“Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine
“Killing in the Name” was released shortly after the devastating riots which rocked the city of Los Angeles, the hometown of Rage Against the Machine, in 1992. This entire event was predicated on a shocking incident of police brutality. In that shocking incident, a group of White officers were acquitted for beating the damn out of an unarmed African-American motorist. And despite all of it being captured on video for the world to see, the culprits were still set free.
So succinctly put, in the lyrics the band is saying that such justice departments are historically plagued by institutional racism. Basically the band is fundamentally alleging that the same individuals who are employed at police “forces” are actually members of the KKK, i.e. “the same that burn crosses”. And the KKK is a well-known racist organization that has traditionally terrorized Black people in America. But now instead of “killing in the name of” race propagation or whatever their cause is, these selfsame people, now being police officers, are using law enforcement as their rationale to murder Blacks.
And conclusively, in light of such a harrowing reality, the band is displaying an anarchist, “f you” attitude. Wielding this attitude, they refuse to submit to the “what you tell me”. And this statement basically reads as if they are rejecting the authority of the powers that be, such as the aforementioned police forces.
Music Video
The music video to “Killing in the Name” was actually directed and produced by one of Tom Morello’s guitar students by the name of Peter Gideon.
When did “Killing in the Name” come out?
On 3 November 1992, “Killing in the Name” became the lead single from Rage Against the Machine’s first album, which was titled after the band. And this project was published by Epic Records.
Harrowing Cover Art
The harrowing image above which serves as the cover art to the single (as well as the “Rage Against the Machine” album itself) was taken in Vietnam in 1963. The image itself has won a Pulitzer and depicts a protesting Buddhist monk by the name of Thích Quảng Đức (1897-1963).
Did this song chart globally?
Yes, it did. The song went on, upon its initial release, to chart in several countries. They include the following:
- Australia
- The Netherlands
- New Zealand
- The United Kingdom
Moreover in 2009, an English DJ launched a social media campaign dubbed ‘Rage Against X Factor’. Its purpose was to have “Killing in the Name” serve as the highly-coveted UK Christmastime number one during that year. And this was done so specifically in the name of preventing the winner of the UK reality-talent show X Factor from possessing the Christmas number one for a fifth-consecutive time. And the effort was actually successful, as this time around the tune was actually able to top the UK Singles Chart (as opposed to peaking at number 25 in 1993). Furthermore, this action helped it reach as high as number two in Ireland and Scotland (where it didn’t even chart the first time around).
In the process of this occurring, “Killing in the Name” set the record for being the first song that was available exclusively via downloading to serve as the top Christmas tune in the UK. And in that regard, it also sold over half-a-million copies in one week. This earned it a place amongst the United Kingdom’s Guinness World Records as the ‘fastest-selling digital track’.
So how significant was this accomplishment?
A representative of the British sports’ betting company Coral dubbed it “the biggest Christmas shock of all time”. The reason being, it resulted in the industry having to payout in excess of £1 million to betters.
Moreover a crowdfunding page that was setup as part of the Rage Against X Factor movement is said to have pulled in excess of $100,000 in the name of a charity catering to homeless people.
Additionally as a way of saying thank you to the British public for making “Killing in the Name” even more successful than it was in the first, Rage Against the Machine held a free concert. This concert attracted an estimated 40,000 fans, at Finsbury Park in London on 6 June 2010.
A Signature Song for Rage Against the Machine
“Killing in the Name” is considered to be Rage Against the Machine’s signature track. And it has been placed on a number of ‘greatest songs’ lists composed by the likes of Rolling Stone and Guitar World, especially in regards to the guitar playing therein.
Indeed the distinct guitaring which helps to define this song was developed by band member Tom Morello. He reportedly created it unintentionally, while imparting a lesson onto a student.
Notable Live Performance of “Killing in the Name”
Rage Against the Machine played this song during the semi-historic Woodstock ’99 concert. During that event, the band infamously burned an American flag live on stage.
Notable Usage of “Killing in the Name”
As a testament to the timelessness of this tune, “Killing in the Name” has actually been placed on the soundtracks of multiple famous videogame franchises. These include “Grand Theft Auto” and “Guitar Hero”.
The US military is known to have used “Killing in the Name” as part of one of their interrogation methods at the infamous Guantanamo Bay detention center. What they would do is play it continuously, very loud, as a means of torturing some of the prisoners. And this is something which totally displeased Tom Morello, one of the members of the band.
Obscene Word at the Song’s End
Reportedly the obscene word, which Zack de la Rocha proclaims at the end of this song, was not part of the original composition. And it is theorized that as opposed to being directly related to the narrative itself, it actually originated from him cursing an unknown member of the audience during one of the band’s live performances.
Who wrote “Killing in the Name”?
“Killing in the Name” was written by the following members of the band:
- Tim Commerford,
- Zack de la Rocha
- Brad Wilk
- Tom Morello
Rage Against the Machine also produced the tune. They handled the production along with one of their steady collaborators, Garth Richardson.
