10 Rock Songs That People Have Completely Misunderstood
3. Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name
Surely nobody could misinterpret the meaning behind this blindingly obvious anti-establishment song, right? Wrong!
Founded in 1991 by Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tom Commerford, Rage Against the Machine stumbled across instant success thanks to their debut album which was released in 1992.
The politically outspoken rap rock group completely changed the narrative for '90s rock, and the wider spectrum of American music as a whole. Key songs from this groundbreaking record which carried clear conviction include ‘Bombtrack’, ‘Take the Power Back’, and of course, ‘Killing in the Name’. Lyrical inclusions in this future number one hit such as ‘Some of those that work forces. Are the same that burn crosses’ paint a pretty straightforward picture as to what the song means, or so you would think.
Following the aftermath of the 2020 US Election, where Donald Trump was defeated by Joe Biden, Trump supporters rallied at polling stations to the sound of this hit. Videos emerged of Trump supporters protesting outside polling stations to this thumping song after Republican media claimed the vote had been rigged.
Protesters used ‘Killing in the Name’ even though RATM are staunchly anti-conservative, and guitarist Tom Morello is openly communist. People joked that the band should change their name to ‘Rage For the Machine’ after the video went viral, but it doesn’t end there. British right wing politician Nigel Farage was sued by the band in 2018 over the name of his talk-based radio show on LBC titled ‘FaRage Against the Machine’.
Morello said that Farage represented the ‘anti-immigrant rhetoric’ and ‘lack of social compassion’ which the band had always stood against, forcing him to change the name of his show.