Drugs and rock music have long gone hand in hand. They are often mentioned in the same breath, with varying degrees of admiration or admonishment. Countless rockers have taken to singing about addiction in their songs, either reveling in the enjoyment of drugs or talking down the effects it has on life. There’s pretty much a song for every angle of addiction, making it a well-worn topic. One of the most famous songs in this vein is Metallica’s “Master Of Puppets”.
Because this song is so universal and popular, you might not have even realized it was about drugs. The heaviness of this song doesn’t make gleaning any meaning from it very easy anyway. But the band has explained it offstage many times. Learn more about the making of this metal classic below.
Metallica’s Ultimate Drug Addiction Track, “Master Of Puppets”
Metallica, like many of their peers, found themselves addicted to both drugs and alcohol across every member of the band. The 1980s saw a level of excess that rock had never boasted before. It seemed like every rock band was vying to be the most drug-fueled of the bunch. Metallica might not have won that battle, but it was still a major point of concern.
Frontman James Hetfield penned this song about his alcohol dependence, which he entered rehab for in 2001. He likened his addiction to someone pulling strings in his life. A marionette on stage, Hetfield felt alcohol had more control in his career than he did.
“[The song] deals pretty much with drugs,” Hetfield once said. “How things get switched around, instead of you controlling what you’re taking and doing, it’s drugs controlling you.”
“Taste me, you will see / More is all you need / Dedicated to / How I’m killing you,” the lyrics to “Master Of Puppets” read, making Hetfield’s feelings about drugs very clear. This is kind of a singular statement in rock music, especially for its era. While many bands, at least in their heyday, celebrate addiction like it’s a part of the rock fabric, Metallica had a keen understanding of its negative effects.
Like any truly great song, “Master Of Puppets” has evolved, even for Hetfield. Now, this song stands as a universal example of what can happen when you spiral out of control.
“Now, lyrically, it applies to so many things in life,” he continued elsewhere. “Being manipulated by many, many things if you want to let yourself go there. It wasn’t just drugs.”
(Photo by Pete Cronin/Redferns)
The post The Time Metallica Wrote Metal’s Ultimate Song About Addiction: “It’s Drugs Controlling You” appeared first on American Songwriter.
Author: Alex Hopper
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