Sleep Now in the Fire

"Sleep Now in the Fire"
Single by Rage Against the Machine
from the album The Battle of Los Angeles
Released	November 4, 1999
Format	CD, 7", 12"
Recorded	1998
Length	3:25
Label	Epic
Writer(s)	Tim Commerford, Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk
Producer(s)	Brendan O'Brien
Rage Against the Machine singles chronology
"Guerrilla Radio" (1999) "Sleep Now in the Fire" (1999) "Testify" (1999)
Limited Edition Part 2 (UK)

"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 1999. The song contains lyrics about greed, such as the conquest of Native Americans, Christopher Columbus' voyage by Niña, the Pinta, and Santa Maria and U.S. slavery in the 19th century as well as criticism of actions taken by the U.S. 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, a short sample of Korean artist Uhm Jung-hwa's 1998 song Poison can be heard - it was accidentally captured from a local Korean radio station broadcast through Morello's amplifier.

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 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.

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Wikipedia