Bulls on Parade

Rage Against the Machine, 1996. Solo by Tom Morello.

Toggle-switch scratching that sounds like a DJ.

Tom Morello's solo imitates a hip-hop DJ scratching a record, but it is produced entirely on guitar. He sets one pickup to full volume and the other to zero, so the selector becomes a kill switch, then rubs his fretting hand across the strings while flicking the switch rapidly. A wah pedal parked fully down adds a white-noise edge. He improvised the solo in the tracking room, aiming to be the band's DJ using only a guitar. Listen for the rhythmic stutter as the pickup switch cuts the sound on and off; it sounds just like a turntable being scratched.

Bulls on Parade by Rage Against the Machine is ranked #61 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Tom Morello and the song was released in 1996. It appears on 11 lists, placing as high as #3 (Studio Brussel (VRT public radio, Belgium)).

The story of Bulls on Parade

Bulls on Parade was the lead single from Evil Empire, Rage Against the Machine's second album. It grew out of jams at Cole Rehearsal Studios in Hollywood in autumn 1995, with every member adding a piece. Tim Commerford came up with the syncopated opening bass riff while exploring jazz ideas, Tom Morello wrote the wah-driven guitar part and the darker verse music with a menacing Geto Boys feel in mind, Zack de la Rocha supplied the swing of the chorus and Brad Wilk built a marching, artillery-style beat.

The lyric attacks the US military-industrial complex and the business of war. De la Rocha contrasts the money poured into weapons with the lack of food, housing and basic needs, mocks politicians who preach family values while funding arms, and calls the Pentagon a five-sided fist. He was still finishing the words while the band tracked the music, so the vocal was shaped around a groove that was already locked in.

Producer Brendan O'Brien wanted to keep the band's live energy, so the rhythm section recorded together without a click track in only a few takes, letting the tempo drift naturally. Morello summed up the process as jamming, rolling a cassette and then cutting the real track. O'Brien also suggested moving the riff that had been planned as an ending to the very start of the song, where it became the intro.

Epic released the single on 1 April 1996, and Evil Empire debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 two weeks later. The song reached number 8 in the UK and topped the charts in Finland. Its Peter Christopherson-directed video featured artwork by Barbara Kruger, and it earned an MTV Video Music Award nomination, while the track itself was nominated for the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.

The solo

Tom Morello's solo imitates a hip-hop DJ scratching a record, but it is produced entirely on guitar. He sets one of his two pickups to full volume and the other to zero, so the pickup selector acts as a kill switch, then rubs his fretting hand across the strings over the pickups while rapidly flicking the switch. A Dunlop Cry Baby wah parked in the fully down position adds a white-noise edge. He played his custom Arm the Homeless guitar, fitted with a Kramer neck and EMG pickups, through the Marshall 50-watt head and Peavey 4x12 cabinet he had used since school. Morello improvised the solo in the tracking room wearing headphones, drawing on toggle-switch tricks he had developed onstage, aiming to be the band's DJ using only a guitar.

Legacy

Bulls on Parade became one of Rage Against the Machine's signature songs and cemented Morello's reputation as one of rock's most inventive guitarists. It was nominated for a Grammy and an MTV Video Music Award, and Spin later placed it among the best nu metal tracks. Its riff and scratch solo made it a staple of Guitar Hero III and Rock Band. The song has become a sports-stadium favourite, used by the Houston Texans and New York Red Bulls, and was reinterpreted by Denzel Curry in an acclaimed 2019 Like a Version session.

Top 10 facts about Bulls on Parade

Tim Commerford came up with the syncopated opening riff while experimenting with jazz-influenced ideas.
MusicRadar
The intro riff was originally written as an ending, and producer Brendan O'Brien suggested moving it to the start.
MusicRadar
Morello's scratch effect works by setting one pickup to full volume and the other off, then flicking the selector while rubbing the strings over the pickups.
Wikipedia
During the solo Morello kept a Dunlop Cry Baby wah fully down to create a white-noise tone.
MusicRadar
Morello has said the toggle-and-wah combination gave him a noise he had never heard from a guitar, closer to a synthesizer.
Vice
The band first played the song live on 25 January 1996 at the Big Day Out in Sydney.
Wikipedia
On Saturday Night Live on 13 April 1996, crew removed upside-down American flags the band had hung, and Rage was sent home before its second song.
Songfacts
The song was nominated for the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance alongside People of the Sun.
Wikipedia: Evil Empire
Guitar World argues that the Bulls on Parade toggle-scratch had already appeared in Morello's live solos as early as 1993.
Guitar World
The track opens Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium, recorded in Los Angeles on 12–13 September 2000.
Wikipedia: Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium

Live versions

Saturday Night Live (1996) Notorious appearance cut short after the band's inverted US flags were torn down by stage crew.
Democratic National Convention protest concert, Los Angeles (2000) Free show near the DNC that ended with police using pepper spray and rubber bullets.
Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium (2003) Opening track of the official live album, recorded at the band's final shows of 2000.

Notable covers

Denzel Curry (2019) Widely praised rap reinterpretation for Triple J's Like a Version.
Dizzee Rascal (2009) UK grime artist's version of the song.
The Prodigy (1997) Sampled part of the track in Smack My Bitch Up.

In our lists

Deep Cuts — #28
The Modern Canon: Best Since 1990 — #12
The 25 Greatest Alternative Rock Guitar Solos — #3
The 1990s — #12
SGs & Telecasters — #7

Sources

Who played the guitar solo on Bulls on Parade?

Tom Morello played the solo on Rage Against the Machine's Bulls on Parade (1996).

What guitar was used on the Bulls on Parade solo?

A fender telecaster through a Marshall amp, with DigiTech Whammy, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Bulls on Parade rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#61 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 11 of them.

Who wrote Bulls on Parade?

All four members of Rage Against the Machine: Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk.

How does Tom Morello make the scratching sound in Bulls on Parade?

He uses his pickup selector as a kill switch while rubbing the strings over the pickups, with a wah pedal held fully down.

What guitar did Tom Morello use on Bulls on Parade?

His custom Arm the Homeless guitar, played through a Marshall 50-watt head and Peavey 4x12 cabinet.

What is Bulls on Parade about?

It criticises the US military-industrial complex and how war profits are prioritised over people's basic needs.

What album is Bulls on Parade on?

It is the lead single from Evil Empire, released by Epic in April 1996.