Vietnow
1996 · Epic EPC 664777 2 · Los Angeles, New York
- Artist
- Rage Against the Machine
- Title
- Vietnow
- Release
- Vietnow
- Year
- 1996
- Label
- Epic # EPC 664777 2
- Format
- CD · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Los Angeles, New York, USA
- Genre
- Metal · Rap Metal
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation
The song "Vietnow" (Epic Records # EPC 664777 2) used Vietnam to attack the "lies" on right-wing AM radio shows, directly referencing conservative politician Ollie North. Also contained in the lyrics was a reference to Sgt. Stacey Koon, one of the 4 LAPD policemen videotaped beating African-American Rodney King in 1991: "comin down like bats from Stacey Koon". Also note the reference to US involvement in sending contras into Nicaragua: "undressed and blessed but the lord, the same devil that ran around Managua with a sword" - Mangua is the capitol city of Nicaragua. The song also featured on the 1996 album Evil Empire (Epic Records # E 57523). A live version also featured as the b-side on a 1997 single: The Ghost of Tom Joad / Vietnow (Live) (Epic Records #ES7 3705).Rap Metal group Rage Against the Machine formed in 1991 in Los Angeles, California, USA, featuring members Zack de la Rocha (vocals), Tom Morello (guitar), Tim Commerford (bass), and Brad Wilk (drums). They released a few Vietnam War-related songs: "Wake Up" (1992), on the album "Rage Against the Machine", which referenced Martin Luther King Jr.'s opposition to the war, the single "Vietnow" (1996), which compared current problems with Vietnam, and "Sleep Now in the Fire", on the album "The Battle of Los Angeles", which referenced Agent Orange, the defoliant used in the Vietnam War.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Turn on the radio / Nah, fuck it, turn it off / Fear is your only god on the radio/ Nah, fuck it, turn it off / Turn it off, turn on the radio... / Your savior, my guillotine, crosses and kerosene / Merge on the networks, slangin' nerve gas / Up jump the boogie, then bang, let 'em hang / While the paranoid try to stuff the void / Let's capture this AM mayhem / Undressed and blessed by the Lord / The power pendulum swings by the umbilical cord / Shock around the clock, from noon 'til noon / Men grabbin' they mics and stuff 'em into the womb / Terror's the product ya push / Well, I'm a truth addict, aw shit, I got a headrush / Sheep tremble and here come the votes / Thrown from the throat, cages and scapegoats / Undressed and blessed by the Lord / The same devil that ran around Managua wit' a sword / Check out the new style that Ollie found / A tune with a bullet to shut down the devil sound / Shut down the devil sound / The program of Vietnow / Shut down the devil sound... / Flex the cerebellum, fire, uh / Somebody gotta shell 'em, these evil angels' lists / Hittin' the AM playlist, paid to say this / That one's inhuman, illegal, single, woman / The one without a movement / The transmissions whippin' our backs / Yeah, comin' down like bats from Stacey Koon and / Terror's the product ya push / Well, I'm a truth addict, aw shit, I got a headrush / The sheep tremble and here come the votes / Thrown from the throat, cages and scapegoats / One caution, the mic's a…
About the artist
American rap-metal band formed 1991 in Los Angeles, California. [Source: Wikipedia]
Themes
Oliver North · Anti-Government · Rodney King · Police Brutality · Nicaragua · Vietnam Analogy · Iran-Contra Affair