Sleep Now in the Fire
Encyclopedia
"Sleep Now in the Fire" is the fifth track from the 1999 album The Battle of Los Angeles
by the band Rage Against the Machine
. It was released as a single in 2000. The song contains lyrics about greed, such as the conquest of Native Americans, Christopher Columbus'
voyage by Nina, the Pinta, and Santa Maria
and U.S. slavery in the 1800s
as well as criticism of actions taken by the US government in wartime, including the bombing of Hiroshima
and the use of Agent Orange
in the Vietnam War
.
Guitarist Tom Morello
's solo is also notable as he simply uses feedback from the amp, along with using his whammy bar
to adjust the pitch of the feedback. By flicking his toggle switch on and off, he is able to create the high-pitched solo. At the end of the song, there is some sound from a Korean radio station that Morello picked up on his amp.
After breaking up in late 2000, the three instrumentalists formed the band Audioslave
with vocalist Chris Cornell
. During their 2005 Out of Exile tour, the band played an instrumental version of Bulls on Parade
, followed immediately by Sleep Now in the Fire with Chris Cornell.
After Audioslave broke up in 2007, Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman played a brief teaser riff consisting of the opening guitar riff and drumbeat after finishing a cover of American Band on the Fabled City tour.
On the 1999 DVD "The Battle of Mexico City", Zack de la Rocha changes the lyrics in the second chorus singing "Snuffed out in the fire, Sleep now in the fire", instead of "The cost of my desire, Sleep now in the fire."
for the song which was directed by Michael Moore
with cinematography by Welles Hackett, features the band playing in front of the New York Stock Exchange
, intercut with scenes from a satire of the popular television game show
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire which is named "Who Wants to Be Filthy F#&%ing Rich". Quoted at the end of the song is Republican
politician Gary Bauer
stating that, "a band called 'The Machine Rages On' - er - 'Rage Against the Machine', that band is anti-family and it's pro-terrorist", following an incident outside of fellow Republican Alan Keyes
' 2000 primary
campaign town hall event, where Keyes jumped into a mosh pit
formed while Rage Against the Machine was playing. Actor Garrett Wang
is briefly seen in the video enjoying the music.
The shoot for the music video on January 26, 2000, caused the doors of the New York Stock Exchange to be closed. In fact, the Stock Exchange locked its doors mid-day in response to fears of crowds gathering to watch the filming. This was not recorded as a closure as trading on the exchange floor continued uninterrupted.
"We decided to shoot this video in the belly of the beast", said Moore, who was detained by police for an hour and threatened with arrest during the shooting of the video, as Moore had a permit to film on the steps of City Hall but not in the surrounding street. The band was escorted from the site by security, after band members attempted to gain entry into the Exchange.
The video was nominated at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards
for Best Rock Video but lost to Limp Bizkit
's "Break Stuff
", causing the infamous incident where bassist Tim Commerford
climbed a large piece of the award show set in protest of losing to Limp Bizkit.
OR
The Battle of Los Angeles (album)
-Track listing:All songs written and arranged by Rage Against the Machine and all lyrics by Zack de la Rocha.#"Testify" – 3:30#"Guerrilla Radio" – 3:26#"Calm Like a Bomb" – 4:58#"Mic Check" – 3:33#"Sleep Now in the Fire" – 3:25#"Born of a Broken Man" – 4:41...
by the 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...
. It was released as a single in 2000. The song contains lyrics about greed, such as the conquest of Native Americans, Christopher Columbus'
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
voyage by Nina, the Pinta, and Santa Maria
Santa María (ship)
La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción , was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa.-History:...
and U.S. slavery in the 1800s
History of slavery in the United States
Slavery in the United States was a form of slave labor which existed as a legal institution in North America for more than a century before the founding of the United States in 1776, and continued mostly in the South until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in...
as well as criticism of actions taken by the US government in wartime, including the bombing of Hiroshima
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
and the use of Agent Orange
Agent Orange
Agent Orange is the code name for one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth...
in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Guitarist Tom Morello
Tom Morello
Thomas Baptiste "Tom" Morello is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, his acoustic solo act The Nightwatchman, and his newest group, Street Sweeper Social Club...
's solo is also notable as he simply uses feedback from the amp, along with using his whammy bar
Tremolo arm
A whammy bar, tremolo arm/bar, or vibrato arm/bar is a component of a guitar, used to add vibrato to the sound by changing the tension of the strings, typically at the bridge or tailpiece...
to adjust the pitch of the feedback. By flicking his toggle switch on and off, he is able to create the high-pitched solo. At the end of the song, there is some sound from a Korean radio station that Morello picked up on his amp.
Live performances
Sleep Now in the Fire made its live debut on September 11, 1999, at the Oxford Zodiac in England.After breaking up in late 2000, the three instrumentalists formed the band Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
with vocalist Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998...
. During their 2005 Out of Exile tour, the band played an instrumental version of Bulls on Parade
Bulls on Parade
"Bulls on Parade" is a song released by Rage Against the Machine in 1996, and can be found on their second album Evil Empire.-Context:"Bulls on Parade" addresses the American military-industrial complex, a situation in which industry urges government to take military action, with the intent of...
, followed immediately by Sleep Now in the Fire with Chris Cornell.
After Audioslave broke up in 2007, Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman played a brief teaser riff consisting of the opening guitar riff and drumbeat after finishing a cover of American Band on the Fabled City tour.
On the 1999 DVD "The Battle of Mexico City", Zack de la Rocha changes the lyrics in the second chorus singing "Snuffed out in the fire, Sleep now in the fire", instead of "The cost of my desire, Sleep now in the fire."
Music video
The music videoMusic 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...
for the song which was directed by Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
with cinematography by Welles Hackett, features the band playing in front of the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
, intercut with scenes from a satire of the popular television game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire which is named "Who Wants to Be Filthy F#&%ing Rich". Quoted at the end of the song is Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician Gary Bauer
Gary Bauer
Gary Lee Bauer is an American politician notable for his ties to several evangelical Christian groups and campaigns.-Biography:...
stating that, "a band called 'The Machine Rages On' - er - 'Rage Against the Machine', that band is anti-family and it's pro-terrorist", following an incident outside of fellow Republican Alan Keyes
Alan Keyes
Alan Lee Keyes is an American conservative political activist, author, former diplomat, and perennial candidate for public office. A doctoral graduate of Harvard University, Keyes began his diplomatic career in the U.S...
' 2000 primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
campaign town hall event, where Keyes jumped into a mosh pit
Mosh
Moshing is a dance in which participants push or slam into each other. They also flail their limbs to breakdowns of hardcore punk and its sub-genres. It is most associated with aggressive music genres, such as hardcore punk and heavy metal...
formed while Rage Against the Machine was playing. Actor Garrett Wang
Garrett Wang
Garrett Richard Wang is an American actor. Wang is best known for his role in Star Trek: Voyager as Ensign Harry Kim.-Early life:...
is briefly seen in the video enjoying the music.
The shoot for the music video on January 26, 2000, caused the doors of the New York Stock Exchange to be closed. In fact, the Stock Exchange locked its doors mid-day in response to fears of crowds gathering to watch the filming. This was not recorded as a closure as trading on the exchange floor continued uninterrupted.
"We decided to shoot this video in the belly of the beast", said Moore, who was detained by police for an hour and threatened with arrest during the shooting of the video, as Moore had a permit to film on the steps of City Hall but not in the surrounding street. The band was escorted from the site by security, after band members attempted to gain entry into the Exchange.
The video was nominated at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards
2000 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2000 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 7, 2000, honoring the best music videos from June 12, 1999, to June 9, 2000. The show was hosted by Marlon and Shawn Wayans at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
for Best Rock Video but lost to Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
's "Break Stuff
Break Stuff
"Break Stuff" is a song by the nu metal band Limp Bizkit. Break Stuff is the band's fourth and final single that resulted from their studio album Significant Other. The single was released alongside "N 2 Gether Now".-Music video:...
", causing the infamous incident where bassist Tim Commerford
Tim Commerford
Timothy Robert Commerford , also known by his various monikers/stage names is the bassist/backing vocalist for American alternative metal band Rage Against The Machine and the now-defunct supergroup Audioslave.-Biography:Tim Commerford was born on February...
climbed a large piece of the award show set in protest of losing to Limp Bizkit.
Sleep Now in the Fire (EP) (Import)
- "Sleep Now in the Fire"
- "Guerrilla Radio [Live Version]"
- "Sleep Now in the Fire [Live Version]"
- "Bulls on Parade [Live Version]"
- "Freedom [Live Version]"
Sleep Now in the Fire (Single) (Import)
- "Sleep Now in the Fire"
- "Bulls on Parade [Live Version]"
- "Freedom [Live Version]"
- "Sleep Now in the Fire [Live Version]"
Sleep Now in the Fire, Limited Edition Part 1 (UK)
- "Sleep Now in the Fire"
- "Bulls on Parade [Live Version]"
- "Sleep Now in the Fire [Live Version]"
OR
- "Sleep Now in the Fire"
- "Guerrilla Radio [Live Version]"
- "Bulls on Parade [Live Version]"
- "Freedom [Live Version]"
- "Sleep Now in the Fire [Live Version]"
Sleep Now in the Fire, Limited Edition Part 2 (UK)
- "Sleep Now in the Fire"
- "Guerrilla Radio [Live Version]"
- "Freedom [Live Version]"
- "Sleep Now in the Fire [Multimedia Video]"
- All five live b-sidesB-SidesB-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...
are taken from the Battle Of Mexico CityThe Battle of Mexico CityThe Battle of Mexico City is the second video release by Rage Against the Machine. The concert was recorded in Mexico City's MX Palacio de los Deportes in 1999 as part of their Battle of Los Angeles world tour...
DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
External links
- Axis of Justice Tom Morello and Serj TankianSerj TankianSerj Tankian is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer–songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, playwright, record producer, poet, and political activist...
's Activist Website "Axis Of JusticeAxis of JusticeAxis of Justice is a non-profit organization co-founded by Serj Tankian and Tom Morello. Its purpose is to bring together musicians, fans of music, and grassroots progressivism to fight for social justice together.-Formation:...
" - Vietnow.org Rage Against The Machine news resource and forum