The song's music video was controversial for its disturbing imagery; nonetheless, it received some play on MTV and its sister station, MTV2.

The song was met with universal acclaim upon its release, with many critics noting it as one of the album's highlights.

Pitchfork Media listed "Y Control" as the 213th best song of the decade.

[3] The music video for "Y Control", directed by Spike Jonze, was controversial for its images of children carrying the body of a dead dog, giving the middle finger, and a subtitled portrayal of child mutilation including the chopping of a boy's hand and another boy disemboweling himself with a knife.

[5] Entertainment Weekly gave a negative review of the video, describing it as "a sort of fairy tale gone wrong," and calling it "amateurish."