1. The Clash - ‘White Riot’
“‘Are you taking over, or are you taking orders? Are you going backwards, or are you going forwards?’ – I pinned those lyrics to my refrigerator as a teenager and vowed to ask myself those questions daily.”
2. Public Enemy - ‘Fight The Power’
“It made me rethink conventions. ‘Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant sh*t to me’ – I never liked Elvis, but I never dared say it. Chuck D echoed my feelings of right and wrong.”
3. Twisted Sister - ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’
“I’ve heard this sung at protests from the Rage Against The Machine-led demonstration against the Iraq War to the recent teacher strikes in West Virginia, Kentucky and Arkansas.”
4. Bob Marley - ‘Get Up, Stand Up’
“I’ve heard it sung in the streets in protest from Illinois to Johannesburg. It encapsulates the spirit of love, rebellion, fighting the good fight. Few songs can be called a global anthem, but this is one of them.”
Tom Morello’s new album The Atlas Underground is out on 12 October
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