10 Perfect Rock Singles Of The 90s

10. Killing In The Name - Rage Against The Machine (1991)

Before nu metal gave rock-rap a bad name, there was Rage Against The Machine.

There wasn't a bad song on Rage's debut album, but nothing hit quite like Killing In The Name. Tom Morello's guitar gave you all the incentive needed to jump around like a flea on amphetamine. Tim Commerford's bass pumped you with the energy required to keep moving in the mosh. Brad Wilk, provided the timing to let you know when to whip your hair into a frenzy. And, then you had Zack de la Rocha, spitting politicised lyrics with a venomous ferocity.

The combination filled you with a rebellious anger and a burning resentment for any authority figure - even if you didn't have the awareness to fully grasp the meaning of his lyrics. It was enough that you could chant "F**k you, I wont do what you tell me" to some high energy rock music. There was a simplicity to Rocha's lyrics, but he managed to inject them with an incredible amount of significance. This had the rebellious energy of rock, with the hard hitting sentiment of rap.