Bulls on Parade
Rage Against the Machine's anti-arms-industry single from 1996.
"Bulls on Parade" is a song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine, released as the first single from their second studio album Evil Empire on April 1, 1996. The lyrics criticize the U.S. arms industry, and the track is noted for guitarist Tom Morello's solo featuring a vinyl scratch effect. In 2017, Spin's Annie Zaleski ranked it the thirtieth best nu metal track of all time.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Rage Against the Machine
- Album
- Evil Empire
- Released
- April 1, 1996
- Genre
- Rap metal
- alternative rock
- nu metal
- Length
- 3:51
- Label
- Epic
- Writer
- Zack de la Rocha
- Tom Morello
- Tim Commerford
- Brad Wilk
- Producer
- Brendan O'Brien, Rage Against the Machine
Facts from the source article.
Background and composition
The song is performed in F minor with guitar and bass in E♭ tuning at 83 BPM. Its lyrics address U.S. military aggression and the arms industry's profit from war, including lines such as "Weapons, not food, not homes, not shoes, not need, just feed the war cannibal-animal" and "What we don't know keeps the contracts alive and moving." Tom Morello's guitar solo creates a vinyl scratch effect by turning one pickup to full volume and the other off, using the pickup selector as a killswitch while rubbing his fretting hand on the strings. Morello described the intended sound as a "sort of 'Geto Boys' sound, menacing."
Live performances
The song debuted live on January 25, 1996, at the Big Day Out festival in Sydney, Australia. Its international television debut occurred on Saturday Night Live on April 13, 1996, where the band hung American flags upside down from their amplifiers and were not invited back; Steve Forbes was guest hosting. At later shows such as the 2008 Reading Festival, the band dedicated the song to George Bush and Tony Blair for their role in the war on terror. The track has been covered by various artists, including British rapper Dizzee Rascal in 2009.
Music video
Directed by Peter Christopherson and produced by Fiz Oliver at Squeak Pictures, the video premiered on The Box and MTV on April 10, 1996. It was nominated for Best Hard Rock Video at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards on July 31, 1996. The video incorporates footage from the Sydney Big Day Out on January 25, 1996, and a side show at the Hordern Pavilion two days later, intercut with images of young protesters, military drills, flags, and propaganda posters designed by Barbara Kruger. An antique-style film effect adds scratches and dust. A scene shows street artist Joey Krebs painting a portrait of Tom Morello on a wall, and lyrics appear in a scrawled chicken-scratch style throughout.
In other media
The song appears in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, unlocked after defeating Tom Morello in a guitar battle, and also in Guitar Hero Live and Rock Band's Metal Track Pack. It serves as the theme song for the Houston Texans' defense, played at home games before games and after third-down stops and fourth-down turnovers; former Texans linebacker Connor Barwin officially endorsed its use. The Prodigy sampled the track in their 1997 single "Smack My Bitch Up." The New York Red Bulls use it as their goal song. Professional wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin cited the song as inspiration for his entrance theme, which he pitched to WWE music producer Jim Johnston after changing his gimmick.
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