One - Metallica

Wesley Charity Ricardo Ramos P4

## Introduction

"One" by Metallica is a thrash metal song released on the ...*And Justice For All*albumon August 25, 1988. It was recorded in Los Angeles, California at "One on One Recording Studios" between January 28 - May 1, 1988. James Hetfield (Rhythm Guitar/Vocals), Kirk Hammet (Lead Guitar), Jason Newsted (Bass Guitar), Lars Ulrich (Drums) are the musicians.

## Sample of Lyrics

   *" Now that the war is through with me*

*I'm waking up I cannot see,*

 *that there's not much left of me,*

 *nothing is real but pain now"*

## Problem Being Addressed

Considered by many as part of the progressive metal genre and this song, in particular, is widely interpreted as an anti-war song and targeting the neglect of the mental health of veterans. The song also touches on P.T.S.D and the psychological effects of the condition.

## Significance in History

Released during a time when antiwar movements died down and the subject wasn't a huge deal in politics or people's protests. "One" won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. Metallica has 1,497 performances to date. It got gold certification by the RIAA in the U.S. and silver certification by the BPI in the UK.

## Contemporary Connection

Several other anti-war songs came out in the 80's such as *Born in the U.S.A* by Bruce Springsteen and *Gods of War* by Def Leopard.

## Meaning and Analysis

The use of thrash metal propels this song and makes the message much more effective. The slow build-up of the song is much like the mental state of a soldier through the course of their service. In the beginning, there's a peaceful tone and later the song transitions to an intense metal riff and chaotic solo. When asked about why they decided to write an anti-war song, Hetfield responded by saying "I wanted to explore the idea of someone only having a brain and nothing else." Hetfield named this "One" because the soldier, referenced in the song, is stuck in his world in his mind where he is the only person. When discussing what's "anti-war" about "One", the soldier's personal experience has to be examined. While it can be said that the song is purely about the war in general, the song emphasizes the psychological trauma and P.T.S.D soldiers endure in and after service. The concept of P.T.S.D wasn't known until WW1 when it was called "shell shock". Even then so little was known about the condition that veterans lacked access to mental health treatment as hinted in the song's lyrics above. Another underlying tone of the song is the issue of veteran suicide. A tally of 80 soldiers committed suicide in 1919 alone, just one year after WW1. Those numbers doubled a year later. These numbers are only for 1919 and disregard possible thousands of suicides that weren't deemed caused by the Great War. Also, there have been thousands of suicides from wars after WW1.

## Trivia

The song follows a soldier who fought in WW1 that is recovering in a hospital. The reason for this is due to him stepping on a landmine during the war losing all of his senses and his arms/legs. He was as close as you can get to death without going into a coma. The song is based on a novel and movie called *Johnny got his gun*written by Dalton Trumbo in 1939. In the music video, the band shows a clip from the movie *Johnny got his gun*where it shows the soldier in bed transmitting morse code by hitting his head on his pillow. The general who visited him interpreted it and said he was saying K-I-L-L M-E over and over again. This is most likely because he couldn't communicate with anybody or function at all. This behavior is commonly reflected in the cases of real-life suicidal veterans who are sent to asylums or mental health facilities especially in the WW1 and WW2 era when mental health problems were a huge taboo.

## Reasons for Song/musician

Also, "One" is the best song on the album *...And Justice For All.*

## Links and Sources

Zebarth, Marg, and Rob February. “Soldier Suicide after the Great War: A First Look.” Active History, March 24, 2014. http://activehistory.ca/2014/03/soldier-suicide-after-the-great-war-a-first-look/.

Wall, Mick. “The Real Story behind One by Metallica.” Classic Rock Magazine. Louder, October 25, 2018. https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-real-story-behind-one-by-metallica.

“One – Metallica.” Las Cafeteras, February 19, 2016. https://lascafeteras.com/one-by-metallica/

“One.” One | Metallica.com, 2017. https://www.metallica.com/releases/singles/release-4292.html.

“One.” One | Metallica.com, 2017. https://www.metallica.com/songs/song-25917.html.

“One (Metallica Song).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, November 30, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One\_(Metallica\_song).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM8bTdBs-cw