"Killing In The Name"
Live at Pinkpop Festival 1993
"Killing In The Name" is a song by Rage Against the Machine, featured on their self-titled debut album, and was released as the lead single from the album in November 1992. In 1992, the song peaked at number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.
Written about revolution against racism in security agencies, "Killing in the Name" is widely recognized as the band's signature song, and has been noted for its distinctive guitar riffs and heavy use of strong language.
In 2009 the song was part of a successful Facebook campaign to prevent The X Factor winner's song from gaining the Christmas number one in the United Kingdom for the fifth successive year. The campaign provoked commentary from both groups and other musicians, as well as gaining coverage in national and international press. The song became the first single to reach Christmas number one spot on downloads alone.
"Killing in the Name" has been described as "a howling, expletive-driven tirade against the ills of American society."[1] The song repeats six lines of lyrics that focus on racism in security agencies with the refrain, "Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses," an allusion to cross-burning by the Ku Klux Klan. The uncensored version contains the word "fuck" seventeen times.[2] The song builds in intensity, repeating the lines "And now you do what they told ya. And now you're under control" culminating in Zack de la Rocha screaming "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me! Motherfucker!".[3]
The song lyrics reference the allegation that some members of US police forces are members of the Ku Klux Klan organization, whose symbol is the burning cross. The BBC News website refers to it as railing against "the military–industrial complex, justifying killing for the benefit of, as the song puts it, the chosen whites."[4][5][6]
"Killing in the Name" was originally written and recorded shortly after Rage Against The Machine formed as part of a 12 song self-released cassette. After signing with Epic Records the band released their self titled debut album, which reached triple platinum status, driven by heavy radio play of "Killing in the Name".[2] Rage Against the Machine's first video for "Killing in the Name" did not receive heavy airplay in the United States due to the explicit lyrics. The song received substantial airplay in Europe and drove the band's popularity outside its home country.[7]
Pinkpop Festival, or Pinkpop for short, is an annual rock festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is held annually on the Pentecost weekend (Pinksteren in Dutch, hence the name). In 1970, the first festival took place in Geleen, now part of municipality Sittard-Geleen and was held on the Monday following that weekend.
Today, Pinkpop is a 3 day festival, from Saturday to Monday, and visited by approximately 60,000 people a day with performances on 3 separate stages. In 35 years, 1.5 million people have attended Pinkpop. More than 500 musical acts have played at the festival.
In 1994 (the 25th edition), it was decided to sell only 60,000 tickets, to prevent overcrowding due to the popularity of the festival. In 1995, it was made into a 2-day festival. Two years later, in 1997, this was further expanded to three days.
2007 saw a spin-off, later in the year, on 11 August, called Pinkpop Classic, for an older rock audience, with bands that previously performed there in past decades.
In 2008 Pinkpop was for the first time in its history, not held on Pentecost weekend which fell too early that year for the convenience of fans and performers alike.
Live at Pinkpop Festival 1993
"Killing In The Name" is a song by Rage Against the Machine, featured on their self-titled debut album, and was released as the lead single from the album in November 1992. In 1992, the song peaked at number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.
Written about revolution against racism in security agencies, "Killing in the Name" is widely recognized as the band's signature song, and has been noted for its distinctive guitar riffs and heavy use of strong language.
In 2009 the song was part of a successful Facebook campaign to prevent The X Factor winner's song from gaining the Christmas number one in the United Kingdom for the fifth successive year. The campaign provoked commentary from both groups and other musicians, as well as gaining coverage in national and international press. The song became the first single to reach Christmas number one spot on downloads alone.
"Killing in the Name" has been described as "a howling, expletive-driven tirade against the ills of American society."[1] The song repeats six lines of lyrics that focus on racism in security agencies with the refrain, "Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses," an allusion to cross-burning by the Ku Klux Klan. The uncensored version contains the word "fuck" seventeen times.[2] The song builds in intensity, repeating the lines "And now you do what they told ya. And now you're under control" culminating in Zack de la Rocha screaming "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me! Motherfucker!".[3]
The song lyrics reference the allegation that some members of US police forces are members of the Ku Klux Klan organization, whose symbol is the burning cross. The BBC News website refers to it as railing against "the military–industrial complex, justifying killing for the benefit of, as the song puts it, the chosen whites."[4][5][6]
"Killing in the Name" was originally written and recorded shortly after Rage Against The Machine formed as part of a 12 song self-released cassette. After signing with Epic Records the band released their self titled debut album, which reached triple platinum status, driven by heavy radio play of "Killing in the Name".[2] Rage Against the Machine's first video for "Killing in the Name" did not receive heavy airplay in the United States due to the explicit lyrics. The song received substantial airplay in Europe and drove the band's popularity outside its home country.[7]
Pinkpop Festival, or Pinkpop for short, is an annual rock festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is held annually on the Pentecost weekend (Pinksteren in Dutch, hence the name). In 1970, the first festival took place in Geleen, now part of municipality Sittard-Geleen and was held on the Monday following that weekend.
Today, Pinkpop is a 3 day festival, from Saturday to Monday, and visited by approximately 60,000 people a day with performances on 3 separate stages. In 35 years, 1.5 million people have attended Pinkpop. More than 500 musical acts have played at the festival.
In 1994 (the 25th edition), it was decided to sell only 60,000 tickets, to prevent overcrowding due to the popularity of the festival. In 1995, it was made into a 2-day festival. Two years later, in 1997, this was further expanded to three days.
2007 saw a spin-off, later in the year, on 11 August, called Pinkpop Classic, for an older rock audience, with bands that previously performed there in past decades.
In 2008 Pinkpop was for the first time in its history, not held on Pentecost weekend which fell too early that year for the convenience of fans and performers alike.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rage Against the Machine is an American rap metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk. Critics have noted Rage Against the Machine for its "fiercely polemical music, which brewed sloganeering leftist rants against corporate America, cultural imperialism, social inequality, and government oppression into a Molotov cocktail of punk, hip-hop, and thrash."[1] Rage Against the Machine drew inspiration from early heavy metal instrumentation, as well as rap acts such as Afrika Bambaataa,[1] Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys and Urban Dance Squad.[2] As of 2010, they have sold over 16 million records worldwide.[3]
In 1992, the band released its self-titled debut album, which became a commercial success, leading to a slot in the 1993 Lollapalooza. The band did not release a follow-up record until 1996, with Evil Empire. The band's third album The Battle of Los Angeles was released in 1999. During their initial nine-year run, they became one of the most popular and influential bands in music history, according to music journalist Colin Devenish.[4] They were also ranked #33 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. The band had a large influence on the nu metal genre which emerged during the mid to late 1990s.
Shortly after breaking up in 2000, the band released the cover album Renegades. De la Rocha started a low-key solo career in One Day as a Lion; the rest of the band formed the rock supergroup Audioslave with Chris Cornell, then-former frontman of Soundgarden, which disbanded in 2007, and in April of that year, Rage Against the Machine performed together for the first time in seven years at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The band has continued to perform at many live venues and festivals around the world since 2007.
