Township Rebellion
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| “Township Rebellion” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song by Rage Against the Machine | ||
| Format | CD | |
| Genre | Alternative metal | |
| Length | 5 min 25 s | |
| Producer | Garth "GGGarth" Richardson, Rage Against the Machine | |
"Township Rebellion" is a song featured on the debut album of 90's rock band Rage Against the Machine. The song, which was never released as a single, contains lyrics that are mainly a reference to Apartheid - a system of ethnic separation in South Africa from 1948 which was eventually dismantled in the early 1990's. In the song, vocalist Zack de la Rocha makes comparisons to the racial issues in Johannesburg to problems happening in South Central Los Angeles by saying "now freedom must be fundamental, in Johannesburg, or South Central". It was around the time the lyrics were written that Los Angeles had just experienced the LA Riots of 1992.
During the chorus of the song De la Rocha repeats the lines "why stand on a silent platform, fight the war, fuck the norm" and goes on to repeat the lines "Shackle their minds when they're bent on the cross, When ignorance reigns, life is lost". This is seen to be a wake up call to people who are aware of what goes on in the world around them, but fail to do anything about it, instead preferring to sit in silence; as well as condemnation of many South African church-leaders' promotion of apartheid, and the acceptance of apartheid (whose policies blatantly violated the 'love your neighbour' doctrine of Christianity) by self-proclaimed South African Christians.
During the original recording of the song, De la Rocha let out an unexpected scream of rage after uttering the words "whats it gonna take" to the complete surprise of his bandmates who were not expecting such a performance.
The band have not performed the song in its entirety since their early days of touring as a band. However they frequently incorporate the final breakdown of the song into the end of "Freedom."
[edit] References
- Colin Devenish (2001), Rage Against the Machine, St. Martins Griffin. ISBN 0-31227-326-6
