For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica song)
| "For Whom the Bell Tolls" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| A-side | "For Whom the Bell Tolls (Edit)" |
"For Whom the Bell Tolls" is a song by Metallica, the third track from their second album Ride the Lightning. The song was composed by Cliff Burton, James Hetfield, and Lars Ulrich. The chromatic introduction (which is usually mistaken for an electric guitar) is in fact Cliff Burton playing his bass guitar through distortion and wah-wah. The intro was written by Burton before joining Metallica. Burton plays it in a 12-minute jam at a battle of the bands with his first band "Agent of Misfortune."[1] After the introduction, the bass settles into a steady triplet rhythm. The guitars in the song sound slightly sharper than a standard-tuned guitar should sound. However, this may not be intentional, as it is rumored that the song was sped up after recording. If the song was sped up too much or was sped up using low quality means, it would raise the pitch of the recording, thus apparently sharpening the guitar's tuning.
The song is about a section of the novel For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, in which International Brigades soldiers of the Spanish Civil War attempt to escape the fascists with their stolen horses and are killed by enemy aircraft on a hill on which they are surrounded.
Other versions
"For Whom the Bells Tolls" has also appeared on Metallica's live 1999 album S&M, in which Metallica performed with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
The live versions of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" are traditionally started off with a bass solo in memory of Burton.
A remix by DJ Spooky appears on the Spawn soundtrack. For some reason this song version is not available on any of the online versions of the CD except Napster; which ironically, Metallica sued in 2001.
Cover versions
- Drone metal band Sunn O))) recorded a loose cover of the song on their album Flight of the Behemoth, entitled "F.W.T.B.T. (I Dream of Lars Ulrich Being Thrown Through the Bus Window Instead of My Mystikal Master Kliff Burton)", the spelling of "Kliff" being a reference to the metal term Kvlt.
- The song was also covered partially in a live performance by punk rock band Sum 41.
- Another punk rock band, Goldfinger, played a partial cover at Bumbershoot in 1996.
- The forthcoming Moonsorrow EP Tulimyrsky will feature a cover of the song.
Tribute versions
- The song was covered by Eric Bloom, Al Pitrelli, Tony Franklin, and Aynsley Dunbar for the album Metallic Assault: A Tribute to Metallica.
Sampled on
- A song by The Bloodhound Gang called "Mope" features the chromatic introduction riff in the chorus of the song.
In popular culture
The 2007 West Virginia University Mountaineer football team used the song when running out of the tunnel before games, as part of a new tradition. While the song was played, clips from past WVU would play (such as Steve Slaton's 52 yard touchdown run in the 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl.)
- At Rutgers Football games, when there is a third down on defense, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" plays with the entire student section miming playing a guitar with three fingers.
- The tolling bells of the intro are sampled and played at Chicago's Soldier Field, whenever the Chicago Bears of the National Football League score a touchdown.
- This is the introduction song for Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko.
