"Sleep Now in the Fire" | ||||
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Single by Rage Against the Machine | ||||
from the album The Battle of Los Angeles | ||||
Released | November 4, 1999 | |||
Recorded | 1998 | |||
Genre | Rap rock [1] | |||
Length | 3:25 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Tim Commerford, Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk | |||
Producer(s) | Brendan O'Brien | |||
Rage Against the Machine singles chronology | ||||
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Limited Edition Part 2 (UK) | ||||
"Sleep Now in the Fire" is a song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine. It was released on November 4, 1999, as the second single from their third studio album, The Battle of Los Angeles (1999).
The end of the song features a snippet of music from a Korean pop radio station picked up through one of guitarist Tom Morello's pedals. [2]
The music video for the song, which was directed by Michael Moore with cinematography by Welles Hackett, features the band playing in front of the New York Stock Exchange, intercut with scenes from a satire of the popular television game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? , named Who Wants To Be Filthy F#&%ing Rich. Quoted at the end of the song is Republican politician Gary Bauer stating that, "a band called 'The Machine Rages On' — er — 'Rage Against the Machine', that band is anti-family and it's pro-terrorist", following an incident outside of fellow Republican Alan Keyes' 2000 primary campaign town hall event, where Keyes jumped into a mosh pit formed while Rage Against the Machine was playing. [3]
The video starts by saying that on January 24, 2000, the NYSE announced record profits and layoffs, and on the next day New York mayor Rudy Giuliani decreed that Rage Against the Machine "shall not play on Wall Street". The shoot for the music video on January 26, 2000 caused the doors of the New York Stock Exchange to be closed. The production had attracted several hundred people, according to a representative for the city's Deputy Commissioner for Public Information. [4] New York City's film office does not allow weekday film shoots on Wall Street. Moore had permission to use the steps of Federal Hall National Memorial but did not have a permit to shoot on the sidewalk or the street, nor did he have a loud-noise permit or the proper parking permits. [5] "Michael basically gave us one directorial instruction, 'No matter what happens, don't stop playing'," Tom Morello recalled. When the band left the steps, NYPD apprehended Moore and led him away. Moore yelled to the band, "Take the New York Stock Exchange!" [6] In an interview with the Socialist Worker , Morello said he and scores of others ran into the Stock Exchange. "About two hundred of us got through the first set of doors, but our charge was stopped when the Stock Exchange's titanium riot doors came crashing down." [7] Trading was forced to close sometime between 2:52pm and 3:15pm. [8]
"We decided to shoot this video in the belly of the beast", said Moore, who was detained by police for an hour and threatened with arrest during the shooting of the video, as Moore had a permit to film on the steps of City Hall but not in the surrounding street. [9]
During the 2016 US Election, the video was noted for its inclusion of a shot of a man holding a "Donald J Trump for President" placard, during Trump's first run for president in the 2000 US Election. [10]
Chart (1999–2000) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [11] | 94 |
Scotland (OCC) [12] | 42 |
UK Singles (OCC) [13] | 43 |
UK Rock & Metal (OCC) [14] | 2 |
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [15] | 8 |
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [16] | 12 |
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [17] | 16 |
Rage Against the Machine was an American rock band formed in 1991 in Los Angeles, California. The band consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello, and drummer Brad Wilk. They melded heavy metal and rap music, punk rock and funk with anti-authoritarian and revolutionary lyrics. As of 2010, they had sold over 16 million records worldwide. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.
Thomas Baptist Morello is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is known for his tenure with the rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, Morello was a member of the supergroup Prophets of Rage. Morello was also a touring musician with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Under the moniker the Nightwatchman, Morello released his solo work. Together with Boots Riley, he formed Street Sweeper Social Club. Morello co-founded Axis of Justice, which airs a monthly program on Pacifica Radio station KPFK in Los Angeles.
Evil Empire is the second studio album by the American rock band Rage Against the Machine, released on April 16, 1996, by Epic Records. It debuted at number 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 249,000 copies, and the song "Tire Me" won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance; "Bulls on Parade" and "People of the Sun" were nominated for Grammys for Best Hard Rock Performance. On May 24, 2000, the album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium is the second live album by the American rock band Rage Against the Machine, released on November 25, 2003, by Epic Records. It is a recording of two shows Rage played at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in their hometown of Los Angeles on September 12 and 13, 2000. The album was originally planned to be released in November 2000, but was delayed due to the break-up of the band shortly after the September concerts. It was then slated for release a year later, but was again delayed due to the formation of Audioslave by the remaining three members of Rage with vocalist Chris Cornell. The album was released amid mixed reviews in November 2003, mainly due to poor mixing rather than musical performance, where on the other hand the DVD version was praised by fans and critics alike.
The Battle of Mexico City is the second video release by American rock band Rage Against the Machine. The concert was recorded in Mexico City's MX Palacio de los Deportes in 1999 as part of their The Battle of Los Angeles Tour. The city was chosen as the band had been longtime supporters of various political causes in Mexico.
Rage Against the Machine is the official self-titled debut video release by American rock band Rage Against the Machine. The video was released in 1997 and includes footage from various performances as well as video clips.
"Killing in the Name" is a song by the American band Rage Against the Machine, and appears on their 1992 self-titled debut album. It features heavy drop-D guitar riffs. The lyrics protest police brutality, inspired by the beating of Rodney King and the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
"Guerrilla Radio" is a song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine and the lead single from their 1999 album The Battle of Los Angeles. It became the band's only Billboard Hot 100 song, charting at #69. The band won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance for this song. The song was featured in the 2012 mountain biking film Strength in Numbers. “Guerrilla Radio" was also featured on the soundtracks for video games such as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, Madden NFL 10 and Guitar Hero Live, as well as being a downloadable track for the Rock Band series.
"Bulls on Parade" is a song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine. It is the second song from their second studio album, Evil Empire (1996). It was released as the album's first single to modern rock radio on February 9, 1996.
The Nightwatchman is the solo project of American musician Tom Morello. Morello began performing as the Nightwatchman in 2003 as an outlet for his political views while he was playing apolitical music with Audioslave.
Live in Cuba is the first live DVD from the American rock supergroup Audioslave. Performed in front of an audience of 70,000 people, Live in Cuba is considered an historic event as it marks one of the few times that American musicians were permitted to play in Cuba. Despite the bureaucratic obstacles resulting from the ongoing United States embargo against Cuba, Audioslave received permission to perform in Havana and altered their tour schedule to play a free concert on May 6, 2005. With special approval by U.S. President George W. Bush and Cuban President Fidel Castro, the concert was organized through joint authorization of the United States Department of Treasury and the Cuban Institute of Music. At the time, guitarist Tom Morello declared that Audioslave was the first American rock and roll band to play a concert in Cuba. However, other American musical artists played in Cuba prior to 2005. At the Havana Jam in March 1979, Billy Joel, Stephen Stills, Weather Report, and several other American pop and jazz artists performed at Havana's Karl Marx Theatre. The Fabulous Titans, an American reggae/ska band, performed in Cuba in 1981.
"Testify" is a song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine. It is the opening track from their third album The Battle of Los Angeles (1999), and was released as the third single from the album.
"The Ghost of Tom Joad" is a folk rock song written by Bruce Springsteen. It is the title track to his eleventh studio album, released in 1995. The character Tom Joad, from John Steinbeck's classic 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath, is mentioned in the title and narrative.
The discography of Rage Against the Machine, an American rock band, consists of four studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, one demo album, 17 singles, four video albums and 15 music videos. Formed in Los Angeles, California in 1991 by vocalist Zack de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk, the band signed to Epic Records and released its self-titled debut album in 1992. The album reached number 45 on the United States Billboard 200 and was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of three million units. Rage Against the Machine singles "Killing in the Name", "Bullet in the Head" and "Bombtrack" charted in the United Kingdom and several other regions.
The Battle of Los Angeles is the third studio album by American rock band Rage Against the Machine, released by Epic Records on November 2, 1999. At the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best Rock Album, and the song "Guerrilla Radio" won the award for Best Hard Rock Performance. In their year-end lists, Time and Rolling Stone magazines both named the album the best of 1999.
The Rage Against the Machine reunion tour was a concert tour by American rock band Rage Against the Machine that took place from 2007 to 2011. It was the first tour for the band since they broke up in 2000. This tour saw Rage Against the Machine performing live worldwide sporadically for four years, with the exception of 2009, before going back on hiatus; the band would not tour again until 2022.
The political views and activism of Rage Against the Machine (RATM) are central to the band's music and public image. Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1991. The band's line-up consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello, and drummer Brad Wilk. Critics have noted Rage Against the Machine for its "fiercely political music, which brewed sloganeering left wing rants against corporate America, cultural imperialism, and government oppression into a Molotov cocktail of punk, hip-hop, and thrash."
Live at Finsbury Park is a video album by the American rock band Rage Against the Machine. The concert was recorded on 6 June 2010 at Finsbury Park in London. The concert was held in celebration of a successful campaign which propelled Killing in the Name into the Christmas number one spot on the UK Singles Chart in December 2009, beating out that year's The X Factor winner for the first time since 2005.
Prophets of Rage was an American rap rock supergroup. Formed in 2016, the group consisted of three members of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, two members of Public Enemy, and rapper B-Real of Cypress Hill. The band disbanded in 2019, following the reuniting of Rage Against the Machine. During its three-year existence, Prophets of Rage released one EP and one full-length studio album.
Prophets of Rage is the sole studio album by American rap rock supergroup Prophets of Rage, consisting of three members of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, Public Enemy's DJ Lord and rapper Chuck D, and Cypress Hill rapper B-Real. The group formed in 2016 with a mission to "confront the injustices and be the soundtrack of resistance," and the primary message of Prophets of Rage is only the people themselves can solve the world's problems.