Supplied note - not independently verified
The song was inspired by James Hetfield's father's battle with cancer.
View background statusMetallica
1 catalog entries, grouped by year.
ARTIST ESSENTIALS
Explore Artist EssentialsMetallica: a curated listening guide
Follow the riffs through long arrangements, quieter openings and a more direct melodic side.
15 selections with release evidence; 14 beyond the yearly lists.
About Metallica
Metallica began in Los Angeles in 1981 when James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich joined forces, then relocated to the Bay Area. With Cliff Burton and Kirk Hammett, the early albums combined fast, tightly articulated guitar parts with increasingly extended arrangements. The 1991 self-titled album introduced a fuller production style and more direct song structures with producer Bob Rock. Later records continued to vary that balance, while changes in the bass position brought Jason Newsted and then Robert Trujillo into the group.
Artist background sources
Metallica - official band history
Hetfield and Ulrich formed the band in Los Angeles in 1981; the move to the Bay Area, Burton and Hammett in the early album lineup, later bass changes, and the broader arrangements of the 1991 album. Original album years corroborated independently of later reissues. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
1996
ALL 66 ANNUAL COLLECTIONS
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1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.