Music 101: Rage Against the Machine, 'S/T'

Yes, it's time to get back to school and hit the books, but it's just as important to be educated about classic albums as classic literature. So welcome to Spinner's Music 101 study guide to the albums you need to know about.




- 'Vietnam: A History' by Stanley Karnow
- '1984' by George Orwell
- 'Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary' by Walter Dean Myers
- 'Voices of Freedom: An Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement From the 1950s Through the 1980s' by Henry Hampton, Steve Fayer and Sarah Flynn
- 'I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World' by Martin Luther King Jr.
- Led Zeppelin's 'Physical Graffiti'
- Rage Against the Machine's 'Live & Rare' (1998, Japanese import)


- The theme of people remaining silent is brought up throughout the album. Through his lyrics frontman Zack de la Rocha raps about his view of people staying quiet in the face of injustices: "'Cause silence can be violent/Sorta like a slit wrist" ('Fistful of Steel').

- Change and action are both encouraged, and act as a springboard for de la Rocha's songwriting. The listener is constantly pleaded with to think differently ('Settle for Nothing' & 'Know Your Enemy').

- Rebellion against the norm is also encouraged, with the band opposing conformity, ignorance, hypocrisy and brutality ('Township Rebellion' & 'Freedom').

- The Civil Rights Moment, especially in the US during the '60s, is referenced in the album supporting the band's claim of racism within the government ('Wake Up').

- The album cover, which depicts a man burning himself alive, is a symbol of protest the band wish to state upfront. It also emphasizes a period now known as the Buddhist crisis, where the South Vietnamese government at the time antagonized those of certain religious beliefs.

- Over the course of the entire album, the band paint the world as a dystopia where racism, oppression and elitism are rampant.

Watch Rage Against the Machine Perform 'Know Your Enemy'

- 'Take the Power Back' is a '1984'-inspired track that emphasizes the need for the people to take the power back from the elite or those in control of the government. It makes an example of the education system in the US, claiming it is too focused on Euro-centric matters.

- The lyrics for 'Settle for Nothing' call for change from people filling the world with hatred, which contributes to suicide and genocide. It directly summons people to take action now "or settle for nothing later."

- 'Bullet in the Head' discusses manipulation through the media, especially on television. It states that people are victims of in-house drive-bys when watching corrupt news that's delivered during prime time.

- The track 'Know Your Enemy' leads listeners to question those in power, stressing that it's not always right to conform or compromise.

- 'Wake Up' examines racism in the government and cites the first director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, as a "body remover." The song also references the deaths of prominent African-American figures Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., and insinuates the government was responsible for their assassinations.

- 'Killing in the Name' focuses on rebellion against racism, which the band says is present in security agencies.



- Band's debut album was released in 1992.

- The cover art is a picture of Thích Quảng Đức burning himself alive in protest against the persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam's Ngô Đình Diệm administration in 1963. The picture won a Pulitzer Prize and was taken by photographer Malcolm Browne.

- For the track 'Wake Up' guitarist Tom Morello revised the guitar parts from Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir.'

- The track 'Killing in the Name' became the No. 1 hit on the UK Singles Chart for Christmas 2009.
- In the album's liner notes it states that no samples, keyboards or synthesizers were used in the making of the recording.

- The music video for 'Killing in the Name' was banned on American TV when it was released because of its explicit lyrics.

- During the track 'Wake Up' a spoken word section can be heard where de la Rocha recites a memo by Hoover concerning potential targets to suppress the black nationalist movement.
- Four singles were released from the album: 'Killing in the Name,' 'Bullet in the Head,' 'Wake Up' and 'Freedom.'

- In the album's 'Thanks for Inspiration' section of the liner notes several historical political figures are mentioned, including Black Panther Party Founder Huey Newton, Provisional IRA Hunger Striker Bobby Sands, social realist painter David Alfaro Siquieros, as well as musicians Chuck D from Public Enemy and the Clash's Joe Strummer.

Watch Rage Against the Machine's Video for 'Killing in the Name Of'

- In comparison to other albums combining rap and heavy metal, why has this one stood alone as their most successful?

- Because of their lyrics, some view the band as too outspoken, while other see it as them speaking the truth, does the band ever stop being musicians and instead become preachers?

- Does their fusion of heavy metal instrumentation with explicit rap lyrics sway parents from letting kids listen to it?

- At what point is it okay to let younger people listen to music that has explicit lyrics but provides independent-thinking messages?