The song also caused a riot in Montreal during the 1992 Guns n Roses/Metallica tour. Regardless, the song was a lightning rod for criticism, one that would brand Metallica as the bad boys of late ‘80s metal. Many parents and critics chided Metallica for tackling such a subject in one of their songs, but the band fired back that they had received countless fan letters saying that the song helped people deal with difficult times in their lives. Written at a time when Hetfield and the gang were obsessing over death, the lyrics portray a man contemplating suicide, before eventually ending his life. While the song is laid back in terms of the music, the lyrical content has caused some controversy over the years.

Releases on Ride The Lightning, the song was the first time that the band recorded on an acoustic guitar, which gave James Hetfield some trouble as he adjusted to the sensitivity of the instrument. Known for their role in helping to invent the Thrash Metal movement in the 1980s, perennial metal favorites Metallica have also had some of their biggest hits with ballads such as “ Nothing Else Matters” and “ One,” with “Fade to Black” being their first, and one their biggest, steps in this direction as a band.

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