Rage Against the Machine may have been a successful rap-rock band signed to a major label. But the band advocated for nothing other than a Revolution across the Americas, and turned impressionable fans into left-leaning political activists. None of the band’s songs is more famous or politically charged than “Killing in the Name.” It’s one of the greatest alternative rock songs of the ’90s.
But while singer Zach de la Rocha is obviously angry while delivering the lines, the meaning of them might have been lost on fans as they bopped to Tom Morello’s guitar riff.
I am looking today at RATM’s enduring influence in music, politics and beyond. This is the real meaning of the lyrics to “Killing in the Name!”
Rage Against the Machine’s Journey to Making “Killing in the Name”
The group’s fame would eventually trap Rage Against the Machine’s members. Still, this was a group set up for success from the start. What the quartet had going for them were timing, chemistry and individual musical ability.
Singer Zach de la Rocha, the band’s instigator, had been the frontman of the excellent underground hardcore punk band Inside Out. He was born into an artistic family and showed an interest in political activism from a young age. De la Rocha was critical of the military-industrial complex and concerned with the role of Latin Americans and other minorities in the modern-day United States.
But Rage Against the Machine was formed by the highly ambitious, and occasionally opportunistic, guitar virtuoso Tom Morello. He’d previously played in the rock group Lock Up. It was Morello who first recruited drummer Brad Wilk.
A relative musical novice, Tim Commerford rounded up the group. Together with Wilk, Tim C would form one of the best rhythm sections in all of rock, one often compared to Led Zeppelin‘s John Paul Jones – John Bonham alliance.
De la Rocha dubbed the group Rage Against the Machine, inspired by the title of one of his poems. The musicians recorded a 12-song demo cassette. The lyrics were openly antagonistic to U.S. policies. The music daringly mixed rap and rock. Tom Morello’s guitar playing included the kids of sound effects typical of rap DJs, but unfamiliar to most rock fans.
Writing “Killing in the Name”
The group’s eponymous debut album, “Rage Against the Machine”, was released at a high point for alternative rock music. Groups like Nirvana or Ministry had sent heavy, scary music back into the charts. Bands like Rancid or Green Day had made the pop-punk world famous. And various artists, from Prince to Madonna, had scored hits despite the controversial nature of their lyrics.
The band’s debut featured the famous photo of Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức self-immolating in protest. And while the record was released by Sony, songs like “Bombtrack” or “Know Your Enemy” positioned the musicians as protesters against perceived U.S. imperialism.
The song that launched the group into the rock mainstream, however, was “Killing in the Name.” Released as a single in 1993, the song reached the Top 40 in the U.K. It also made the group infamous in the U.S.
“Killing in the Name” is famous, first, for Tom Morello’s guitar riff. Written during a teaching session and with a guitar tuned to drop D, it was a riff deemed by many to be as memorable as that of those written by Jimmy Page.
That detuned riff arrived in close time proximity to the release of Korn’s debut album. Also, fittingly, the rap-metal style of RATM was not dissimilar to Red Hot Chili Peppers or Faith No More, highly successful bands in the ’90s.
The Meaning of the Lyrics to “Killing in the Name”
“Killing in the Name” is a protest song. That much is obvious, and it aligns with the rest of the band’s material across its three original studio albums.
Casual fans will remember it for the riff and for singer Zach de la Rocha’s closing chants of “F**k You, I won’t do what you tell me.”
What is all that vitriol aimed at? The song idecries racism in the modern world. It was inspired by the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the Rodney King incident, and by the racist organisation, the Ku Klux Klan. The opening line, “Some of those who wear forces are the same that burn crosses“, references this group that, as of the early 1990s, was very much still active in parts of the U.S.A.
The song is also one more musical protest against the military-industrial complex. De la Rocha argues that crimes committed by it are never against “the chosen whites.” The song was released not long after the first two Gulf Wars.
The single is purposefully repetitive. Zach de la Rocha tried to work with slogans and lyrics that he called “propaganda.” Indeed, the song’s rebellious nature is not lost on anyone, regardless of whether most of the opening lines are understood.
The Music Video for “Killing in the Name”
The music video for “Killing in the Name” turned RATM’s four musicians into stars in the thriving alternative rock scene.
Peter Gideon, a friend of the band, shot the original video. Featuring lo-fi recordings of two live shows, it received plenty of attention.
Several complaints were launched against the song and the music video, which was perceived by some to incite violence. When a BBC radio DJ played the unedited song, he nearly lost his job.
Consequently, the music video was banned by MTV for decades before appearing in its uncensored version in the 2000s along with a short documentary. In the clip, Zach de la Rocha invites fans to question and overthrow capitalist society.
The Legacy of “Killing in the Name” and RATM
Frankly, “Killing in the Name” is played whenever someone wants to issue a “F**k You!” to an individual or organization. Most famously, that’s how it became a Christmas number 1 in the United Kingdom in 2009 when a DJ attempted and succeeded in keeping a contestant from The X Factor from reaching the position instead.
It’s been chanted at various political protests, and played very late at night on the radio. Still, a video showing a North Korean army choir chanting the song, sadly, has been, as of 2022, proven to be a digital alteration.
“Killing in the Name” is one of the most memorable songs of the 1990s, often included on lists, including that provided by Alt77. Tom Morello’s guitar riff also earned wide acclaim.
The group would continue its mission for two more studio albums and further grow its reputation. And while they briefly reunited after the 2009 incident for some live shows, they’ve never recorded any further material. Regardless, Rage Against the Machine remains, arguably, the most famous rap-metal and politically oriented rock group in the world.
