Hero of the Day

"Hero of the Day" is a power ballad by American heavy metal band Metallica from their 1996 album Load. The song was first recorded on December 13, 1995, and was the first song on Load to be recorded. The song was also Metallica's second single release from the album. A promotional video for the track was also filmed. It became their second consecutive number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It is one of the few Metallica songs written primarily in a major key.

According to article in Kerrang around time of Load release, the demo for the song is entitled "Mouldy" due to the main riff reminding James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich of a typical Bob Mould sound. The demo was recorded on December 10, 1994, one of the earliest demo recordings for the Load sessions (the first demo to be recorded was for Wasting My Hate on November 28, 1994).

This single is notable for including four Motörhead cover songs, recorded live direct to two-track at The Plant Studios during a rehearsal for Lemmy's 50th Birthday Party at the Whiskey A Go-Go, Los Angeles. These b-sides were later released on the second CD of the Garage Inc. compilation in 1998.^[2]

Music video

The music video for this song was directed by Anton Corbijn and features a drug-addled youth watching a television, with every channel featuring Metallica in some way. A Western movie titled Load is featured, starring Newsted and Hetfield, followed by a boxing match with Hetfield as coach, and Newsted and Kirk Hammett as the fighters. After a drink called "Load" is advertised by Ulrich and Hetfield in matching suits, a game show called "Hero of the Day" (which is a parody of Jeopardy!) is seen being played of which Jason Newsted is the host. Then, it cuts to the news with the anchorman played by Hammett and featuring a clip of Hetfield singing the lyrics to the song. A girl calls at the youth's house and they later try having sex, but the young man can't have an arousal, and visually disappointed, leans back in his bed.^[3] The girl later leaves. At the end, the youth passes out and dreams of tiny robot creatures, rendered in stop motion, emerging from his ear. He awakes from the dream and vomits into his toilet.

Track listing

US single
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hero of the Day"	4:24
2.	"Kill/Ride Medley" (Live)	10:17

International Single Part 1
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hero of the Day"	4:22
2.	"Overkill"	4:07
3.	"Damage Case"	3:53
4.	"Hero of the Day" (Outta B-Sides Mix)	6:34

International Single Part 2
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hero of the Day"	4:22
2.	"Stone Dead Forever"	5:06
3.	"Too Late Too Late"	3:18
4.	"Mouldy" (aka Hero of the Day - early demo version)	5:22

Limited Edition CD (MotörheadACHE)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hero of the Day"	4:23
2.	"Overkill"	4:09
3.	"Damage Case"	3:39
4.	"Stone Dead Forever"	4:52
5.	"Too Late Too Late"	3:12

Japanese EP
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hero of the Day"	4:24
2.	"Mouldy" (aka Hero of the Day - early demo version)	5:25
3.	"Hero of the Day" (Outta B Side Mix)	6:37
4.	"Stone Dead Forever"	4:50
5.	"Damage Case"	3:38
6.	"Too Late Too Late"	3:12

Charts

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)	17
Polish Singles Chart^[4]	19
UK Singles Chart	17
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	60
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	1

References

↑ "Hero of the Day". Release date. Metallica.com. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
↑ "Metallica Cover Songs - Other bands songs that Metallica have covered".
↑ "Metallica - "Hero Of The Day" Official Video, directed by Anton Corbijn Video on YouTube". External link in |title= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
↑ "Polish Singles Chart |".

Preceded by "Me Wise Magic" by Van Halen	Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one single December 7, 1996 – December 21, 1996	Succeeded by "Blow Up the Outside World" by Soundgarden

Metallica

James Hetfield Lars Ulrich Kirk Hammett Robert Trujillo Ron McGovney Dave Mustaine Cliff Burton Jason Newsted

Studio albums	Kill 'Em All Ride the Lightning Master of Puppets ...And Justice for All Metallica Load Reload St. Anger Death Magnetic

Live albums	S&M Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria (with Anthrax, Megadeth & Slayer) Live at Grimey's Through the Never

Cover albums	Garage Inc.

Collaboration projects	Lulu (with Lou Reed)

Extended plays	The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited Six Feet Down Under Six Feet Down Under Part II Beyond Magnetic The 30th Anniversary Celebration

Box sets	The Good, the Bad & the Live Live Shit: Binge & Purge Limited-Edition Vinyl Box Set The Metallica Collection

Singles	"Whiplash" "Jump in the Fire" "Creeping Death" "Master of Puppets" "Harvester of Sorrow" "Eye of the Beholder" "One" "Enter Sandman" "The Unforgiven" "Nothing Else Matters" "Wherever I May Roam" "Sad but True" "Until It Sleeps" "Hero of the Day" "Mama Said" "King Nothing" "The Memory Remains" "The Unforgiven II" "Fuel" "Turn the Page" "Whiskey in the Jar" "Die, Die My Darling" "Nothing Else Matters '99" "No Leaf Clover" "I Disappear" "St. Anger" "Frantic" "The Unnamed Feeling" "Some Kind of Monster" "The Day That Never Comes" "My Apocalypse" "Cyanide" "The Judas Kiss" "All Nightmare Long" "Broken, Beat & Scarred" "The View"

Promotional singles	"Fade to Black" "For Whom the Bell Tolls" "Don't Tread on Me" "Ain't My Bitch" "Bleeding Me" "Better than You"

Other songs	"Seek & Destroy" "Am I Evil?" "Blitzkrieg" "Breadfan" "The God That Failed" "Astronomy" "Tuesday's Gone" "Last Caress/Green Hell" "Stone Cold Crazy" "So What?" "Overkill" "The Unforgiven III"

Video albums	Cliff 'Em All 2 of One A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica For Those About to Rock Cunning Stunts S&M Classic Albums: Metallica – Metallica Some Kind of Monster The Videos 1989–2004 Français Pour une Nuit Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria (with Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax) Quebec Magnetic Metallica: Through the Never

Tours	Kill 'Em All for One Tour Ride the Lightning Tour Damage, Inc. Tour Monsters of Rock Tour 1987 Monsters of Rock Tour 1988 Damaged Justice Tour Wherever We May Roam Tour Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour Nowhere Else to Roam Tour Shit Hits the Sheds Tour Poor Touring Me Poor Re-Touring Me Tour Garage Remains the Same Tour M2K Mini Tour Summer Sanitarium Tour Summer Sanitarium 2003 Tour Madly in Anger with the World Tour Escape from the Studio '06 Sick of the Studio '07 2008 European Vacation Tour World Magnetic Tour 2012 European Black Album Tour

Related articles	Awards Discography Demos Songs Apocalyptica Beatallica Big Mick Rick Rubin Orion Music + More Beavis and Butt-head Echobrain Exodus Flotsam and Jetsam Metallica v. Napster, Inc. Megadeth Bob Rock A Tribute to the Four Horsemen The Blackest Album: An Industrial Tribute to Metallica Guitar Hero: Metallica (Songs) Metallic Assault: A Tribute to Metallica Metallic Attack: The Ultimate Tribute Newsted Dane DeHaan

Book:Metallica Category:Metallica Category:Metallica audio samples Portal:Heavy metal

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