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The Unforgiven (song)

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"The Unforgiven"
Single by Metallica
from the album Metallica
B-side
  • "Killing Time"
  • "So What?"
  • "The Unforgiven" (demo)
ReleasedOctober 28, 1991 (1991-10-28)
RecordedOctober 1990
StudioOne on One, Los Angeles
GenreHeavy metal
Length6:27
LabelElektra
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)James Hetfield
Producer(s)
Metallica singles chronology
"Enter Sandman"
(1991)
"The Unforgiven"
(1991)
"Nothing Else Matters"
(1992)
Music video
"The Unforgiven" on YouTube

"The Unforgiven" is a power ballad by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the second single from their eponymous fifth album Metallica (also known as The Black Album). The song deals with the theme of the struggle of the individual against the efforts of those who would subjugate him.[1]

The song has since spawned two sequels, in the form of "The Unforgiven II", from the album Reload, and "The Unforgiven III", from the album Death Magnetic.

"The Unforgiven"

[edit]

History

[edit]

Lars Ulrich explained that the band wanted to try something new with the idea of a ballad. Instead of the standard melodic verse and heavy chorus – as evidenced on their previous ballads "Fade to Black", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" and "One" – the band opted to reverse the dynamic, with heavy, distorted verses and a softer, melodic chorus, played with clean electric and acoustic guitars. The opening section contains percussive instruments performed by Ulrich, and also a small amount of keyboards.[citation needed]

In the documentary "Classic Albums" Metallica: The Black Album, James Hetfield could not identify where the horn intro was taken from and explained that it was reversed so its source would be hidden.[2]

Kirk Hammett said his solo was a last minute improvisation of "raw emotion" after the ideas he came with at the studio ended up not working. Pleased with the result, Hammett said it was the starting point of him playing less scripted solos in future songs.[3]

Live performances

[edit]

"The Unforgiven" was played live as part of Metallica's "Wherever We May Roam" and "Nowhere Else to Roam" world tours, which lasted from 1991 to 1993, in support of The Black Album. It was played again after being off the setlist for 11 years on the Madly in Anger with the World Tour in 2004 and has been continued to be played during all of the bands' tours since.

The live version of "The Unforgiven" includes a second solo near the end of the song that the original recording did not have, although this part has rarely been played since the early 2000s.

Music video

[edit]

An accompanying video was released for the song. The black-and-white video is themed around a barefoot and shirtless boy born in captivity who spends his life in a windowless stone room. As the video progresses, he ages into an adult and then an old man. He spends his entire life carving into the stone to create a window while occasionally grasping his one possession: a key. It is implied that another captive lives on the other side of the stone room. The video ends with the old man finally creating a window, through which he deposits his possession. He blocks off the tunnel through which he crawled to access the cell using the square of stone he created when he made the window, then lies down to die. An 11:33 long, "theatrical" version of the video exists, featuring several minutes of introductory scenes that precede the timeline of the main portion of the video. This version was featured on The Videos 1989–2004, the band's 2006 music video compilation.

Track listings

[edit]
US cassette
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven"6:27
2."Killing Time"3:05
International CD single
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven"6:29
2."Killing Time"3:08
3."The Unforgiven" (Demo)6:15
International 12" single
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven"6:27
2."Killing Time"3:04
3."So What"3:07
4."The Unforgiven" (Demo)6:18

Charts

[edit]

Weekly charts

[edit]
Chart (1991–1992) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[4] 10
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[5] 30
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[6] 46
Finland (The Official Finnish Charts)[7] 4
France (SNEP)[8] 28
Germany (GfK)[9] 47
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 22
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11] 27
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 25
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 24
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 32
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 20
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 15
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 35
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[18] 10
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[19] 93

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[20] 3× Platinum 210,000
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[21] Gold 30,000
Italy (FIMI)[22] Gold 35,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[23] Gold 30,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[25] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

[edit]

"The Unforgiven II"

[edit]
"The Unforgiven II"
Single by Metallica
from the album Reload
B-side
  • "Helpless" (live)
  • "The Four Horsemen" (live)
  • "Of Wolf and Man" (live)
  • "The Thing That Should Not Be" (live)
  • "The Memory Remains" (live)
  • "King Nothing" (live)
  • "No Remorse" (live)
  • "Am I Evil?" (live)
  • "The Unforgiven II" (demo)
ReleasedFebruary 23, 1998 (1998-02-23)
StudioThe Plant (Sausalito, California)
GenreHeavy metal
Length6:36
LabelElektra
Composer(s)
  • James Hetfield
  • Kirk Hammett
  • Lars Ulrich
Lyricist(s)James Hetfield
Producer(s)
  • Bob Rock
  • James Hetfield
  • Lars Ulrich
Metallica singles chronology
"The Memory Remains"
(1997)
"The Unforgiven II"
(1998)
"Fuel"
(1998)
Music video
"The Unforgiven II" on YouTube

"The Unforgiven II" was written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett and appears on the album Reload as a sequel to "The Unforgiven." Both songs have similar musical themes. The chord progression during the verses is strikingly similar to the one used in the chorus on "The Unforgiven". Hetfield's verse melody is played with a B-Bender guitar; a guitar that allows the player to bend the B string independently of other strings.[26]

"The Unforgiven II" video is similar to the first video's story, though a tunnel is substituted for the blank room shown in the first video. It begins with a shirtless boy stuck in a wall, showing the wall breaking piece by piece as the boy ages. As the video progresses, it becomes more abstract, with waves crashing on the other side of the wall and rupturing it, making the wall smaller each time. The final scene shows the remaining piece of the wall turning into a woman, with the now older boy's hand still embedded in her back. The boy opens his hand, allowing the woman to take the key out of his hand and allowing him to take his hand out of the wall.[27]

"The Unforgiven II" was first performed live on December 8, 1997, at that year's Billboard Music Awards. The song was not played in a live setting again for the next 17 years, until Metallica re-introduced it into the setlist for their 2015 European festival tours.[28] Following its performance in Gelsenkirchen, Germany's Rock Im Revier festival, Metallica then included it in the setlists of their next three shows.[29]

Track listings

[edit]
International single Part 1
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."Helpless" (Live)4:15
3."The Four Horsemen" (Live)6:19
4."Of Wolf and Man" (Live)4:31
US single
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."The Thing That Should Not Be" (Live)4:40
International single Part 2
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."The Thing That Should Not Be" (Live)7:33
3."The Memory Remains" (Live)4:19
4."King Nothing" (Live)7:14
International single Part 3
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."No Remorse" (Live)4:54
3."Am I Evil?" (Live)5:09
4."The Unforgiven II" (Demo)7:14
Japanese EP
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:38
2."The Thing That Should Not Be" (Live)7:31
3."The Memory Remains" (Live)4:28
4."No Remorse" (Live)4:52
5."Am I Evil?" (Live)5:11
6."The Unforgiven II" (Demo)7:13
European single
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."The Memory Remains" (Live)4:19

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[20] Platinum 70,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[53] Gold 45,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States January 12, 1998 Alternative radio Elektra [54]
United Kingdom February 23, 1998 CD [55]
Japan April 22, 1998 Sony [56]

"The Unforgiven III"

[edit]
"The Unforgiven III"
Song by Metallica
from the album Death Magnetic
ReleasedSeptember 12, 2008 (2008-09-12)
GenreHeavy metal
Length7:47
LabelWarner Bros.
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)James Hetfield
Producer(s)Rick Rubin
Death Magnetic track listing
10 tracks
  1. "That Was Just Your Life"
  2. "The End of the Line"
  3. "Broken, Beat & Scarred"
  4. "The Day That Never Comes"
  5. "All Nightmare Long"
  6. "Cyanide"
  7. "The Unforgiven III"
  8. "The Judas Kiss"
  9. "Suicide & Redemption"
  10. "My Apocalypse"

"The Unforgiven III" appears on the album Death Magnetic, released in 2008. "The Unforgiven III" is structured similarly to "The Unforgiven", containing a heavy verse and a soft chorus, "The Unforgiven II" had the opposite by having a soft verse and a heavy chorus. The chorus of "The Unforgiven III" is missing the "What I've felt, what I've known" phrase that was included in its predecessors' choruses. "The Unforgiven III" is also missing the opening horn note, instead beginning with piano with and an orchestra in the background. The chords progression during the piano intro is the same as the choruses of the previous songs. Unlike its predecessors, "The Unforgiven III" features as the seventh track on Death Magnetic, due to the band wanting "The Day That Never Comes" to be the fourth track after they returned to writing ballads. However, due to the song being the counterpart of "The Day That Never Comes", it is the fourth song from closing the album.[citation needed] This is the first "Unforgiven" not to be released as a single or to have a music video.

In an interview for MTV, James Hetfield said that the song is "continuation of the same storyline about sin and consequence, forgiveness and unforgiveness." Hetfield has also said that, of all parts of "The Unforgiven," this is his favorite.[57] Robert Trujillo said "it's got a great flow and it's very dynamic. It's somehow connected to the [remaining] body music of the album."[58]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic in his review of the album, described the song as having "symphonic tension".[59] A live version was performed for the first time on April 14, 2010, in Oslo, Norway, and only played a few times afterwards with the last performance being on November 21, 2010. It was played for the first time in almost eight years in Lincoln, Nebraska, on September 6, 2018, and was next performed on the two nights of Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony's S&M2 at the Chase Center, albeit in an alternate form featuring only Hetfield and the orchestra.[60][61] In 2010, it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance but lost to "War Machine" by AC/DC.[62]

Chart performance

[edit]
Chart (2008) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[63] 41
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[64] 50
Denmark (Tracklisten)[65] 24
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[66] 16
Norway (VG-lista)[67] 8
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[68] 34
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[69] 120

Personnel

[edit]
Metallica
Additional musicians

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[20] Gold 35,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ True, Chris. "Metallica: The Unforgiven". AllMusic. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  2. ^ James Hetfield (November 12, 2001). "Classic Albums" Metallica: The Black Album. The [intro to The Unforgiven] was lifted from somewhere and turned backwards so no one knows who or where it came
  3. ^ How recording The Unforgiven changed Kirk Hammett's approach to guitar solos forever
  4. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  6. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 47. November 23, 1991. p. 27.
  7. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2003). Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 951-1-21053-X.
  8. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  9. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  10. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Unforgiven". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  11. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 1, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  12. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  13. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  14. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  15. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  16. ^ "Metallica: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  17. ^ "Metallica Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  18. ^ "Metallica Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  19. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  21. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Metallica – The Unforgiven" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  22. ^ "Italian single certifications – Metallica – The Unforgiven" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  23. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Metallica – The Unforgiven". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  24. ^ "British single certifications – Metallica – The Unforgiven". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  25. ^ "American single certifications – Metallica – The Unforgiven". Recording Industry Association of America.
  26. ^ Breathnach, Cillian (March 2, 2020). "Ever wondered how a b-bender works?". BandLab Technologies. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  27. ^ "Metallica - The Unforgiven II (Official Music Video)". NME. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  28. ^ "Hear Metallica Perform 'The Unforgiven II' Live For The Second Time Ever". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  29. ^ "The Unforgiven II". Metallica.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  30. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  31. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  32. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 11. March 14, 1998. p. 12.
  33. ^ "Metallica: The Unforgiven II" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  34. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  35. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  36. ^ "Top National Sellers". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 14. April 4, 1998. p. 12.
  37. ^ "Top National Sellers". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 15. April 11, 1998. p. 12.
  38. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (5.2.–12.2. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). February 6, 1998. p. 26. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  39. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Unforgiven II". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  40. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 12, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  41. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  42. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  43. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II". VG-lista. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  44. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  45. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  46. ^ "Metallica: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  47. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  48. ^ "Metallica Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  49. ^ "Metallica Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  50. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1998". ARIA. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  51. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 100 – Vinsælustu lögin '98". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 2, 1999. p. 34. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  52. ^ "The Year in Music 1998: Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. YE-84.
  53. ^ "Danish single certifications – Metallica – The Unforgiven". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  54. ^ "Be on the Lookout". Gavin Report. No. 2187. January 9, 1998. p. 34.
  55. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. February 21, 1998. p. 29.
  56. ^ "Metallica". Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Archived from the original on January 24, 2001. Retrieved August 25, 2023. Click on Discography.
  57. ^ Video on YouTube
  58. ^ "Headbangers Ball > Headbangers Ball 20th Anniversary - 20 Years of Metallica". MTV. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  59. ^ Thomas, Stephen (September 12, 2008). "Metallica: Death Magnetic". AllMusic. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  60. ^ "The Unforgiven III". Metallica.com.
  61. ^ "The first ever setlist at @chase_center! And night one of #SandM2 is in the books". Twitter. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  62. ^ "AC/DC Wins GRAMMY For 'Best Hard Rock Performance' - Jan. 31, 2010". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  63. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven III". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  64. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven III" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  65. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven III". Tracklisten. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  66. ^ "Metallica: The Unforgiven III" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  67. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven III". VG-lista. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  68. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven III". Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  69. ^ Chart Log UK 1994–2010: M zobbel.de. Retrieved July 10, 2016.