"Bulls on Parade" is a song by American rock bandRage Against the Machine. It is the second song from their second studio album, Evil Empire. It was released as the album's second single to modern rock radio on February 9, 1996.
Background
On the UKCD single release of "Bulls on Parade", the band's vocalist, Zack de la Rocha, explained how America, is building a wall between itself and Mexico.
Composition
The song is widely known for its popular guitar solo containing a vinyl scratch effect used by Tom Morello, done by toggling between two pickups, one on and one off, while rubbing his hands on the strings over the pickups to create the effect that someone is scratching a vinyl disc. Morello has stated that the sound he was going for was a "sort of 'Geto Boys' sound, menacing" with E♭ tuning in both guitar and bass and a wah-wah pedal fully in the treble position to create a Houston 5th Ward gangland-style riff.
Live performances
"Bulls on Parade" made its live debut on January 25, 1996, at the Big Day Out festival in Sydney, Australia. The track then made its international debut on Saturday Night Live in April 1996. The band was going to play two songs, but were expelled from the building after hanging American flags upside down from their amplifiers. At various shows, the band has dedicated the song to Tony Blair.
Covers
"Bulls on Parade" has been covered numerous times by different artists of various genres including British rapper Dizzee Rascal in 2009, among others. On February 14, 2019, American rapper Denzel Curry performed a cover of the song on the Australian radio station Triple J as part of Like a Version. The cover was met with critical acclaim.
Music video
The video for "Bulls on Parade", directed by Peter Christopherson and produced by Fiz Oliver at Squeak Pictures, premiered on MTV's 120 Minutes on April 14, 1996. On July 31, 1996 it was nominated for Best Hard Rock Video in the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards. The video contains footage from the Sydney Big Day Out and their side show at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. Throughout the video shots of young people protesting in the streets with political signs, military drills, flags, and other similar images are montaged together. An antique-style film is used which promotes scratches, dust and film grain. Several scenes show people wrapping Evil Empire banners on walls, telephone posts and posting up other propaganda posters designed by Barbara Kruger. There is a scene where a character wearing a black "Libertyville" jacket with a baseball cap is painted by the renowned Phantom Street Artist Joey Krebs who paints his iconoclastic figures on city walls. This is the actual portrait created by the street artist of Tom Morello himself. Various lyrics are flashed on top of these scenes in a scrawled sort of chicken-scratch throughout.
Accolades
The song was voted number 15 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs.
Its solo is listed number 23 on Guitar World's 100 Greatest Solos list published in 2009.
In other media
"Bulls on Parade" features in where it is unlocked after defeating Tom Morello in a guitar battle. The song also appeared as a playable track in Guitar Hero Live and Rock Band in its Metal Track Pack.
It is the theme song for the defense of the NFL's Houston Texans, and is played in the stadium at home games to invigorate the crowd and players before games. The song has been officially endorsed by former Texans LB Connor Barwin.
For Australian radio station Triple J's Like a Version, American rapper Denzel Curry covered "Bulls on Parade" with Harts on guitar.
