My Gen X Playlist: Killing in the Name – Rage Against the Machine

Sometimes when my wife has a meeting in Los Angeles, I hop in the car and drive her. One, sometimes there are some sketchy parts of LA that she drives through. And two, if I’m in the car, we can use the carpool lane. It’s an hour drive on a normal day. Add the LA traffic, this can almost double. Using the carpool lane shaves off a lot of time.

She had a meeting in Koreatown and I tagged along. This area has been expanding over the years. There are great Korean BBQ restaurants throughout the neighborhood. When I lived in LA, we’d occasionally drop into K-Town for delicious food.

When I accompany her on these excursions, I typically look for a cool coffee house to hang out until she’s done. As I was sitting sipping my coffee this time, I was reminded of the Rodney King riots in 1992. I remember being in the downtown area when they erupted. We holed up indoors, glued to the television watching the insanity. I stayed overnight since there was mayhem on the streets. It was crazy. Sirens echoed day and night and smoke filled the skies.

The 1992 Los Angeles riots . . . were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles . . . Unrest began in South Central Los Angeles . . . after a jury acquitted four officers of the LA Police Department charged with using excessive force in the arrest and beating of Rodney King.

The rioting took place in . . . the LA metropolitan area as thousands of people rioted over six days following the verdict announcement. Widespread looting, assault and arson occurred during the riots, which local police forces had difficulty controlling.  

When the riots had ended, 63 people had been killed, 2,383 had been injured, more than 12,000 had been arrested, and estimates of property damage were over $1 billion, making it the most destructive period of local unrest in US history. Koreatown, situated just to the north of South Central LA, was disproportionately damaged because of racial tensions between communities.

Wikipedia

The next morning, I needed to get out of Dodge. I jumped in my car and decided to drive to my parent’s house an hour away. I hate to say it, but as I started driving, curiosity got the best of me. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I started driving through the neighborhoods to see first hand what was happening. I remember empty streets and an eerie silence. Of course there wasn’t a single car on the road. No idiot in their right mind would be driving around – except me. I ultimately found myself in Koreatown. I then remembered news clips of business owners standing guard on their rooftops with rifles protecting their businesses. Then it got real for me. It only takes a small spark to start an inferno. Get the fuck out of there.

I found the nearest on-ramp to the freeway and headed south to safety. What was I thinking? Obviously I wasn’t. I later learned that a buddy (who was a fireman) was being shot at as he was fighting fires throughout the city. I shook my head as I thought of my reckless decision to drive around. That wasn’t the ideal time to be a looky loo. It’s hard to believe this occurred thirty years ago. It remains a dark stain on Los Angeles’ history books and I hope we never experience anything like this again. I can only hope.

Apparently there a number of songs directly influenced by the Rodney King riots. One of songs is Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name. Just a word of warning. There are a few curse words in this one. NSFW.

It was . . . Michael Goldstone’s idea for this to be their first single. In 2021, Tom Morello recalled to Uncut magazine: “He said, ‘We’re not going to edit it for radio, and I was like, ‘It has 16 f— yous and one mothetf—–‘ in it – that’s awesome!”

Songfacts

I’m OK with a few F bombs on the radio now and again. No harm, no foul. I lost my virgin ears long ago.

–

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Killing in the name of

Some of those that work forces
Are the same that burn crosses
Some of those that work forces
Are the same that burn crosses
Some of those that work forces
Are the same that burn crosses
Some of those that work forces
Are the same that burn crosses
Uh

Killing in the name of
Killing in the name of

Now you do what they told ya
Now you do what they told ya
Now you do what they told ya
Now you do what they told ya
And now you do what they told ya
And now you do what they told ya
And now you do what they told ya
And now you do what they told ya
And now you do what they told ya
And now you do what they told ya
But now you do what they told ya
Well now you do what they told ya

Those who died are justified
For wearing the badge
They're the chosen whites
You justify those that died
By wearing the badge
They're the chosen whites
Those who died are justified
For wearing the badge
They're the chosen whites
You justify those who died
By wearing the badge
They're the chosen whites

Some of those that work forces
Are the same that burn crosses
Some of those that work forces
Are the same that burn crosses
Some of those that work forces
Are the same that burn crosses
Some of those that work forces
Are the same that burn crosses
Uh

Killing in the name of
Killing in the name of

Now you do what they told ya
Now you do what they told ya
Now you do what they told ya
Now you do what they told ya
And now you do what they told ya, now you're under control
And now you do what they told ya, now you're under control
And now you do what they told ya, now you're under control
And now you do what they told ya, now you're under control
And now you do what they told ya, now you're under control
And now you do what they told ya, now you're under control
And now you do what they told ya, now you're under control
And now you do what they told ya

Those who died are justified
For wearing the badge
They're the chosen whites
You justify those that died
By wearing the badge
They're the chosen whites
Those who died are justified
For wearing the badge
They're the chosen whites
You justify those that died
By wearing the badge
They're the chosen whites
Come on

Uh
Yeah
Come on
Uh

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Motherfucker
Uh