As far as band names go, "Rage Against the Machine" is certainly not bad, but it is... a little on the nose, isn't it? Everything is right there in the name.

(That being said, apparently there is a portion of supposed "fans" who don't get the message. Do they think RATM sings happy tunes? Clearly, that group is not exactly erudite. Anyway...)

Let's take The Beatles. (No, we're not comparing RATM to the Fab Four, but please indulge us for a moment.) "The Beatles" is not exactly a great band name (please don't yell at us!), but it is very flexible. So when the Liverpudlians changed their musical style in the late 1960s, their malleable name still fit.

RATM doesn't have that luxury. Say that at some point they have enough of their anarchist views and decide to sing... oh, we dunno, love ballads. Who would the rage be against then? Certainly, not "the machine", unless that's how you define the monstrosity that is Valentine's Day.

Here is where we mention that two of Rage's members have Jewish heritage: drummer Brad Wilk (full Jew) and front man Zack de la Rocha (Jewish ancestry). And no, we don't think RATM will ever change their tune... But it's an interesting thought experiment?