In December 2009, Rage Against The Machine's 1992 track "Killing In The Name" reached the UK Christmas No.1 spot, driven by a grassroots Facebook campaign designed to stop that year's X Factor winner, Joe McElderry, from claiming the top slot. The song sold more than half a million downloads to become the fastest-selling digital single ever at the time, a remarkable feat given the track was 17 years old and full of expletives. The episode stands out as a rare example of an old protest anthem being propelled to chart success by fans rather than by the band or record industry.

Guitarist Tom Morello described the campaign as a "David and Goliath story", noting that the band only joined in its final week and that it was "completely ruled by the fans". The song itself carried heavy political meaning, written in the wake of the 1991 beating of black motorist Rodney King by four LAPD officers, and attacking what the band saw as endemic racism in US security forces — its refrain "Some of those that work forces are the same that burn crosses" alludes to the Ku Klux Klan. Formed in Orange County, California, in 1991 and fronted by Zack de la Rocha alongside Morello, the band recorded the track as their debut single for their 1992 self-titled album, with producer Garth Richardson recalling long conversations with de la Rocha about the power of speech.