Killing in the Name

## Single by Rage Against the Machine

"**Killing in the Name**" is a protest song by Rage Against the Machine from their debut self-titled studio album. It was released as the band's debut single on November 2, 1992, following the beating of Rodney King by four LAPD officers in March 1991 and the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The song addresses police brutality and abuse of authority, and has been considered the band's signature track.

## Composition

Morello revealed that he was teaching a guitar student the "Drop D," which turned out to be the riff that would be used in "Killing in the Name," and stopped the lesson to record it. With the incident of Rodney King, they channeled the anger within their community to pen the single. He added in a later interview with *Rolling Stone*, "And then it was originally an instrumental. There's a Rage Against the Machine video from Cal State Northridge – which is our first public performance – where we open the show with an instrumental version of 'Killing in the Name' and Timmy [Commerford], I think, came up with hat really cool [bass riff]. [Brad Wilk's] crowd-bouncing beat is there from the very, very beginning. And then Zack laced it with the historic lyrics. We actually left the lyrics off of the lyric sheet of the first record, because it's I think it's two lines, 16 'fuck yous,' and one 'motherfucker.' And we're like, in the midst of all this grand political poetry, let's just that one stand for itself."

Initially they did not plan on releasing it as a single, though Michael Goldstone at the record company suggested it should be their first single. It was advised that they should shorten the length, though the band was against this, Richardson recalling, "“Michael called me, and I was the go-between with the band. It went like this. Michael: 'I want you to cut out those parts'. The band: 'Tell him to fuck off'. Michael: 'Tell them to fuck off'. Band: 'Fuck you'. We all knew this song was a huge hit. It had so much power that the band and I were unwilling to let anybody change it."

Co-producer Garth Richardson remarked, "Zack and I had a long talk about the power of speech and how whatever he needed to say, he had to say it. Malcolm X was a major influence in Zack's life, and this was not the time to back down." While the song was banned from airing over radio stations in the United States due to its lyrical nature, the edited version reached 25 on the UK Singles Chart in March 1993. It eventually reached Christmas number one in the UK in 2009.

## Music video

The official music video premiered in December 1992. It was directed by Peter Gideon, who was one of Tom Morello's guitar students, filmed at two concerts the group played at.

## Credits and personnel

* Andy Wallace – mixer
* Bob Ludwig – masterer
* Brad Wilk – drums, writer
* Garth Richardson – producer
* Tim Commerford – bass guitar, backing vocals, writer
* Tom Morello – guitar, writer
* Zack de la Rocha – lead vocals, writer

## Trivia and cultural references

* The cover artwork depicts a Buddhist monk named Thích Quảng Đức, who burned himself to death in protest of the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government. The photograph was taken by Malcolm Browne in Vietnam in 1963.
* The song has been used in soundtracks for video game franchises like *Grand Theft Auto* and *Guitar Hero*.
* They reference to the white supremacist group, the Ku Klux Klan, with "Are the same that burn crosses" to the LAPD.

## Lyrics

**Lyrics**
[Intro]

Killing in the name of

[Verse]

Some of those that work forces

Are the same that burn crosses

Some of those that work forces

Are the same that burn crosses

Some of those that work forces

Are the same that burn crosses

Some of those that work forces

Are the same that burn crosses

Uh!

[Refrain]

Killing in the name of

Killing in the name of

[Pre-Chorus]

Now you do what they told ya

Now you do what they told ya

Now you do what they told ya

Now you do what they told ya

And now you do what they told ya

And now you do what they told ya

And now you do what they told ya

And now you do what they told ya

And now you do what they told ya

And now you do what they told ya

But now you do what they told ya!

Well, now you do what they told ya

[Chorus]

Those who died are justified

For wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites

You justify those that died

By wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites

Those who died are justified

For wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites

You justify those that died

By wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites

[Verse]

Some of those that work forces

Are the same that burn crosses

Some of those that work forces

Are the same that burn crosses

Some of those that work forces

Are the same that burn crosses

Some of those that work forces

Are the same that burn crosses

Uh!

[Refrain]

Killing in the name of

Killing in the name of

[Pre-Chorus]

Now you do what they told ya

Now you do what they told ya

Now you do what they told ya

Now you do what they told ya

And now you do what they told ya

(Now you're under control) And now you do what they told ya

(Now you're under control) And now you do what they told ya

(Now you're under control) And now you do what they told ya

(Now you're under control) And now you do what they told ya

(Now you're under control) And now you do what they told ya

(Now you're under control) And now you do what they told ya

(Now you're under control) And now you do what they told ya

[Chorus]

Those who died are justified

For wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites

You justify those that died

By wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites

Those who died are justified

For wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites

You justify those that died

By wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites

Come on!

[Guitar Solo]

Ugh!

Yeah!

Come on!

Ugh!

[Outro]

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me

Motherfucker!

Ugh!

## References

1. ↑ Hiatt, Brian (August 17, 2020). "How Rage Against the Machine Created 'Killing in the Name'". *Rolling Stone*.
2. ↑ Hughes, Rob (February 12, 2019). "Story Behind the Song: Killing In The Name by Rage Against The Machine". *Louder Sound*.
3. ↑ "What inspired Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name?". *Radio X*. June 30, 2022.