Metallica first found commercial success with the release of its third album, Master of Puppets (1986), which is cited as one of the heaviest metal albums and the band's best work. The band's next album, ...And Justice for All (1988), gave Metallica its first Grammy Award nomination. Its self-titled fifth album, Metallica (1991), was the band's first not to root predominantly in thrash metal; it appealed to a more mainstream audience, achieving substantial commercial success and selling over 16 million copies in the United States to date, making it the best-selling album of the SoundScan era. After experimenting with different genres and directions in subsequent releases, Metallica returned to its thrash metal roots with the release of its ninth album, Death Magnetic (2008), which drew similar praise to that of the band's earlier albums. This was followed by the band's 10th studio album, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016), with its 11th album, 72 Seasons, releasing in 2023.
In 2000, Metallica led the case against the peer-to-peer file sharing service Napster, in which the band and several other artists filed lawsuits against the service for sharing their copyright-protected material without consent, eventually reaching a settlement. Metallica was the subject of the acclaimed 2004 documentary film Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, which documented the troubled production of the band's eighth album, St. Anger (2003), and the internal struggles within the band at the time. In 2009, Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band co-wrote the screenplay for and starred alongside Dane DeHaan in the 2013 concert film Metallica: Through the Never, in which the band performed live against a fictional thriller storyline.
Metallica has released 10 studio albums, four live albums (including two performances with the San Francisco Symphony), 12 video albums, a cover album, two extended plays, 37 singles and 39 music videos. The band has won nine Grammy Awards from 23 nominations, and its last six studio albums (beginning with Metallica) have consecutively debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Metallica ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold over 125 million albums worldwide as of 2018. Metallica has been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by magazines such as Rolling Stone, which ranked the band No. 61 on its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list. As of 2017, Metallica is the third-best-selling music artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, selling a total of 58 million albums in the United States.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallica
Studio albums
Kill 'Em All (1983)
Ride the Lightning (1984)
Master of Puppets (1986)
...And Justice for All (1988)
Metallica (1991)
Load (1996)
Reload (1997)
St. Anger (2003)
Death Magnetic (2008)
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016)
72 Seasons (2023)
Fade To Black
Metallica Lyrics
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Drifting further everyday
Getting lost within myself
Nothing matters, no one else
I have lost the will to live
Simply nothing more to give
There is nothing more for me
I need the end to set me free
Things not what they used to be
Missing one inside of me
Deathly loss this can't be real
I cannot stand this hell I feel
Emptiness is filling me
To the point of agony
Growing darkness taking dawn, yeah
I was me but now, he's gone
Hey, do you hear us Cliff? Do you hear us Cliff?
No one but me can save myself, but its too late
Now I can't think, think why I should even try, oh no
Yesterday seems as though it never existed
Oh, but death greets me warm, now I will just say goodbye
So goodbye
Yeah goodbye
I say goodbye
The lyrics to Metallica's song "Fade to Black" explore the theme of depression, loneliness and the desire to end one's life. The first verse of the song talks about the singer's fading life, as he drifts further away from everything and everyone, losing himself in the abyss of his own thoughts, devoid of any meaning. He has lost the will to live and no longer feels like he has anything left to give. The only thing left for him is the end, which he believes will set him free.
The second verse brings out the feelings of pain, grief and emptiness that have consumed the singer. He feels like a part of him is missing, perhaps alluding to the loss of a loved one or something else important in his life. He finds it hard to cope with the loss and tries to numb his pain, but it only makes it worse. The darkness around him is growing, taking the place of the light he once had. The person he used to be is gone, and he is left with nothing but emptiness.
The chorus of the song is a despairing cry for help, a plea to the legendary bassist of the band Cliff Burton, who died just a few months before the song was released. The singer realizes that no one but himself can save him from his misery, but it is too late. He is too consumed by his thoughts, and he cannot think of a reason to keep trying. Finally, he accepts his fate, resigns himself to it, and says goodbye to the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Life it seems to fade away
The feeling of vitality is diminishing.
Drifting further everyday
Going far away from the self and reality.
Getting lost within myself
Losing self and identity in the darkness.
Nothing matters, no one else
All hope and faith are lost, and no one can help.
I have lost the will to live
A feeling of deep sorrow and despair.
Simply nothing more to give
Exhaustion to the point where there is no effort left to be put into anything.
There is nothing more for me
The loss of meaning and purpose in life.
I need the end to set me free
Death is the only way out of this dark place.
Things not what they used to be
Change can be a hard pill to swallow.
Missing one inside of me
A part of oneself is no longer there, creating an unfillable void.
Deathly loss this can't be real
The overwhelming feeling of denial and disbelief in the face of unbearable loss.
I cannot stand this hell I feel
The excruciating pain that comes from deep grief and loss.
Emptiness is filling me
The feeling of a void that nothing can fill.
To the point of agony
The all-consuming nature of the pain that arises from the feeling of being empty.
Growing darkness taking dawn, yeah
The sense that the darkness is overtaking everything, and bleakness is all that can be seen.
I was me but now, he's gone
The loss of one's self and identity due to immeasurable agony.
Hey, do you hear us Cliff? Do you hear us Cliff?
An acknowledgement of the band's founding bassist, Cliff Burton, who died in a tragic accident.
No one but me can save myself, but its too late
The realization that there is no escape, and the haunting whisper of suicide.
Now I can't think, think why I should even try, oh no
The emptiness and futility of existence.
Yesterday seems as though it never existed
The feeling of hopelessness is so pervasive that it seems as though the mind cannot register prior happy moments.
Oh, but death greets me warm, now I will just say goodbye
The acceptance of death as the only solution to one's problems, and the readiness to say goodbye.
So goodbye
Finality and cessation of existence.
Yeah goodbye
Acceptance of death and the end of life.
I say goodbye
A final farewell to existence and the world.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Alan Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk L. Hammett, Clifford Lee Burton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nino Amora
on No Remorse
im a dieharn fan of metalica