"One" - Metallica (1988)
With the release of "...And Justice For All" in 1988, Metallica ended their self imposed moratorium against making promotional videos and gained their first Top 40 hit with this 7 minute plus prog-metal song.
The video alternates between black & white footage of the band in a bare room, shadows cast by the blades of a slowly rotating fan and scenes from Dalton Trumbo's 1971 anti-war film, "Johnny Got His Gun." The song and film both tell the tale of a young soldier wounded by enemy fire. Due to brain damage he has lost all sensory functions. All the parts and thematic variations flow perfectly making this one of Metallica's best works musically. Metallica would abandon this progressive approach in favor of shorter, commercially accessible songs after "...And Justice For All".
"One" approaches very serious subject matter and treats it with dignity, power and artistry. At the same time it gave us a taste of Metallica's potential and prepared us for the untitled "Black" album.
The video alternates between black & white footage of the band in a bare room, shadows cast by the blades of a slowly rotating fan and scenes from Dalton Trumbo's 1971 anti-war film, "Johnny Got His Gun." The song and film both tell the tale of a young soldier wounded by enemy fire. Due to brain damage he has lost all sensory functions. All the parts and thematic variations flow perfectly making this one of Metallica's best works musically. Metallica would abandon this progressive approach in favor of shorter, commercially accessible songs after "...And Justice For All".
"One" approaches very serious subject matter and treats it with dignity, power and artistry. At the same time it gave us a taste of Metallica's potential and prepared us for the untitled "Black" album.
posted by James
<< Home