Rage Against The Machine, Killing In The Name - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction

#virginrock #rageagainstthemachine #KillingInTheName #RATM
This song is such a masterclass in pacing and dynamic development! I’d love to hear what you think about my judgements of the ending!

Here’s the link to the original song:

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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.

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Credits: Music written and performed by Rage Against The Machine

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[lebrigand-]

BBC Radio: "Can you please avoid saying 'FUCK YOU I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME' on the air?"
RATM: "Yeah, sure. We will do what you tell us."

[freefall]

At the end. It’s with his every fiber that he rages. It’s not about some symphonic climax, it about giving everything he has to the fight, until he’s exhausted. He didn’t “lose it”, he gave it all.

[jmhaces]

Back when this came out some people complained that the lyrics were too repetitive, but the thing is that they're beating you upside the head with the same idea over and over again under the assumption that most people didn't seem to get it. Here we are almost 35 years later and the issues this song discusses are still a problem and a lot of people simply refuse to get it, so their insistence was very much warranted.

[jaakkomaaniemi]

The end doesn't fall flat. They drop it flat. It's an expression, and a perfect one at that.

[winterbird]

The final part is the best. Because of the release. The whole song builds up to it. I love it. Absolutely did not fall flat. It is pure emotion. And in pure emotion technique is no longer relevant.

[opaah]

This song is a masterpiece. The ending represents exactly what the system does to a person.

[Ehud]

"It's not my normal type of music, but I can appreciate what goes into it."

That's why I like this channel!

[ashmostro]

I respectfully disagree with your analysis of the ending. To me, I have always interpreted the dulling of the penultimate line to be one of exhaustion, the risk of giving in to immutable injustice. That this is what happens to us, because of the repetition of normalization of horror (intentional irony: the exact thing the song is protesting against). If you listen to more RATM (and I hope you do) you will hopefully take note of how genius Zach De La Rocha's writing and delivery was. I don't think we'll ever hear anything like him again.

[vorpled]

I absolutely love the evolution of your videos. When you started it was clear that you had a lot of musical knowledge but struggled to relate it to the music you were listening to.

Now you are eloquent, insightful, appreciative and have a depth that is rare.

Thank you for letting us be a part of this endeavour.

[ItsDesm]

That "loosing it at the end" is kind of the point. This song was made in response to police violence and the boiling over it had in that same year that ultimately led to the LA riots. The same way the song led to a rage filled and uncontrolled ending mirrors the way the people felt at the time. I do appreciate your wonderful and educated take on it

[kasroa]

It's crazy and depressing that this song is actually even more relevant today than when it was released.

[mushin]

A masterclass on how to miss the point ! This is not a piece of music for them or for their public, it is a cathartic vehicle ... and the point is, it works ! Listening to this, you can't help but feel our colective RAGE against the machine ... The medium is the message ! ^^

[methodmask]

This song was written in response to the Rodney King verdict in 1992. Los Angeles was already simmering with resentment against the police because of systemic racism, so when the officers who brutally beat King on video were exonerated, the city erupted into riots. This song is a protest song, indeed, against the "forces" that "burn crosses" and culminates in a defiant rage, aimed back at the corrupt power. The final verses, reaching their climax, is sustained so the listener is raging along with them. Especially experienced live, it's a participatory song.

[TheDarthnazrael]

He reaches his vocal limit as a demonstration of the point. He's been literally yelling the same thing at you for five minutes. He has indeed reached his limit.

[jonathanfielding]

The human voice has limits... Just like the our ability to take the BS anymore. I think reaching his limit was part of the point. The dam broke.

[kleinebre]

"he lost it there" - yes he did, in fact that's exactly the point. No more control, no more holding back.

[monsterhog]

The repetitive lyrics are like chanting at a rally "protest song"

[LastExile]

Haha, the end absolutely does not fall flat. Gives me goosebumps every time.

[MH-mcpp]

She is the only person in history to claim the ending falls flat. When performed live it leads to the craziest, wildest, crowd reaction of, perhaps, any song ever

[TJMiton]

One of the funniest YouTube clips of all time is when a radio station had this band on live and asked them to play a clean version of this song...
It went exactly as you'd expect.