
I got you running all around it
You’re in love with a Psycho
You’re in love with a Psycho
And there’s nothing you can do about it
You’re never gonna be without it
Jibber-jabber at the bargain booze
Reciting Charles Bukowski, I got nothing to lose
And I wait for you to follow me, to share my chips
But you’re walking
You’re walking
You walk
You walk so quick
Nobody’s gonna take you there
I stick around for the thousand yard stare
I go to sleep in a duffle bag
I’m never up, never down, down, down, down
You’re in love with a Psycho
You’re in love with a Psycho
And there’s just nothing you can do about it
I got you running all around it
You’re in love with a Psycho
You’re in love with a Psycho
And there’s nothing you can do about it
You never gonna be without it
Maybe this will be the fine solution
Maybe this way, we’ll find a solution
But we’re far too lost, we gotta find love
You’re in love with a Psycho
You’re in love with a Psycho
And there’s nothing you can do about it
I got you running all around it
You’re in love with a Psycho
Tu amor es muy loco
And there’s nothing you can do about
You’re never gonna be without it
The music video for the song is set in the fictional West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum; a nod to the band’s previous album of the same name (2009).
The video features a cohort of psychiatric patients serenading one of the staff members with a dance routine, who later admits her love for one of these patients.
This music video was met with controversy and criticism1 from representatives of various mental health charities like the Mental Health Foundation, Mind, and Rethink Mental Illness. Representatives suggested the video showcases a “falling back on outdated and damaging stereotypes”1 which are “unhelpful, damaging, and disappointing”1, especially in light of recent campaigns to address mental health stereotypes and stigma – including around the use of the word psycho. The appropriateness of this songs subject and music video can therefore be questioned as one which uses stigmatising language2 and reinforces misleading stereotypes.
This is in contrast to a similar music video by Green Day, for their 1994 song “Basket Case” which was nominated for several awards and not met with the same controversy. Questions can be raised around why there were differences in how these similar music videos were received, perhaps indicating a shift over time towards recognising the potential harms arising from these depictions.
