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)
Ride the Lightning
Metallica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But damn it, it ain't right
There's someone else controlling me
Death in the air
Strapped in the electric chair
This can't be happening to me
"I'll take your life from you"
Flash before my eyes
Now it's time to die
Burning in my brain
I can feel the flames
Wait for the sign
To flick the switch of death
It's the beginning of the end
Sweat, chilling cold
As I watch death unfold
Consciousness my only friend
My fingers grip with fear
What I am doing here?
Flash before my eyes
Now it's time to die
Burning in my brain
I can feel the flames
Someone help me
Oh please, God, help me
They are trying to take it all away
I don't want to die
Someone help me
Oh please God help me
They are trying to take it all away
I don't want to die
Time moving slow
The minutes seem like hours
The final curtain call I see
How true is this?
Just get it over with
If this is true, just let it be
Wakened by the horrid scream
Freed from the frightening dream
Flash before my eyes
Now it's time to die
Burning in my brain
I can feel the flames
The lyrics to Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning” are about a man who is being sent to the electric chair for a crime he may or may not have committed. He feels guilty, but he questions the morality of what is being done to him, blaming someone else for controlling his life. He struggles with his imminent death, wondering who made his executioners the ultimate authority on his life. The intensity builds as he witnesses the apparatus being prepared and sweats profusely in anticipation. The chorus captures his visceral experience of being executed, as he feels the flames burning in his brain and someone trying to take everything away from him. Finally, he dreams of being freed from this ordeal as he awakens with a “horrid scream.”
The song is a commentary on the death penalty, a topic that has been debated for decades. It raises questions about the morality of the practice, and whether or not it is justified to have a life or death power over another human being. Metallica’s use of juxtaposition, imagery and tone highlights the terror and humanity involved in the death of a person, making listeners question their own stance on the issue.
Line by Line Meaning
Guilty as charged
I know I've done something wrong
But damn it, it ain't right
However, I don't believe that what's happening to me is fair
There's someone else controlling me
I feel like someone else is in charge of my life
Death in the air
I can sense that my life is about to be taken away
Strapped in the electric chair
I'm being held captive in a device designed to electrocute me
This can't be happening to me
I refuse to believe that this is really happening
Who made you God to say
Who gave you the right to make decisions about my life?
"I'll take your life from you"
You have no right to decide when my life should end
Flash before my eyes
My life is flashing before my eyes
Now it's time to die
I realize that my time has come
Burning in my brain
I'm consumed by fear and pain
I can feel the flames
I'm experiencing extreme emotional turmoil
Wait for the sign
I'm waiting for something to indicate that my execution is about to occur
To flick the switch of death
Someone else will activate the machine that will end my life
It's the beginning of the end
This is the start of the end of my life
Sweat, chilling cold
I'm sweating and shivering with fear
As I watch death unfold
I'm witnessing the events leading up to my own death
Consciousness my only friend
I'm clinging to my own thoughts and senses for comfort
My fingers grip with fear
I'm holding onto something tightly because I'm so scared
What I am doing here?
I'm questioning why I'm in this position
Someone help me
I'm desperately seeking assistance
Oh please, God, help me
I'm praying for divine intervention
They are trying to take it all away
Someone is attempting to end my life and take everything from me
I don't want to die
I'm afraid to die
Time moving slow
Time is passing slowly and painfully
The minutes seem like hours
Seconds feel like hours to me
The final curtain call I see
I understand that my death is imminent
How true is this?
I can't believe that this is happening to me
Just get it over with
I want this to all be over, no matter the outcome
If this is true, just let it be
If I'm really going to die, I just want it to happen already
Wakened by the horrid scream
I wake up from a nightmare of my own violent death
Freed from the frightening dream
I'm relieved to realize that I'm not actually about to die
Someone help me
I'm still pleading for assistance
Oh please God help me
I'm still hoping for divine intervention
They are trying to take it all away
I'm still afraid that someone will try to rob me of my life
I don't want to die
I'm still scared of death
Flash before my eyes
My life continues to flash before my eyes
Now it's time to die
Even though the dream has ended, the fear and sense of impending doom remain
Burning in my brain
The emotional turmoil caused by the nightmare lingers
I can feel the flames
I still feel consumed by fear and pain
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Clifford Lee Burton, Dave Mustaine, James Alan Hetfield, Lars Ulrich
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@scottbrown5818
I started this brief chain of comments, so I thought I should try to resolve it. I even replied to my own comment, which is retarded-Sorry.
I thought it was because they changed producers-Wrong! My opinion, they were hungry and low budget on Ride the Lighting. Also rookies, scrambling with the fallout with Dave Mustang.
At the same time, I stand by my previous comment. This is my favorite Metallica album. Everything they did came from the gut. They gradually went more pop, which goes against what they started out as.
If I'm correct, they were an underground band from 1983 till about 1988. NO RADIO AIRPLAY! At the time very groundbreaking!. Surviving on hard core fans (endless tours with mosh pits). And they carried the for a few select bands, Black Sabbath (the beginning), Judas Priest, Iron Maiden. In my mind that's it.
Now I remember. Ride the Lighting was released in 1984. It didn't break on the radio till the late 1980's. I totally remember the first time I heard it on the radio.
@Pride317
Lyrics
Guilty as charged,
But damn, it ain't right
There's someone else controlling me
Death in the air,
Strapped in the electric chair
This can't be happening to me
Who made you God to say
"I'll take your life from you?"
Flash before my eyes
Now it's time to die
Burning in my brain
I can feel the flame
Wait for the sign to
Flick the switch of death
It's the beginning of the end
Sweat, chilling cold,
As I watch death unfold
Consciousness, my only friend
My fingers grip with fear
What am I doing here?
Flash before my eyes
Now it's time to die
Burning in my brain
I can feel the flame
Someone help me
Oh please, God, help me!
They're trying to take it all away
I don't want to die
[Guitar Solo]
Someone help me
Oh please, God, help me!
They're trying to take it all away
I don't want to die
Time moving slow,
The minutes seem like hours
The final curtain call I see
How true is this?
Just get it over with
If this is true, just let it be
Wakened by a horrid scream
Freed from this frightening dream
Flash before my eyes
Now it's time to die
Burning in my brain
I can feel the flame
@tejano2k11
I'm 68 y/o. Never listened to Metallica, Megadeth, etc until my grandson started liking their music (he's now 16 y/o) after about 4 - 5 years of guitar lessons. Now, it's literally "music to my ears" when I listen to him practice his tail off, every day, to get a song just right and realize how far he's come and how talented the original artists really are (or were). Today's recital piece...RIDE THE LIGHTNING. 👍
@gustavomelles1
Wholesome story
@mephistophoIes
i think i got taller reading that
@leo88100100
Uùuxz😊0
@HeronMarkBlade
./respect
@MyBassRiffs
Very Solid🤘
@onionman512
the intro is just too badass
@calebsguitarcorner4934
Onion Man lol are jazz band is playing this tonight in music in are schools week and I’m the lead guitarist 😂
@davidgilmore559
Definitely
@BigWheel.
@@calebsguitarcorner4934 did you upload a video of your group covering it ever? If not you should.