Until It Sleeps

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"Until it Sleeps"

Single by Metallica
from the album Load
Released	May 21, 1996
Format	CD single
Recorded	1994
Genre	Hard Rock, Alternative Metal
Length	4:30
Label	Elektra Records
Writer(s)	James Hetfield Lars Ulrich
Producer(s)	Bob Rock James Hetfield Lars Ulrich
Chart positions
#10 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #1 U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks #27 U.S. Modern Rock Tracks #5 UK Singles Chart
Metallica singles chronology
Sad But True (1992)	Until It Sleeps (1996)	Ain't My Bitch (1996)

Until It Sleeps is the 4th song from Metallica's 1996 album Load, and is written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.

The song was an instant radio hit and predominantly marked Metallica's further departure from their previous thrash metal stylings into the realm of more alternative rock and bluesy music. The song was also performed with orchestral accompaniment during S&M. It was the band's first #1 on the Mainstream Rock charts.

An early demo version of this song was entitled "Fell on Black Days", but was changed because Soundgarden had a song of the same name.[1] [2]

[edit] Track Listing

CD Single 1

Until It Sleeps
2x4 (Live)
F.O.B.D. (aka Until It Sleeps - Early 'Writing In Progress' Version)

CD Single 2

Until It Sleeps
Kill / Ride Medley (Live)
Until It Sleeps (Herman Melville Mix)

[edit] Theme

The song itself is about cancer and how it killed both of Hetfield's parents. Being of the Christian Science faith, neither of them sought medical treatment. Believing that faith and God would heal them, both of Hetfield's parents succumbed to the disease. [3]

[edit] Video

The song also has a video directed by Samuel Bayer. It was shot in various locations around Los Angeles on May 6th and 7th in '96. It was premiered by MTV on May 23rd. The video depicts surreal concepts dealing with fall of the human. The concept of the video was taken from various paintings by Hieronymous Bosch. Apart from the general forms inspired from Bosch's paintings, the prominent figures in the video are the human eating monster from The Garden of Earthly Delights, the fall of Adam and Eve from Haywain and Christ in the Crucifige Eum (Crucify Him) scene of Ecce Homo.