10 Most Badass Songs Of All Time
2. Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name
Tom Morello's opening mortar riff blast is a declaration of war. Tim Commerford's bass is slinky, mischievous, sinister and subversive - providing the perfect soundtrack for pulling a hoodie over your head and slowly dropping flammable liquid into a glass bottle.
The verse is all sharp jabs, conveying the combative theme with the structure of an actual fight, but crucially, it's not too aggressive. That would diminish the legendary effect of the furious outro and marginalise the track as too overtly political. The funk of the verse, as well as being cool is sh*t, is necessary to romanticise the rebellion.
The pre-chorus fights in a different way; with the advantage held, Brad Wilk's pounding drum arrives at the apex of the Morello's funk-laced riff. The effect is akin to drawing back before bludgeoning the face of authority with maximum power. The chorus is the last barrage of killer head punches; the infamous outro the sound of the riot in full effect. "F*ck you, I won't do what you tell me!" Zack de la Rocha screams, over and over again, like a pitbull tearing chunks of flesh from the abuser who caged it, and that last "Motherf*cker!" is just the t*ts, isn't it?
It's catharsis in a single word, the sound of wiping blood from your fists.