Songs by Rage Against The Machine: Analyzing Political Causes and Social Justice Movements in Their Music

Music has a long history of being a vehicle for all sorts of politically charged messages. Centuries ago, slaves were using it to soothe their sorrows and complain about the way their masters treated them, a form of protest that later became the Blues. Folk singer Woody Guthrie is considered the first to include political commentary in modern music, with his lyrics touching upon difficult subjects such as economic inequality and fascism. In the '60s, political activism through song lyrics was common, with Bob Dylan being one of the most famous to do it.

Fast-forward a few decades, and the music industry in the early '90s had become sanitized, lacking the social consciousness of previous generations. While grunge was the most popular antithesis to that, it mostly focused on inner struggles, such as depression, alienation, and addiction. Then, in 1992, Rage Against The Machine arrived on the scene. Their music was a mix of metal, punk, and rap, while their lyrics focused on anti-establishment themes that remain valid to this day. This article analyzes these themes, as well as the band's impact on both music and society.

RATM made their intentions clear from the get-go with their band name. "The Machine" represents all the major forces keeping common people down, including the corrupt government, greedy corporations, racist institutions, violent police, and U.S. foreign policy.

Music was the ideal medium for their message, as it could reach young people and inspire change. However, it had to be good for it to be effective. RATM's style was like nothing audiences had heard before, with multiple genres blended into something unique, aggressive, and powerful. Frontman Zach de la Rocha's vocal delivery and guitarist Tom Morello's distinct sound made the band popular enough for their message to carry weight and reach the right people.

One of the most common subjects in RATM songs is U.S. foreign policy, particularly the way it leverages foreign conflicts to boost its military budgets and divert funds to its corporate cronies. The band saw an opportunity to spread their anti-imperialist message through music. As Zach de la Rocha put it in a 2000 interview, "I'm interested in spreading those ideas through art, because music has the power to cross borders, to break military sieges and to establish real dialogue."

Their second studio album, Evil Empire, focused on criticizing the actions taken by the U.S. government throughout the second half of the 20th century. It was cleverly named after a term that former president Ronald Reagan had used in the '80s when referring to the Soviet Union, which the band felt was also applicable to their home country. The song "Bulls on Parade" stands out with lyrics such as "Weapons, not food, not homes, not shoes, not need, just feed the war cannibal-animal." The band used to dedicate it to George W. Bush and Tony Blair during their live performances.

The band's lyrics also focused on America's internal struggles, with one of the biggest being excessive police brutality, particularly against racial minorities. Their debut album came a few months after the 1992 L.A. riots, which were a backlash against the brutal police beating of Afro-American Rodney King and the fact that the officers who beat him were subsequently acquitted. 

"Killing in the Name" addressed this and is arguably the band's most famous song to date. It subtly compares some police officers to KKK members with lyrics such as "Some of those that work forces / Are the same that burn crosses." Its chorus solidifies the song's reputation as a protest song by repeatedly saying, "F*** you, I won't do what you tell me!"

The band didn't just talk the talk; they also walked the walk. They donated much of their profits to various organizations, including labor unions and foreign militant groups. One of them was the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, a far-left group that aimed to liberate various parts of Mexico. It fitted the band's worldview, as the Zapatistas were pushing for indigenous control over land and were against corporate or state control. RATM dedicated three songs to them, with the most popular being "People of the Sun" from the Evil Empire album.

The band used their popularity to spread their messages across the mainstream. Some of their most memorable moments were:

Depending on who you ask, RATM are either heroes who gave a voice to the voiceless or naive hypocrites who profited from the corporations they sang against and espoused Marxist views. While both these views are somewhat true, no one can argue that their music has made people take notice. 

The band showed that you can aggressively criticize the establishment and point out its flaws without anyone having the right to shut you down. Ironically, despite RATM's criticism of U.S. policies, it's hard to believe a band could have that level of freedom of expression anywhere else.