“Sleep Now in the Hole” (2000), by the American band Rage Against the Machine, is a denunciation of the commodification of democracy. The song, produced by Rick Rubin, was recorded in October 1999 amidst growing global unrest: weeks before the Battle of Seattle erupted and the IMF imposed draconian austerity measures on 42 countries.
The music video, directed by Michael Moore, was filmed in January 2000 at the New York Stock Exchange. It was an act of calculated civil disobedience: the shots show the band performing the song on the steps of Wall Street, while security agents attempt to stop them. The police ultimately halted the group’s performance, symbolizing the repression of capital against militant art.
The lyrics are a sonic manifesto that refers to the crushing pressure of the markets on working people. The lyrics are a direct attack on power structures, greed, and historical and contemporary oppression.
This song coincides with the birth of the anti-globalization movement of the 1990s. At the height of the Washington Consensus, Rage Against the Machine expressed anger against corporations like Exxon and Bank of America, entities that financed dictatorships in Latin America. The refrain “Sleep now in the fire!” is a sarcastic command to the oligarchs in the face of the imminent popular revolt.
The song became the soundtrack of numerous protests against international organizations that oversee the construction of the neoliberal order, especially during the protests against the G8 summit in Genoa (2001). Its musical structure (distorted guitars over funky beats) emulates the controlled chaos of a demonstration: sharp rhythms that incite action against the oppressive system.
