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)
Sanitarium
Metallica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one leaves and no one will
Moon is full, never seems to change
Labeled mentally deranged
I dream the same thing every night
I see our freedom in my sight
No locked doors, no windows barred
No things to make my brain seem scarred
Sleep my friend and you will see
That dream is my reality
They keep me locked up in this cage
Can't they see it's why my brain says rage
Sanitarium, leave me be
(Sanitarium), just leave me alone
Build my fear of what's out there
Cannot breathe the open air
Whisper things into my brain
Assuring me that I'm insane
They think our heads are in their hands
But violent use brings violent plans
Keep him tied, it makes him well
He's getting better, can't you tell?
No more can they keep us in
Listen, damn it, we will win
They see it right, they see it well
But they think this saves us from our Hell
Sanitarium, leave me be
Just leave me alone
Sanitarium, leave me the fuck alone
Fear of living on
Natives getting restless now
Mutiny in the air
Got some death to do
Mirror stares back hard
Kill, it's such a friendly word
Seems the only way
For reaching out again (reach motherfucker)
The lyrics of Metallica's song Sanitarium are an insightful exploration of the desperation and anguish of someone who has been institutionalized and is seeking to escape their mental captivity. The singer is trapped in a place where time stands still, where the moon is always full, and where freedom is a distant dream. They dream every night of escaping, of finding a world with no locked doors, no barred windows, and no mental trauma. They are trapped in a cage that is driving them to rage and desperation, and they cry out for someone to leave them be, to let them escape and find true freedom.
The singer's captors are labeled as mentally deranged themselves, as they do not understand the violence that they are causing by keeping someone captive, and by using violent means to try and make them "better." The singer feels that they are being assured that they are insane, and that the only way to break free is to turn to violence themselves. The pain and anguish that they feel are palpable, and the sense of hopelessness that they convey is both poignant and powerful. The chorus of the song is a plea for release, a request to be left alone so that they can find a way to escape their prison and live their life as they see fit.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome to where time stands still
The singer is trapped in a place where time doesn't pass like a normal world.
No one leaves and no one will
The singer is not able to leave the place and no one else is allowed to leave.
Moon is full, never seems to change
The moon in the sky appears to always be full without change, implying a lack of progression.
Labeled mentally deranged
The artist has been diagnosed by others as having a mental illness.
I dream the same thing every night
The artist's dreams repeat every night and offer no relief.
I see our freedom in my sight
The singer sees the possibility of freedom but cannot attain it.
No locked doors, no windows barred
The singer envisions a life without restrictions or limitations.
No things to make my brain seem scarred
The artist wants to live a life free of mental torment.
Sleep my friend and you will see
The artist encourages others to sleep so they can understand their plight.
That dream is my reality
The artist's dream is more real to them than their current reality.
They keep me locked up in this cage
The singer is trapped and confined in the sanitarium.
Can't they see it's why my brain says rage
The artist's confinement is causing them frustration and anger.
Sanitarium, leave me be
The singer asks to be left alone in the sanitarium.
(Sanitarium), just leave me alone
Repetition of the singer's request to be left alone.
Build my fear of what's out there
The singer's fears of the outside world are being reinforced by their confinement.
Cannot breathe the open air
The artist is not allowed to experience nature outside the sanitarium.
Whisper things into my brain
The artist is being influenced by others to believe they are insane.
Assuring me that I'm insane
The singer is being convinced by others that their mental state is abnormal.
They think our heads are in their hands
The staff at the sanitarium believes they have control over the mental state of the patients.
But violent use brings violent plans
The violent treatment of patients may cause them to plan or commit violent acts in response.
Keep him tied, it makes him well
The staff believes that confining the patient will improve their health.
He's getting better, can't you tell?
The staff falsely believes that the patient is improving.
No more can they keep us in
The singer and other patients are determined to break free from their confinement.
Listen, damn it, we will win
The artist is demanding attention and recognition for their struggle.
They see it right, they see it well
The staff can recognize the patient's struggles but they still fail to act.
But they think this saves us from our Hell
The staff believes their confinement is helping the patients.
Just leave me alone
The singer repeats their wish to be left alone.
Sanitarium, leave me the fuck alone
The artist's frustration is expressed more forcefully.
Fear of living on
The artist is afraid to leave the sanitarium and face the outside world.
Natives getting restless now
The other patients are becoming increasingly agitated and impatient.
Mutiny in the air
The patients are starting to rebel against their confinement.
Got some death to do
The artist feels compelled to act aggressively in response to their situation.
Mirror stares back hard
The artist sees their own reflection and is confronted with their mental state.
Kill, it's such a friendly word
The artist is expressing their aggression and reflecting on the idea of killing.
Seems the only way
The singer feels like violence is the only way to escape their situation.
For reaching out again (reach motherfucker)
The artist wants to reach out to the world again but feels like they can only do so through violent means.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES ALAN HETFIELD, KIRK L. HAMMETT, LARS ULRICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nino Amora
on No Remorse
im a dieharn fan of metalica