Rage Vow to Rage On Without Zack

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When Zack de la Rocha announced his departure from Rage Against the Machine Wednesday, it raised questions whether the band would continue without him. But in the wake of de la Rocha's announcement, remaining Rage members Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk have vowed to "rock on."

"We're proud of our history and what we've accomplished musically and politically over the last nine years," the band said in a statement late Wednesday. "We are committed to continuing with our efforts to effect change in the social and political arena and look forward to creating more ground breaking music for our fans. In other words, we'll keep it loud, keep it funky and most definitely rock on . . ."

De la Rocha blamed a communication breakdown for his departure, saying the band's "decision-making process has completely failed."

It's unclear whether the band can officially keep the name Rage Against the Machine (de la Rocha apparently owns the name, as it came from a song from his previous outfit, Inside Out). A spokesperson for Q Prime management, which picked up the band after de la Rocha's departure, declined to comment whether the band will keep its name or adopt a new one.

Meanwhile, message boards on the band's official Web site (www.ratm.com) are alive with suggestions for suitable replacements for de la Rocha. Names suggested so far range from the tongue-in-cheek (David Lee Roth/Bamboozled soundtrack, and KRS-One, who shared the mike with de la Rocha on "C.I.A. (Criminals in Action)" on Lyricist Lounge Volume One. The band has yet to name its own candidates.

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Song Stories

“He Will Break Your Heart”

Jerry Butler | 1960

A lightly swinging Latin-influenced, almost cha-cha groove and close harmonies decorated Jerry Butler's early soul hit "He Will Break Your Heart," delivering a stately warning that his rival would never love his girl like he did. The melody came to Butler as he was driving on the highway from Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Philadelphia with Curtis Mayfield, and as Butler told Rolling Stone, "I just sang the melody and Curtis put the chords to it." The song's premise, Butler added, "was something that I'd lived ...The lyric was an experience rather than a revelation. Whereas music is usually a revelation."

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