Killing in the Name
1992 single by Rage Against the Machine
"Killing in the Name" is a song by the American rock band Rage Against the Machine from their debut studio album, Rage Against the Machine (1992). The song was serviced to US radio on October 20, 1992, as the first single from the album. It features heavy drop-D guitar riffs.
"Killing in the Name" reached number 25 on the UK singles chart. In 2009, following a public campaign protesting the British talent show The X Factor, "Killing in the Name" became the UK Christmas number one.
Writing
The guitarist Tom Morello wrote the riffs while teaching a student drop-D tuning; he briefly paused the lesson to record the riff. The band worked on the song the next day. According to Morello, "Killing in the Name" was a collaborative effort, combining his riff with Tim Commerford's "magmalike" bass, Brad Wilk's "funky, brutal" drumming and vocalist Zack de la Rocha's "conviction". Morello recorded his part on a Fender Telecaster and played a guitar solo with a Whammy pedal.
Music
"Killing in the Name" combines elements of hardcore punk and hip hop and has been described as rap metal, funk metal, alternative metal, and hard rock.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Killing in the Name” is 1992 single by Rage Against the Machine. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Killing, Name and single, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “1992 single by Rage Against the Machine” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1129215. VIAF identifies the subject as 1046148149508196930003. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1992 and 2009.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Killing in the Name”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Killing in the Name primary sources, Killing in the Name archive and Killing research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Killing in the Name”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Killing in the Name” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.