*** Welcome to piglix ***

The Violence

"The Violence"
RiseAgainstTheViolence.jpg
Single by Rise Against
from the album Wolves
Released April 20, 2017
Format Digital download
Studio Rock Falcon Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre Punk rock
Length 3:49
Label Virgin
Producer(s) Nick Raskulinecz
Rise Against singles chronology
"Tragedy + Time"
(2014)
"The Violence"
(2017)
"House on Fire"
(2018)
"Tragedy + Time"
(2014)
"The Violence" (2017) "House on Fire"
(2018)

"The Violence" is a song by American punk rock band Rise Against. The song was released on April 20, 2017 as the lead single from their eighth studio album, Wolves. Inspired by the 2016 United States presidential election cycle, "The Violence" contains lyrics described by vocalist Tim McIlrath as being about "whether violence is an inevitability of the human condition, or whether it's a choice we make, and therefore, can reject." The song has charted on both Billboard's Alternative Songs chart and Mainstream Rock Songs chart.

"The Violence" contains lyrics inspired by the 2016 United States presidential election cycle. In an interview with Kerrang!, vocalist Tim McIlrath stated that "As we were watching the news and seeing all the different things [unfold] around the planet, I realized that violence has such a role in a lot of what we see when the world is falling apart. The violence is a reflection of whether our [aggression] is in our nature, our DNA, or whether we have a choice to be part of it. And it is a choice that we make - a conscious one - to use violence as a means to an end. Aren't we better than this? Aren't we the apex of the animal kingdom? Aren't we the only ones on the planet that have the capacity for compassion? Aren't we good enough or brave enough to not sink to violence?"

On May 1, 2017, "The Violence" became enshrouded in controversy when it was revealed that the band was prohibited from shooting a music video due to being "anti-government". The plan originally called for Rise Against to perform the song in a field containing busts of all 43 United States presidents located on a privately owned farm in Croaker, Virginia, formerly the site of the deteriorating Presidents Park. However, after originally granting Rise Against a permit to film on the property, the farm's board of directors rescinded the permit in the middle of filming due to Rise Against's "anti-American" message.

Later that day, Rise Against posted a message on their Facebook page reading:


...
Wikipedia

...