Best Metal Videos of All Time
Honourable Mention 5: One — Metallica
Number 5, halfway through the honourabe mentions, what could go wrong?
Honourable mention: One—Metalica, Score = 9 points
Score justification: 8 points for the song, +1 point for story = 9 points;
The video is a mix of the band performing and a documentary, right? No, the film footage in the video clip is from the movie Johnny Got His Gun. And don’t mention the documentary.
Some Kind of Monster? Why not? Because the three most famous heavy metal documentaries are basically mockumentaries. Spinal Tap—a deserved classic—is an actual mockumentary, while Anvil! The Story of Anvil[1] and Some Kind of Monster are so cringe-inducing that they might as well be mockumentaries.
Cringe-inducing? Metal heroes like James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich? Cringe-inducing enough to make Jason Newsted quit. So cringe-inducing, that Dave Mustaine didn’t want to appear in it. Cringe-inducing—partly—even to Hetfield himself as he wanted to cut a scene in which Ulrich sold part of his art collection at Christie’s for $13.4 million. So ultimately cringe-inducing, in fact, that Metallica’s label Elektra considered releasing it as a reality TV show[2], which made Metallica buy the rights for $4.3 million in order to gain full control.
Anyway, they used footage from an actual movie. So now they’re still paying royalties? They got tired of doing that, so just bought the rights to the film[3]. It seems to be a Metallica thing: if something’s too complicated, just buy your way out of it.
Wasn’t that more expensive? I suspect not, as “One” has almost 300 million views on Youtube. Plus they would have to pay royalties also when they use footage during their live shows, of which “One” is a staple.
So you dislike the video. Not at all, otherwise it wouldn’t have made this list. The song is quite good and the way it incorporates Johnny Got His Gun[4] is fantastic. The black & white band shots mix well with the theme of the movie. A classic video, alright.
So why is it not a ten? Same reason I can’t stand to listen to (basically good songs like) Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water”—it’s way overplayed. Heard it so many times I eventually got tired of it[5].
Don’t say: Hey Lars, here’s a painting from a fellow drummer, yours for a measly million dollars.
Also don’t say: Hey Kirk, somebody stole your wha-wah pedal!
Do say: When they put their mind to it, Metallica can still produce the odd great song[6].
🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
[1] That’s really the title *sigh*;
[2] Which never happened. For that, check Ozzy;
[3] By that time, And Justice for All was 8 x platinum in the USA, so they did have some spare change;
[4] Which was originally a novel by Dalton Trumbo before it was adapted to the screen;
[5] Although not as sick and tired as from “Enter Sandman”;
[6] But not an album full of them like their first three;