Don't Tread on Me
| Don't Tread on Me | |
|---|---|
| Metallica | |
| publication | August 29, 1991 |
| length | 3:59 |
| Genre (s) | Heavy metal |
| Author (s) | James Hetfield , Lars Ulrich |
| Producer (s) | Bob Rock , James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich |
| Label | Elektra Records , Vertigo Records |
| album | Metallica |
Don't Tread on Me is a song by the US heavy metal band Metallica .
Origin and content
The song was written by singer James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich and refers to the inscription on the Gadsden flag that was used during the American Revolutionary War . The inscription “Don't Tread on Me” translates as “Don't step on me!”. At the beginning of the song, a sequence of America from Leonard Bernstein's musical West Side Story is quoted. Lyrically, according to James Hetfield, the point is that "there is no better place for an American than the United States, no matter how broken or corrupt the government is." Guitarist Kirk Hammett describes the song title as a headline about the band's career.
“We were always independent and did what we wanted. The song title should make it clear that we don't let anything or anyone restrict us. Anyone who tries that will run into problems. "
The lyrics of the song are, according to James Hetfield, a reaction to the anti-American lyrics of the previous album ... And Justice for All . Hetfield refers, among other things, to Patrick Henry's famous quote “ Give me Liberty, or give me Death! "(" Give me freedom or give me death! ") As well as the Latin proverb" Si vis pacem para bellum "(" If you want (the) peace, prepare (the) war "). The song was recorded in the one-on-one studios in North Hollywood . The track was produced by Bob Rock , James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. The song was a promo - Single released.
reception
Since the song was only released as a promo single, it did not reach any chart positions. Journalist John J. Miller of the conservative news magazine National Review placed Don't Tread on Me at number nine on his list of the 50 greatest conservative rock songs. Miller extolled the song as "a tribute to the doctrine of peace through inner strength."
Puma incident
In July 2019, Canadian Dee Galant was walking her dog near the town of Duncan when she ran into a puma there . At first he couldn't be scared away by shouts and movements and came closer and closer. Galant then took her smartphone and played the song Don't Tread on Me at full volume, causing the cougar to run away. After the incident spread through the media, Dee Galant received a personal call from James Hetfield, according to CTV . Metallica also benefited from the incident. According to YouTube , the song's streams increased by 1500 percent.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mick Wall, Malcolm Dome: Metallica - story and songs compact . Bosworth Music GmbH, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-86543-273-5 , p. 65 .
- ↑ Matthias Weckmann: Captain of the harmonies. In: Metal Hammer Legends - The Black Album. S.
- ^ John J. Miller: Rockin 'the Right. National Review , accessed August 25, 2019 .
- ↑ Metallica song scares away Puma: streaming numbers are skyrocketing. Metal Hammer . Retrieved August 25, 2019 .