Originally released in 1986, the song was snubbed by MTV, but made a comeback after appearing in one of the most striking scenes in ‘Stranger Things’
“Master of Puppets” is the track that gives its name to the band’s third album. Metallica, released in 1986. Among the album’s hits, with “Battery” and “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” among the most listened to, none of them perhaps comes close to the song that names the work. The album is part of the triad produced by Flemming Rasmussenfounder of Sweet Silence Studio. Their productions are also Ride the Lightning (1984) …And Justice for All (1988).
Over the course of eight minutes and 35 seconds, the band takes you through some of the most insane guitar solos in their discography. Like the rest of the album, the song was recorded in Denmark, the drummer’s homeland. Lars Ulrichin 1985.
The track was the first and only single released by the band to promote the album. They even thought about recording a clip to illustrate the work, but thought they would be ignored by the MTV they left the idea aside.
“We came to the conclusion that they weren’t going to broadcast the f***ing Metallica video anyway. Why waste money then? We knew we would attract more publicity if we didn’t make a music video,” says Ulrich in the book Metallica – The Biography (2013), by journalist Mick Wall.
The song alone would be worth a story, but everything becomes more interesting when it becomes part of the soundtrack of one of the most successful series of recent years: Stranger Things (2016). In addition to introducing music to younger generations, the production gave a new lease of life to the classic.
A hit among Metallica’s most listened to songs among the top three in the band’s top 10 for more than 30 years, the song would gain a new chapter in the 2020s — more precisely in 2022, in the hands of a fictional guitarist: Eddie Munson, character from Joseph Quinn in Stranger Thingswhich at one point in the series uses the solo of Kirk Hammett to defeat Vecna. More than three decades later, in a completely unpretentious way, Netflix gave Metallica a video that no MTV would be able to oppose.
The composition
Initially, the idea of “Master of Puppets” was the concept of the album. The first part of the song composition was done by Ulrich in partnership with the band’s guitarist, James Hetfield. Then ideas from the other two members were added, Cliff Burton and Kirk Hammett.
With the structure ready, they started creating the lyrics, based on the theme. This also inspired the artist Don Brautigamresponsible for painting the work that would later become the album cover.
The deep lyrics written by James Hetfield talk about being trapped in a situation where you have no control like a puppet. Here, this allegory is used to address drug addiction and how a person can become a hostage to drugs.
“I am your source of self-destruction/Veins that pulse with fear/Sucking out the darkest light/Commanding the construction of your death,” says an excerpt of the lyrics.
In 1986, Hetfield spoke to Trasher Magazine on approaching the topic: “’Master of Puppets’ deals very well with drugs. As things change, instead of you controlling what you are taking and doing, it is the drugs controlling you.”
An interesting fact about the song is that at 6 minutes and 19 seconds you can hear a guitar riff inspired by the song “Andy Warhol”, from the album Hunky Dory (1971), by the British David Bowie.
Absolute success
According to information released by Metallica’s official website, “Master of Puppets” is the most played song at the presentations. Since its debut on December 31, 1985, on Bill Graham Civic Auditorium from San Francisco, the song was played 1,705 times.
The track is also a fan favorite. At least this was the result of a vote promoted by the band on social media in 2020 and which involved all the songs in the group’s catalogue. The song competed in the final with “One”, from the album …And Justice for All.
“No wonder this beauty is in the Library of Congress!”, wrote Metallica about the election results. The album Master of Puppets It is part of the National Library of Congress of the United States for its cultural value.
Another proof of the importance of the track for the band’s history is the number of times it appears again in Metallica’s discography. Some of them are the recording of one of the shows on the Black Album (1991), in Live Shit: Binge & Purge (1993). There is also a version recorded in partnership with San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
“Master of Puppets” also appears on the film’s soundtrack in 3D Metallica: Through The Never, launched in 2013; shows recorded on DVD Quebec Magnetic (2012), The Big 4: Live in Sofia, Bulgaria (2010), Pride, Passion, and Glory: Tres Noches En La Ciudad de México (2009), Français Pour Une Nuit (2009), Cunning Stunts (1998) and Cliff ‘Em All (1987).
In 2017, a remastered version of the album was released, in which it is possible to see different versions of the track that gives the work its title, such as some demos, for example.
The phenomenon Stranger Things
One of Netflix’s most captivating productions, in which a group of teenagers find themselves facing supernatural creatures set in the 1980s, already has an interesting premise. This added to one of the most interesting soundtracks of recent times takes on an even more special flavor.
In the last years, Stranger Things has been responsible for revealing ancient relics to a younger audience – or reminiscing, if you lived through the 1980s. That’s what happened with “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)”, by Kate Bush, for example.
“Master of Puppets” was also rediscovered after appearing in the series. The song appears in the fourth season, in one of the most emblematic scenes of the production, when Eddie Munson, Joseph Quinn’s character, plays the song on the guitar, to attract the attention of the flying monsters of the Upside Down, while the rest of the group executes a plan to defeat Vecna.
The series’ music supervisor, Nora Felder revealed to Variety that the song had been chosen since the beginning of the season’s production. “This part of the story was predicted to be a pivotal and especially hair-raising scene in which Eddie heroically rose for the fight of his life.”
The use of the song caused “Master of Puppets” to gain around 2.6 million reproductions on the Spotify only in the episode’s premiere week. It also ended up in 14th position on the streaming platform’s Top Global.
The appearance in the series also resulted in the song returning to the charts for the first time in 36 years. The band hadn’t been on one of these lists since 2008. Metallica even celebrated the achievement with a video playing the song using Eddie Munson’s Hellfire Club t-shirts.
“The way the Duffer Brothers have incorporated music into Stranger Things has always been next level, so we were beyond excited for them to not only include ‘Master of Puppets’ in the series, but also have such a pivotal scene built around it. ”, declared the band on social media after the episode was released.
On TikTok, videos that reproduce the scene reach millions of likes and views. The video posted on the band’s profile, in which the musicians play the song while the scene passes halfway across the screen, has more than 14 million views and almost three million likes. Other content, such as reactions from the band’s fans to the scene, or videos talking about the band to younger generations also went viral. A turn worthy of Upside Down for those who snubbed the track in the past.
The report “Metallica that became pop” is part of the special edition of Rolling Stone Brasil: Stranger Thingsfor sale on the Grupo Perfil website.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
