Rage Against the Machine

Wake Up

1992 · Epic Z 52959 · Los Angeles, New York

Artist
Rage Against the Machine
Title
Wake Up
Release
Rage Against the Machine
Year
1992
Label
Epic # Z 52959
Format
Album
Language
English
Country
Los Angeles, New York, USA
Songwriter
Rage Against the Machine
Genre
Metal · Rap Metal
Primary theme
Post-War

Annotation

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). Known for their political protest songs, they released a few Vietnam War-related tracks: "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. The song "Wake Up" (Epic Records # Z 52959) focused on racism within the American government and counter-intelligence programs by the FBI. Interestingly, this included looking back to the Vietnam War era, referencing Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous anti-Vietnam War speech: "you know they went after King, when he spoke out on Vietnam" - on 4 April 1967, MLK delivered his most controversial speech, "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" at Riverside Church in New York, in which he took a strong position against the war, opposing the policies of President…

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Civil Rights Songs

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). Known for their political protest songs, they released a few Vietnam War-related tracks: "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.The song "Wake Up" (Epic Records # Z 52959) focused on racism within the American government and counter-intelligence programs by the FBI. Interestingly, this included looking back to the Vietnam War / Civil Rights era, referencing Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous anti-Vietnam War speech: "you know they went after King, when he spoke out on Vietnam" - on 4 April 1967, MLK delivered his most controversial speech, "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" at Riverside Church in New York, in which he took a strong position against the war, opposing the policies of…

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

About the artist

American rap-metal band formed 1991 in Los Angeles, California. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Civil Rights · MLK · Anti-War

In collections

Civil Rights Songs · Metal Songs · Rap / Hip Hop Songs