“Some of those that work forces are the same that burn crosses”
Often the most effective protest songs are the most direct. That is the case with “Killing in the Name” off Rage Against The Machine‘s 1992 self-titled album. In the face of injustice sometimes the most appropriate response is a defiant “fuck you.” This anthem of disenfranchisement attacks systemic racism and police brutality.
The tune was released about six months after the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. The riots were in response to the acquittal of the four police officers who were responsible for the brutal assault of Rodney King. The tune rages to an expletive-filled climax with, “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me.”
In later years the tune continues to live on as an anthem of subversiveness. One notable example is in 2009 when there was an online campaign to help the song hit the coveted number-one spot on the UK charts during Christmas. Usually, that spot is reserved for the X-Factor winner, but the campaign succeeded in knocking off X-Factor winner Joe McElderry. The band donated the proceeds from the sales and downloads. They also gave a free thank-you concert in Finsbury Park on June 6, 2010. Before achieving the feat, guitarist Tom Morello told the BBC, it would be a “wonderful dose of anarchy.”
In today’s current political climate, the righteous rage of “Killing In The Name” is needed more than ever.