“Rise” by Public Image Ltd.

John Lydon and Bill Laswell wrote "Rise" for Album, the fifth studio album from Public Image Ltd, and it was the record's first single, released by Virgin. Lydon has said it was about apartheid in South Africa, and specifically about Nelson Mandela; in a 1987 MTV interview he also pointed to interrogation methods, electric torture among them, that the Royal Ulster Constabulary was alleged to have used.

For a song about cruelty it is weirdly uplifting. The chorus borrows an old Irish blessing and turns it into a chant, the rhythm drives hard and bright, and Lydon's voice, sneering and exultant at once, sounds more like a preacher than a punk. Another of its lines later gave Lydon's 2014 autobiography its title. Jason Corsaro's mix gives the whole thing a big, glossy punch.

It became one of the band's biggest hits, reaching No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.