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| "Vietnow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Rage Against the Machine | ||||
| from the album Evil Empire | ||||
| Released | October 1997 | |||
| Genre | Rap metal | |||
| Length | 4:39 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Zack de la Rocha Tom Morello Tim Commerford Brad Wilk | |||
| Producer(s) | Brendan O'Brien | |||
| Rage Against the Machine singles chronology | ||||
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"Vietnow" is a song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine and the final single from their album Evil Empire . Officially it is only the third single from the album, as "Down Rodeo" was a promo release only.
The cover photograph of an elderly lady seen from the back, carrying a boombox radio and walking down a mountain was taken by the Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide in the Sonoran Desert in 1979. The original photograph is called "Mujer Ángel" and has also appeared in the black-and-white photography book, Canto a la Realidad: Fotografia Latinoamericana, 1860-1993 as compiled by Erika Billeter.
The song's lyrics concern right-wing AM radio shows, hosted by people such as Rush Limbaugh, Oliver North and Michael Reagan.[ citation needed ] The verse riffs bear a resemblance to "The Wanton Song" by Led Zeppelin, whom Tom Morello has cited as a major influence.
The lyrics "is all the world jails and churches" are perhaps influenced by the works of American novelist James Baldwin. Baldwin's 1953 novel Go Tell It on the Mountain includes the character Roy Grimes arguing with his mother and commenting, "You think that's all that's in the world is jails and churches?" At least one of James Baldwin's books is contained on Rage Against the Machine's Evil Empire liner notes. [1]
The line "Comin down like bats from Stacey Koon" is a reference to Sgt. Stacey Koon, one of the four LAPD policemen videotaped beating black motorist Rodney King in 1991. He and Laurence Powell were the only two convicted of the four.
The lyrics "Undressed and blessed by the lord, the same devil that ran around Managua with a sword" are a reference to the CIA's involvement in sending CONTRAS into Nicaragua to shut down the Sandinista movement.
The song made its live debut during the 1996 Big Day Out festival in Australia.
The song was covered by the hardcore punk band Stray from the Path in 2012.
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.
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup formed in Glendale, California, in 2001. The four-piece band consisted of Soundgarden's lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine members Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk (drums). Critics first described Audioslave as a combination of Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine, but by the band's second album, Out of Exile, it was noted that they had established a separate identity. Their unique sound was created by blending 1970s hard rock and 1990s alternative rock, with musical influences that included 1960s funk, soul and R&B. As with Rage Against the Machine, the band prided themselves on the fact that all sounds on their albums were produced using only guitars, bass, drums, and vocals, with emphasis on Cornell's wide vocal range and Morello's unconventional guitar solos.
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 & Rare is the first live album and the first compilation of material by the American rock band Rage Against the Machine. Released on CD only in Japan on June 30, 1998 by Sony Music Japan, the album was only available overseas as an import. It comprises "official bootlegs" previously available on other singles as well as a pair of tracks from the band's 1991 demo. In 2018, the album was released on vinyl in the United States and Europe. The album was released digitally for the first time on July 14, 2022.
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.
Stacey Cornell Koon is an American convicted criminal and former policeman with the Los Angeles Police Department. He is one of the four policemen who were responsible for beating Rodney King in March 1991. He was sentenced to 2+1⁄2 years in federal prison in 1993 for his role in the beating.
"People of the Sun" is the second single by American rock band Rage Against the Machine for their 1996 album Evil Empire. Written in 1992, the song is about the Zapatista revolution. Lead vocalist Zack de la Rocha wrote the song after a visit to Chiapas in southern Mexico. "People of the Sun" also has a music video. It was nominated for a Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy in 1998, but it lost to The Smashing Pumpkins' "The End Is the Beginning Is the End".
"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).
Graciela Iturbide is a Mexican photographer. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and is included in many major museum collections such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and The J. Paul Getty Museum.
"Calm Like a Bomb" is a song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine from their third album The Battle of Los Angeles. Like their song "Tire Me" from the 1996 album Evil Empire, “Calm Like a Bomb” never had a music video or was released on any media formats. It did, however, receive enough radio airplay to become an album favorite.
"No Shelter" is a song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine, released in 1998 on the Godzilla soundtrack. It can also be found as a bonus track on the Australian and Japanese release of The Battle of Los Angeles in 1999. The song is about how the mass media distracts the public from more important issues in the world and manipulates people's minds.
"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.
"Year of tha Boomerang" is a song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine. It originally appeared in the film and on the soundtrack of Higher Learning in 1994 and was eventually included on their second album Evil Empire (1996). On the back of the soundtrack, the song is called "Year of the Boomerang". Although the track was released as a promotional radio CD single, it was never given a domestic release.
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.
