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The Memory Remains

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"The Memory Remains"
Single by Metallica
from the album Reload
B-side
ReleasedNovember 11, 1997
GenreHard rock[1]
Length4:38
LabelElektra
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)James Hetfield
Producer(s)
Metallica singles chronology
"Bleeding Me"
(1997) 		"The Memory Remains"
(1997) 		"The Unforgiven II"
(1998)
Music video
"The Memory Remains" on YouTube

"The Memory Remains" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. Written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, it was the lead single from the band's seventh studio album, Reload, released in 1997. The song was first performed live in a "jam" version on July 2, 1996.[2] British singer Marianne Faithfull was featured on backing vocals, as Hetfield felt her "weathered, smellin'-the-cigarettes-on-the-CD voice" fit what he described as "the whole eeriness of the Sunset Boulevard-feel of the song", given the lyrics tell the story of a faded artist who goes insane from losing her fame.[3]

The spoken words "Say yes, at least say hello", during the outro, are a reference to The Misfits, the last complete movie in which Marilyn Monroe starred.[4]

It can be heard playing in the strip club Bada Bing! in the episode of The Sopranos, "The Knight in White Satin Armor". It is also used as one of the theme songs for WrestleMania XXVIII.

Asked if he would have bought Reload, bassist Jason Newsted said, "Not if I heard 'The Memory Remains' first."[5]

Demo

[edit]

The song's demo was called "Memory" and was recorded in Lars Ulrich's home musical studio "Dungeon" on March 6, 1995, (take 1) and March 17, 1995 (take 2).

Other versions

[edit]

The band, with Marianne Faithfull, performed the song on the December 6, 1997, edition of Saturday Night Live. A live version was released as B-side to the single "The Unforgiven II". It was later performed with the San Francisco Symphony (conducted by Michael Kamen) for S&M and again for S&M2 (conducted by Edwin Outwater). Another live version was included on Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria. According to a post on Metallica's Facebook wall, they performed the song, again with Faithfull, on December 7, 2011, at the Fillmore in San Francisco.

Critical reception

[edit]

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Rock radio is already way hip to this smokin' jam from the band's new album, "Re-load". The time has come for popsters to climb aboard and join the fun. With its grinding, slow groove and winding melody, "The Memory Remains" has the traditional song structure and crisp production needed to attract listeners who don't usually indulge in such guitar-heavy fare. In fact, this song has the potential to draw a pile of new people into the band's already massive legion of fans."[6]

Chart performance

[edit]

The single was successful, hitting number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 3 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. It was Metallica's last appearance in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 until 2008's "The Day That Never Comes". The song was Faithfull's first Top 40 single on the Hot 100 since 1965's "Summer Nights", and her last to date.

Music video

[edit]

The music video, directed by Paul Andresen, features a surreal, anti-gravity concept. The band plays on a large, suspended platform making full and continuous rotations throughout the performance, like an enormous swing. The platform and band are actually stationary and the room, a giant constructed box, spins around it. Faithfull sings in a dark corridor and turns the crank of a street organ, the crank presumably attached to the rotating platform upon which the band plays. In some scenes paper money rains down, an allegorical reference. Throughout the music video, Jason Newsted fingerpicks his bass, despite almost exclusively playing with a pick throughout his career.

According to Encyclopedia Metallica, the video was shot at the Van Nuys Airport and cost $400,000, with the large platform costing over $100,000. The video premiered on MTV's Mattrock on November 15, 1997.[2]

Track listing

[edit]
CD single (ReLoad)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Memory Remains"
4:38
2."Fuel (work in progress with different lyrics)"
4:41
3."Memory (Demo)"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
6:41
CD single (UK pt. 2)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Memory Remains"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
4:38
2."The Outlaw Torn (Unencumbered by Manufacturing Restrictions Version)"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
10:48
3."King Nothing (Tepid Mix)"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
  • Hammett
5:07
CD 2-track single (U.S. and Canada) and 7" single (Europe)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Memory Remains"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
4:38
2."For Whom the Bell Tolls (Haven't Heard It Yet Mix)"
4:39

Personnel

[edit]

Metallica

Additional performer

Production

  • "The Memory Remains", "Fuel for Fire", and "The Outlaw Torn" produced by Bob Rock with Hetfield and Ulrich
  • "The Memory Remains" and "Fuel for Fire" mixed by Randy Staub
  • "The Outlaw Torn" mixed by Mike Fraser
  • "The Memory Remains" and "The Outlaw Torn" mastered by George Marino
  • "King Nothing (Tepid Mix)" remixed by Sascha Konietzko
  • "For Whom the Bell Tolls (Haven't Heard It Yet Mix)" remixed by DJ Spooky

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[7] 6
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 20
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 28
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[10] 4
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[11] 25
Czech Republic (IFPI)[12] 4
Denmark (Tracklisten)[13] 13
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[14] 13
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[15] 1
Germany (GfK)[16] 20
Hungary (Mahasz)[17] 4
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[18] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[19] 13
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 17
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 15
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] 23
Norway (VG-lista)[23] 3
Poland (ZPAV Airplay)[24] 12
Scotland (OCC)[25] 14
Spain (AFYVE)[26] 3
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 30
UK Singles (OCC)[29] 13
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[30] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[31] 28
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[32] 3

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[33] Platinum 70,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format Label
Europe November 10, 1997
Elektra
United States November 11, 1997
Elektra

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "If You Still Hate Metallica For 'Load' And 'Reload,' Here's Why You Need To Reconsider". August 3, 2015.
  2. ^ a b The Memory Remains EncycMet.com. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
  3. ^ "CMJ New Music Monthly". CMJ Network, Inc. February 1, 1998 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Dome, Malcolm; Wall, Mick (2013). Metallica: The Music and the Mayhem. Omnibus Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-85712-721-1.
  5. ^ "2001: A Rock Odyssey". Classic Rock #36. January 2002. p. 40.
  6. ^ Flick, Larry (November 29, 1997). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 65. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  7. ^ "Metallica – The Memory Remains". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  8. ^ "Metallica – The Memory Remains" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  9. ^ "Metallica – The Memory Remains" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  10. ^ "Metallica Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3425." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  12. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF) (in Czech). IFPI CR. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "Metallica – The Memory Remains". Tracklisten.
  14. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 24. December 6, 1997. p. 12. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  15. ^ "Metallica: The Memory Remains" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  16. ^ "Metallica – The Memory Remains" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  17. ^ "Top 10 Hungary" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  18. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (18.–25. 12. 1997)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). December 19, 1997. p. 34. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  19. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Memory Remains". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  20. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Metallica" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  21. ^ "Metallica – The Memory Remains" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  22. ^ "Metallica – The Memory Remains". Top 40 Singles.
  23. ^ "Metallica – The Memory Remains". VG-lista.
  24. ^ "Major Market Airplay" (PDF). Music & Media. November 22, 1997. p. 25. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  26. ^ "Hits of the World – Spain". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 13, 1997. p. 51. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  27. ^ "Metallica – The Memory Remains". Singles Top 100.
  28. ^ "Metallica – The Memory Remains". Swiss Singles Chart.
  29. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  30. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  31. ^ "Metallica Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  32. ^ "Metallica Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  33. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
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