… And Justice for All (song)
| ... And Justice for All | |
|---|---|
| Metallica | |
| publication | September 6, 1988 |
| length | 9:46 (album version) 5:59 (radio edit) |
| Genre (s) | Thrash metal |
| Author (s) | James Hetfield , Lars Ulrich , Kirk Hammett |
| album | ... And Justice for All |
... And Justice for All ( English for "... and justice for all") is a song by the US metal band Metallica . It was released in 1989 as a promo single from their album of the same name . The song title consists of the last four words of the Pledge of Allegiance , the US oath of allegiance.
Emergence
According to Lars Ulrich , the song was built around a drum beat he played, "this strange drum beat" "which I thought up one day in the rehearsal room."
The 1979 film ... and Justice for All with Al Pacino was also referred to as a source of inspiration for the text .
Music genre
… And Justice for All is a technically sophisticated, break- containing Thrash Metal song in E minor , which consists of many different parts and works with tempo changes . The riffing was described as "startling and unusual" and the "remarkable use of varied instrumental textures and levels" highlighted. It begins with a rather slow intro , partly played with undistorted guitars , which is kept at a tempo of 96 BPM . This is followed by a tempo change with a distorted, downward-leading break part at a tempo of around 160 BPM, then the main part of the intro begins with the basic riff at 168 BPM. The song has three stanzas, each followed by a preface before the respective chorus. After the second chorus, however, the introductory break part follows again and an interlude with a guitar solo, the slower intro part is also repeated before the third verse follows. The last chorus is followed by an outro section dominated by two-part guitar runs. In the song frequently is a 6 / 4 used ¯ clock.
content
The lyrics were partly related to social injustice in general - “a government that is more interested in maintaining its own power than in improving the living conditions of the population” - but the band related to the judiciary in particular.
“It's about the legal system in the US that doesn't seem like anyone is interested in finding out the truth. It is becoming more and more of a one-lawyer-against-another-guy situation, in which the best (that is to say: most expensive) lawyer can twist justice as it suits him. "
In the text of the refrain, Justitia , who is also explicitly called "Lady Justice" in the stanza, is portrayed as raped:
Justice is lost
Justice is raped,
Justice is gone.
background
… And Justice for All is the fifth longest song in Metallica's band history and the second longest after To Live Is to Die (9:49) on the album of the same name. Otherwise only The Outlaw Torn by Load (9:48), Suicide & Redemption by Death Magnetic (9:57) and Mercyful Fate , a cover medley of songs by the band of the same name on Garage Inc. with 11:12 minutes. As part of the new release of the album ... And Justice for All in 2018 ("Remastered Deluxe Box Set"), the radio edit version of the song , which was about 4 minutes shorter, was released as a bonus.
Live performance
The song wasn't played live very often at first because of its complexity. On the Damaged Justice tour for the album … And Justice for All , however, this was the case. However, the intro of the piece was and is played back as a recording, as it requires at least three guitars. Later the song was played many times, but not performed in full. On the sick-of-the-studio tour in June 2007, the band played the piece completely live in Lisbon for the first time in a long time. In 2007, 2008 and 2009 the piece was played live several times, including in 2008 at Rock am Ring . It is also included on the Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria DVD , a live recording from Mexico City .
Re-use
The song also appeared in the video game Rock Band in a Metallica three-pack.
Track list
- ... And Justice for All (Edit) - 5:58
- … And Justice for All ( LP version) - 9:46
literature
Mick Wall, Malcom Dome: Metallica. Story and songs compact . Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-86543-273-5 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c Mick Wall, Malcom Dome: Metallica. Story and songs compact . Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-86543-273-5 , p. 53.
- ↑ Song Info -… And Justice For All . ( Memento of April 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) encycmet.com
- ^ Wolf Marshall: Introduction , in: Metallica:… And Justice for All , Songbook. Cherry Lane Music, 1989, p. 4.
- ↑ a b Metallica:… And Justice for All , Songbook. Cherry Lane Music, 1989, p. 13.
- ↑ ... And Justice for All (Remastered Deluxe Box Set). In: spotify.com. Retrieved May 14, 2020 .