Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in L… Read Full Bio ↴Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship made them one of the founding "big four" bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. Metallica's current lineup comprises founding members and primary songwriters Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine, who formed Megadeth after being fired from the band, and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band.

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)

Hit the Lights
Metallica Lyrics

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No life 'til leather
We are gonna kick some ass tonight
We got the metal madness
When our fans start screaming it's right well alright
When we start to rock we never want to stop again

Hit the lights
Hit the lights

Hit the lights

You know our fans are insane
We are gonna blow this place away
With volume higher than anything today the only way
When we start to rock we never want to stop again

Hit the lights
Hit the lights
Hit the lights

With all our screaming
We are gonna rip right through your brain
We got the lethal power
It is causing you sweet pain oh sweet pain
When we start to rock we never want to stop again

Hit the lights
Hit the lights

Hit the lights
Hit the lights

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Metallica's song "Hit the Lights" portray a band that is ready to take on the world with their music. The opening lyrics, "No life till leather / We are gonna kick some ass tonight," set the tone for the song, emphasizing the intensity and determination of the band. The reference to "leather" implies the leather jackets and pants that are often associated with rock and heavy metal musicians.

As the song progresses, the lyrics emphasize the power of music to bring people together. The line "When our fans start screaming it's right well alright" highlights the connection between the band and their audience, and the euphoria that comes with a live performance. The lyrics also describe the overwhelming energy and passion that is released when the band starts playing, emphasizing the primal feelings that can be evoked by music.

The chorus, "Hit the lights" is a call-to-action, urging the band to turn up the volume and unleash their music onto the world. The repetition of the phrase reinforces the urgency and intensity of the song's message, and serves as a rallying cry for both the band and their fans.

Overall, "Hit the Lights" is a powerful celebration of the raw energy and emotion that can be found in heavy metal music, and a testament to the unity and connection that can be forged between performers and their audience.

Line by Line Meaning

No life till leather
We won't stop partying until the leather outfits we wear to our concerts wear out.

We are gonna kick some ass tonight
We are going to put on an amazing show tonight and blow people's minds.

We got the metal madness
We have a passion for heavy metal music that drives us to perform at our best.

When our fans start screaming it's right well alright
When we hear our fans cheering and singing along, it validates our passion for music and makes our performance even better.

When we start to rock we never want to stop again
Once we start performing, we enter a state of flow and lose ourselves in the music, wanting to keep playing until we can't play anymore.

Hit the lights
Turn on the stage lights and get ready to perform.

You know our fans are insane
We have the most passionate and dedicated fans in the world who will do anything to see us perform live.

We are gonna blow this place away
We are going to give the performance of a lifetime and leave a lasting impression on every single audience member.

With volume higher than anything today the only way
We are going to play our music as loud as we possibly can, because that's the only way heavy metal was meant to be heard.

With all our screaming
We will scream and yell on stage to express our passion and energy for the music.

We are gonna rip right through your brain
Our music is so powerful and intense that it will cut through any distraction and leave a lasting impression on the listener.

We got the lethal power
Our music has the power to move people in a significant way, both physically and emotionally.

It is causing you sweet pain oh sweet pain
Our music is so good that it might hurt a little, but it's a good kind of pain, because it means we are giving you an incredible experience.

Hit the lights
Turn on the stage lights and get ready to perform.