Three ballads from thrash metal classics
Содержание
"The Unforgiven" - the most famous ballad of the metal band's career. "Metallica.". It was released as the second single from the fifth album, widely known as . "Black.". Despite the fact that the composition is the most measured on the whole record, the riff in the verse of this track can be called the heaviest. The lyric refers to the theme of struggle and tells the story of a man who has been tried to subjugate for a long time... Since then, two parts have been released, which continue this narrative: "The Unforgiven" II и III. The iconic metal trilogy is what we're going to talk about today... .
History of Creation
According to one of the group's founding members Lars Ulrichhe and his colleagues wanted to do something new and uncharacteristic of the "Metallica.". The band has experimented with ballads before, as evidenced by the first-class "Fade to Black," "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" и "One.". But this time he outdid himself. The musicians decided to work on dynamics, endowing their creation with heavy verses and softer, melodic chorus, which is accompanied by electric and acoustic guitars. The result outshone all expectations... The music exactly reflects the feelings and bitterness of the main character, whose feelings were indifferent to everyone all his life.
Interesting fact: the French horn we can hear in the intro was taken from one western film. It was "disguised" by the band so that nobody could guess where it came from! The secret is simple: the sound was simply played backwards! Fearing claims from copyright holders, the Los Angeles-based crew won't admit what kind of motion picture served as a treasure trove. Vocalist James Hatfield. It's believed to be a tape from 1965 "A few dollars more." with Clint Eastwood.
The meaning of each part
"The Unforgiven" is sung in the third person. It tells the story of the main character's life from birth to his death. The title of the song is easily explained: it is the nickname of the character - "Unforgiven.". In each verse, this man informs us that he has labelled himself in this way. From a tender age, he is tried to enslave - forced to follow the rules imposed by society. For most of his life, the hero of the ballad hides his real character and ambitions, following the instructions from the outside... Of course, people only use him for their own purposes. But at some point, the man has an inner voice: our hero decides that from now on he will not obey anyone and nothing! He confidently takes the path of struggle and makes a vow: "Do not submit to the will of others". The tedious battle lasts for the rest of his days... And then, having already lost interest in everything with bitterness, he realises that he was doomed from the beginning. Then with pain and sadness he names everyone: "Unforgiven!" The old man couldn't forgive the people who killed the personality in him.....
"The Unforgiven II" is about a relationship between a man and a woman. She had a bad experience in a relationship, after which she became very withdrawn, closed in herself... The hero of the song tries his best to make her happy, giving his love and care! But it doesn't help. Because of this, the man calls her "Unforgiven". Judging by the clips, the guy from the first part and the man from the second part are the same person.
"The Unforgiven III" is about a man whose main goal has always been wealth. But at some point he realises that money does not bring him happiness... On the contrary.
Music video
The music video that accompanied the first part is in black and white. It shows a captive boy imprisoned in a windowless stone room. He grows up and then grows old... Throughout the years, he is busy trying to cut out the window, occasionally grabbing the locket....
The clip has been published on YouTube in 2009and as of 2021 the year gained more than 388 million Views.
Live performance
"Metallica." Regularly performed this heartfelt ballad during her live performances, including two world tours "Wherever We May Roam" и "Nowhere Else to Roam" in favour of "The Black Album".
Interesting fact: the live version of the song includes a second solo, which is played towards the end. It is missing in the original, and after the beginning of the noughties "Metallica." very rarely played it in concert.