People of the Sun
Encyclopedia
"People of the Sun" is the second single by the American
band
Rage Against the Machine
for their 1996 album Evil Empire
. The song is about the Zapatista
revolution. Lead vocalist Zack de la Rocha
wrote the song after a visit to the Chiapas
in southern Mexico
. "People of the Sun" also has a music video
. It was nominated for a Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy in 1998, but it lost to the Smashing Pumpkins'
"The End is the Beginning is the End
".
The song has a wide variety of references, most notably the destruction of the Aztec empire by the Spanish
(see the article Five suns
) and the Zoot Suit Riots
of Los Angeles in 1943. De La Rocha also refers to the last Aztecan Emperor Cuauhtémoc
, who was tortured and eventually executed by the Spaniards.
The single artwork of the corn
, sickle
and ammunition belt
is a 1927 photograph taken by Italian photographer Tina Modotti
in Mexico.
The final version of the song made its live début on May 9, 1996, in Paris, France.
This version was first played on December 14, 1992, at the Whisky a GoGo in West Hollywood, California
.
and produced by Fiz Oliver at Squeak Pictures, opens with shots of a dead Mexican Indian girl; her arm starts bleeding and the blood shows the words "Trickle down". Statistics illustrating the plight of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation
are shown from a film projector being run in a morgue. Military footage of US arms arriving in Mexico and the Zapatistas themselves are interspersed with this and shots of the band playing in front of a brick wall in about a 10 by 10 space. The version seen on MTV is the edited version; scenes of an indigenous worker being buried alive and trampled, and dead teenagers in the morgue, have been removed and replaced with military footage. The black and white documentary-style scenes of the laborer and the vaqueros are from the movie ¡Qué viva México!
by Sergei Eisenstein
, from the 1930s.
, who had signed De La Rocha's previous band Inside Out
before they split in 1990. The vinyl was shipped with a card containing information on the Zapatista movement in the Chiapas region of Mexico. In 2008, the vinyl was re-issued by Revelation Records. Interestingly, the Rage Against The Machine logo is off-center and vertically distorted on both the original and re-issue pressings.
A-Side
B-Side
Intro, Zapata's Blood, and Without a Face recorded live at the Pink Pop, May 27, 1996
Hadda Be Playing on the Jukebox recorded live at Milan Dragway, Detroit, July 9, 1993
Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos (H. Shocklee/C. Ridenhour/E. Sadler/W. Drayton)
All other songs written and arranged by Rage Against the Machine.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
for their 1996 album Evil Empire
Evil Empire (album)
-Track listing:All songs written and arranged by Rage Against the Machine and all lyrics by Zack de la Rocha.#"People of the Sun" – 2:30#"Bulls on Parade" – 3:49#"Vietnow" – 4:39#"Revolver" – 5:30#"Snakecharmer" – 3:56#"Tire Me" – 3:00#"Down Rodeo" – 5:20...
. The song is about the Zapatista
Zapatista Army of National Liberation
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a revolutionary leftist group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico....
revolution. Lead vocalist Zack de la Rocha
Zack de la Rocha
Zacarías Manuel "Zack" de la Rocha is an American rapper, musician, poet, and activist best known as the vocalist and lyricist of Rage Against the Machine.-Early life and childhood:...
wrote the song after a visit to the Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
in southern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. "People of the Sun" also has a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. It was nominated for a Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy in 1998, but it lost to the Smashing Pumpkins'
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
"The End is the Beginning is the End
The End Is the Beginning Is the End
"The End Is the Beginning Is the End" is a Grammy Award-winning song by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. It is the first full-band song released as a single by the Smashing Pumpkins in the aftermath of their 1995 album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness...
".
The song has a wide variety of references, most notably the destruction of the Aztec empire by the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(see the article Five suns
Five Suns
Five Suns is an album by progressive rock group Guapo released in 2003.- Track listing :#Five Suns, Pt. 1 #Five Suns, Pt. 2 #Five Suns, Pt. 3 #Five Suns, Pt. 4 #Five Suns, Pt...
) and the Zoot Suit Riots
Zoot Suit Riots
The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of riots in 1943 during World War II that erupted in Los Angeles, California between white sailors and Marines stationed throughout thehi c mlc city and Latino youths, who were recognizable by the zoot suits they favored...
of Los Angeles in 1943. De La Rocha also refers to the last Aztecan Emperor Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc was the Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521...
, who was tortured and eventually executed by the Spaniards.
The single artwork of the corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, sickle
Sickle
A sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool with a variously curved blade typically used for harvesting grain crops or cutting succulent forage chiefly for feeding livestock . Sickles have also been used as weapons, either in their original form or in various derivations.The diversity of sickles that...
and ammunition belt
Belt (firearm)
A belt or ammunition belt is a device used to retain and feed cartridges into a firearm. Belts and the associated feed systems are typically employed to feed machine guns or other automatic weapons...
is a 1927 photograph taken by Italian photographer Tina Modotti
Tina Modotti
Tina Modotti was an Italian photographer, model, actress, and revolutionary political activist.- Early life :Modotti was born Assunta Adelaide Luigia Modotti Mondini in Udine, Friuli, Italy...
in Mexico.
The final version of the song made its live début on May 9, 1996, in Paris, France.
Origin
The band were known to perform this song live as early as 1992, the only difference being Zack's lyrics. A studio version was also recorded and has circulated on the internet. The original lyrics contained verses from their song "Fistful of Steel".This version was first played on December 14, 1992, at the Whisky a GoGo in West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
.
Music video
The video, directed by Peter ChristophersonPeter Christopherson
Peter Martin Christopherson, a.k.a. Sleazy was a musician, video director and designer, and former member of the influential British design agency Hipgnosis....
and produced by Fiz Oliver at Squeak Pictures, opens with shots of a dead Mexican Indian girl; her arm starts bleeding and the blood shows the words "Trickle down". Statistics illustrating the plight of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation
Zapatista Army of National Liberation
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a revolutionary leftist group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico....
are shown from a film projector being run in a morgue. Military footage of US arms arriving in Mexico and the Zapatistas themselves are interspersed with this and shots of the band playing in front of a brick wall in about a 10 by 10 space. The version seen on MTV is the edited version; scenes of an indigenous worker being buried alive and trampled, and dead teenagers in the morgue, have been removed and replaced with military footage. The black and white documentary-style scenes of the laborer and the vaqueros are from the movie ¡Qué viva México!
¡Qué viva México!
¡Qué viva México! is a film project begun in 1930 by the Russian avant-garde director Sergei Eisenstein . It would have been an episodic portrayal of Mexican culture and politics from pre-Conquest civilization to the Mexican revolution. Production was beset by difficulties and was eventually...
by Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein , né Eizenshtein, was a pioneering Soviet Russian film director and film theorist, often considered to be the "Father of Montage"...
, from the 1930s.
EP version
In 1997 Rage Against The Machine released the "People Of The Sun" EP on 10-inch vinyl. Strangely, it was distributed by Revelation RecordsRevelation Records
Revelation Records is an independent record label focusing originally and primarily on hardcore punk. The label is known for its role in the evolution of hardcore and metallic post-hardcore with important releases by bands such as Youth of Today, Warzone, Sick of It All, Quicksand, Side By Side,...
, who had signed De La Rocha's previous band Inside Out
Inside Out
Inside Out was a hardcore punk band from Orange County, California. It was fronted by Zack de la Rocha, later of Rage Against the Machine.-Biography:...
before they split in 1990. The vinyl was shipped with a card containing information on the Zapatista movement in the Chiapas region of Mexico. In 2008, the vinyl was re-issued by Revelation Records. Interestingly, the Rage Against The Machine logo is off-center and vertically distorted on both the original and re-issue pressings.
A-Side
- People of The Sun - 2:30
- Without a Face (live)- 4:07
- Intro (Black Steel in the House of Chaos) (live)- 3:37
- Zapata's Blood (live) - 3:47
B-Side
- Bulls on Parade - 3:48
- Hadda Be Playing on the Jukebox (live)- 8:09
Intro, Zapata's Blood, and Without a Face recorded live at the Pink Pop, May 27, 1996
Hadda Be Playing on the Jukebox recorded live at Milan Dragway, Detroit, July 9, 1993
Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos (H. Shocklee/C. Ridenhour/E. Sadler/W. Drayton)
All other songs written and arranged by Rage Against the Machine.