Ride the Lightning (song)
Encyclopedia
"Ride the Lightning" is the title track of the 1984
album
by heavy metal
band Metallica
. The original version of the song was found on the Horsemen Of The Apocalypse demo with Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney. The version found on Ride the Lightning is slightly different due to input from Cliff Burton so he was credited as well as Hetfield, Ulrich and Mustaine.
The theme of the song is that of a man who has been sentenced to execution in the electric chair
. He opens by acknowledging his guilt ("guilty as 'charged'"), but still questions who made the judge "God to say" that he should die. Later on the man starts to feel the fear while the execution is prepared and asks himself what he is doing in the electric chair. By the end of the song he just wants to get it over with.
It is speculated that the song is based on a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone
written by Charles Beaumont
entitled "Shadow Play
". The episode begins in a courtroom, where Adam Grant (Dennis Weaver
) is convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to the electric chair. Shouting, "It's happening all over again!", Grant insists that his trial, conviction, and execution are all part of a recurring nightmare, and that when he dies, the world around him and all its occupants will likewise cease to exist.
In a live recording from 1983, James Hetfield states that "This one is dedicated to our friend in Georgia", leading to the possibility that it is about an actual person as opposed to fictional events.
In an interview with Guitar World
magazine, James Hetfield
has stated that the song is not an indictment of the death penalty
, in which he is a believer, but simply an exploration of the concept of being in a terrible situation with no control.
1984 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1984.-Janury-March:*January 21 – "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart, despite being banned by the BBC; it spends a total of forty-two weeks in the Top 40.*January 27 – Michael Jackson's...
album
Ride the Lightning
Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 27, 1984 through the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on November 5, 1987 and was most recently certified 5x platinum on June 9, 2003...
by heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
. The original version of the song was found on the Horsemen Of The Apocalypse demo with Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney. The version found on Ride the Lightning is slightly different due to input from Cliff Burton so he was credited as well as Hetfield, Ulrich and Mustaine.
The theme of the song is that of a man who has been sentenced to execution in the electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
. He opens by acknowledging his guilt ("guilty as 'charged'"), but still questions who made the judge "God to say" that he should die. Later on the man starts to feel the fear while the execution is prepared and asks himself what he is doing in the electric chair. By the end of the song he just wants to get it over with.
It is speculated that the song is based on a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
written by Charles Beaumont
Charles Beaumont
Charles Beaumont was a prolific American author of speculative fiction, including short stories in the horror and science fiction subgenres. He is remembered as a writer of classic Twilight Zone episodes, such as "The Howling Man", "Miniature", and "Printer's Devil", but also penned the...
entitled "Shadow Play
Shadow Play (1961 The Twilight Zone episode)
"Shadow Play" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It was remade under the same title as part of the 1980s series of the show.-Synopsis:...
". The episode begins in a courtroom, where Adam Grant (Dennis Weaver
Dennis Weaver
William Dennis Weaver was an American actor, best known for his work in television, including roles on Gunsmoke, as Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC police drama McCloud, and the 1971 TV movie Duel....
) is convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to the electric chair. Shouting, "It's happening all over again!", Grant insists that his trial, conviction, and execution are all part of a recurring nightmare, and that when he dies, the world around him and all its occupants will likewise cease to exist.
In a live recording from 1983, James Hetfield states that "This one is dedicated to our friend in Georgia", leading to the possibility that it is about an actual person as opposed to fictional events.
In an interview with Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
magazine, James Hetfield
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
has stated that the song is not an indictment of the death penalty
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
, in which he is a believer, but simply an exploration of the concept of being in a terrible situation with no control.