Bullet in the Head is a song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine, released as the second single from their 1992 eponymous debut album. A fan favorite and one of the album's heaviest tracks, "Bullet in the Head" refers to the band's belief that the government uses media to control the population, drawing comparisons between typical residences and Alcatraz. The track was transferred intact from the band's demo, also titled Rage Against the Machine.[1]
| "Bullet in the Head" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Rage Against the Machine | ||||
| from the album Rage Against the Machine | ||||
| Released | December 29, 1992 | |||
| Genre | Rap metal · funk metal | |||
| Length | 5:07 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Tim Commerford, Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk | |||
| Producer(s) | Garth "GGGarth" Richardson, Rage Against the Machine | |||
| Rage Against the Machine singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Both front and back images for the single's artwork were by the French photographer Marc Riboud.[2]
In popular culture
edit"Bullet in the Head" is mentioned in the lyrics to Pennywise's "I Won't Have It", from their 1995 album About Time. In the booklet of the album, Zack de la Rocha's name is also mentioned next to the "Bullet in the Head" part. [citation needed]
This song was to be the second performance on Rage Against the Machine's set during an April 1996 episode of Saturday Night Live. However, the band was kicked out after only one song for hanging inverted American flags from their amplifiers.[3]
Music video
editA video clip was recorded in a warehouse in New York. While not often cited, this isn't a mimed video, but a live performance recorded for the BBC's program The Late Show which aired on the 23rd February 1993. In the words of Tom Morello, "The tour bus pulled up in front of the BBC studio, we ran through the song once in front of the cameras, then left to play a club that night." The BBC was apparently forced to censor the music video following an incident on BBC Radio 1’s UK Top 40 Countdown show earlier in the week when Bruno Brookes accidentally played the full uncensored version of "Killing in the Name" earlier in the week prompting 138 complaints. The video appeared on the band's self-titled DVD, released November 25, 1997 on Epic Records.[4]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bullet in the Head" (Album Version) | 5:11 |
| 2. | "Bullet in the Head" (Remix) | 5:39 |
| 3. | "Bullet in the Head" (Live) | 5:46 |
| 4. | "Settle for Nothing" (Live) | 4:58 |
| Total length: | 21:34 | |
- Remix done by Sir J Jinx.
Charts
edit| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[5] | 53 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] | 47 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] | 19 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 16 |
References
edit- ^ Robbins, Ira (1997). The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock. New York: Fireside. p. 591. ISBN 0-684-81437-4.
- ^ ""Bullet In The Head" at". Discogs.com. February 7, 1993. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
- ^ "Saturday Night Live Incident". Musicfanclubs.org. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
- ^ "Rage Against the Machine Video". Musicfanclubs.org. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 228.
- ^ "Rage Against the Machine – Bullet in the Head" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ "Rage Against the Machine – Bullet in the Head". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 22, 2021.