Lauren Rettig January 13th, 2025 - 6:45 PM
Rage Against The Machine and Franz Ferdinand have become the latest artists to join Spotify’s Billions Club, with their respective tracks “Killing in the Name” and “Take Me Out” racking up a colossal number of streams, NME reports.
Rage frontman Tom Morello acknowledged the milestone on Saturday, January 11, thanking “all those who listened to” the politically-charged single, including “those who love it, those who hate it and those that have enjoyed it without understanding it.”
“Righteous proof that rebel music and irony are alive and well,” he added.
“Killing in the Name” comes from the band’s 1992 self-titled debut album and was written in the wake of the Los Angeles riots that year. The track mused on racist police officers in the city who Morello previously described as “boot licking lackeys and thugs of the racist capitalist ruling class.”
In the years since its release, the track has been adopted by protesters around the world. In 2020, amid demonstrations across the US in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, Morello praised protesters in Portland for chanting the aforementioned “Killing in the Name” line to police officers. “Well that’s what it’s for!” he wrote on Twitter (now X). Morello has always been an outspoken advocate for activism in music, saying: “At every moment, you do what you can, when you can, where you can. That’s the way that I look at it.”
“KILLING IN THE NAME” just hit 1 billion streams on Spotify! Thanks to all those who listened to it: those who love it, those who hate it, and those that have enjoyed it without understanding it. Righteous proof that rebel music and irony are alive and well.
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) January 11, 2025
Franz Ferdinand, meanwhile, shared the news via Instagram on Thursday, January 9, writing: “We’ve just heard that ‘Take Me Out’ has reached one billion streams on @spotify. Thanks to all you crazy streamers. Anyway, enough about that. ‘The Human Fear’ is what we’re doing now and it’s out tomorrow [January 10].”
“Take Me Out” was the second single from the band’s 2004 self-titled debut album. Upon its release, the track reached Number Three in the UK singles chart and was placed at Number 16 on NME’s list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever in 2007.
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Franz Ferdinand’s aforementioned sixth album, released this past Friday, has already been making its mark on the music scene, with NME giving the album four stars. On Thursday, January 9, the band kicked off a series of shows in the UK, which will be followed by a UK and European tour in February. Dates, times and ticket information can be found here.
Photo Credit: Marv Watson
