Killing in the name
| Killing in the name | |
|---|---|
| Rage Against the Machine | |
| publication | 2nd November 1992 |
| length | 5:14 |
| Genre (s) | Alternative metal |
| text |
T. Commerford , Z. de la Rocha , T. Morello , B. Wilk |
| music | Rage Against the Machine, Garth Richardson |
| album | Rage Against the Machine |
Killing in the Name is a rock song by the US band Rage Against the Machine , which was first released on their debut album in 1992 and released as their first single .
Meaning of the text
The song turns against racism in the US state apparatus. In particular, Ku Klux Klan members ("that burn crosses") who work as police officers ("those that work forces, wearing the badge") are named. They are accused of murders that they belong to the "chosen" race ( "the chosen whites") ( "killing in the name of") to justify it ( "justify Those Who died") the police.
The often repeated line “And now you do what they told ya. And now you're under control ”leads to Zack de la Rocha's screams“ Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me! Motherfucker ! "
Emergence
Guitarist Tom Morello developed the song's catchy riff while teaching a student the dropped-D tuning . He stopped class and recorded the piece. The following day the band developed the song together.
The song was first performed as an instrumental piece on the band's first public appearance on October 23, 1991.
single
Epic Records released the debut album of Rage Against the Machine on November 6, 1992. Killing in the Name was the first single, which also contains the tracks Darkness and Clear the Lane .
As for the album, the band used the photo of the Vietnamese monk Thích Quảng Đức , who burned himself to death in 1963 in protest against the oppression of the Buddhist majority in Vietnam.
Music video
The music video was directed and produced by Morello's guitar student Peter Gideon. He filmed the band in two appearances in two music clubs in Los Angeles , Whiskey a Go Go and Club With No Name . The video was released in December 1992. An uncensored version was shown on European music channels, while in the USA, due to the frequent use of swear words, only a censored version was played.
Christmas hit 2009
The tradition of the Christmas number one hit has long existed in Great Britain and bets are being made with bookmakers as to which song will top the single charts in the Christmas week charts. This week is usually the week with the highest sales of the year. After the winner of the annual casting show The X Factor had conquered this spot for several years in a row , two members of Facebook called for a protest to buy Killing in the Name as often as possible and make it number one. By the end of the week, the song had sold about half a million downloads and had the highest number of downloads of any song in a week. While The X Factor juror Simon Cowell described the campaign as a "hate mob", the action was supported by musicians such as Dave Grohl , Paul McCartney and Muse . The band announced in 2010 to play a free concert in the UK to celebrate this victory and the majority of the revenue from the single sale to the homeless charity Shelter to donate.
Charts
| Chart | year | position |
|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 1992 | 25th |
| Irish Singles Chart | 2009 | 2 |
| UK Singles Chart | 2009 | 1 |
Awards
- In July 2009 the piece was voted second in the "Hottest 100 of All Time". The vote was initiated by the Australian radio station Triple J.
- The American magazine Guitar World chose the song in the list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" at number 89.
- The Rolling Stone lists the song at number 24 in the list "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time".
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Countdown: Hottest 100 - Of All Time . Triple J. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
- ^ A b Austin Scaggs: The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time . Rolling Stone . December 16, 2002. Archived from the original on December 21, 2009. Retrieved on December 21, 2009.
- ↑ Christian Ihle: Why Rage Against The Machine are number 1 in England with a 17 year old song . taz.de . December 21, 2009. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
- ↑ Rage Against Christmas . sueddeutsche.de . December 21, 2009. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
- ^ Rage Against the Machine . musewiki.org. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
- ^ Stephan Lochner: "Killing in the Name" - of Christmas . tagesschau.de . December 21, 2009. Archived from the original on March 22, 2010. Retrieved on December 21, 2009.
- ↑ Rage Against the Machine take Christmas No.1 slot . The Independent . December 20, 2009. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
- ↑ Dan Cross: 100 Greatest Guitar Solos Part 9: Guitar Solos Number 81 - 90 . Guitar World. July 19, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
