Metallica charted with “Enter Sandman”

Enter Sandman Metallica

Writer(s): Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich (see lyrics here) Released: July 29, 1991 First Charted: August 10, 1991 Peak: 16 US, 28 CB, 36 RR, 10 AR, 5 UK, 17 CN, 10 AU, 3 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.6 UK, 2.24 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 787.7 video, 1144.57 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Metallica steadily grew their audience from their 1983 debut to their self-titled fifth album in 1991. The latter topped the charts all over the world on its way toward more than 30 million in sales. The leadoff single, “Enter Sandman,” accomplished the rare feat of sending a heavy metal act into the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. It was only the band’s second entry on the chart, following the #35 success of “One” in 1989. It has since garnered, by far, more radio play than any other Metallica song. SF The guitar riff by Kirk Hammett was inspired by Soundgarden’s Louder Than Love. SF In The Wah Wah Book, P.J. Howorth characterized the main riff as “sinister.” WK Hammett constructed the music for “Enter Sandman” with James Hetfield, the band’s rhythm guitarist and lead singer, and drummer Lars Ulrich. The song was the first to be written musically for the new album and the band has said it served as the “foundation, the guide to the whole record.” WK Nonetheless, the song was the last to have lyrics, which were written by Hetfield about children’s nightmares. Blender’s Tim Grierson says the lyrics “juxtapose childhood bedtime rituals and nightmarish imagery.” WK Hetfield includes references to the bedtime prayer “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” and the lullaby “Hush Little Baby.” The sandman is a character from Western folklore who makes children sleep. Rolling Stone’s Robert Palmer called the song “possibly the first metal lullaby.” WK “Enter Sandman” was voted Song of the Year in the 1991 Readers Choice Awards for Metal Edge and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Song. All Music Guide’s Chris True called the song “one of Metallica’s best moments” and “a burst of stadium level metal that, once away from the buildup intro, never lets up.” AMG The video for the song included images of childhood dreams of drowning, falling, being covered in snakes, and being chased. Pop Matters’ Andrew Blackie said the video’s “narrative suits the sludgy riffs and James Hetfield’s twisted lullaby lyric.” WK It won Best Hard Rock Video at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards. Resources: AMG All Music Guide review by Chris True SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 1/25/2021; last updated 7/23/2023.

Guns N’ Roses charted with “Welcome to the Jungle”

Welcome to the Jungle Guns N’ Roses

Writer(s): Guns N’ Roses (see lyrics here) Released: September 28, 1987 First Charted: October 3, 1987 Peak: 7 US, 9 CB, 10 RR, 37 AR, 24 UK, 41 AU, 2 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.6 UK, 1.1 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 445.85 video, 692.78 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Welcome to the Jungle” was initially released in September 1987 as the second single from Guns N’ Roses’ debut album, Appetite for Destruction. It was a minor hit in the UK, reaching #67. It wasn’t until April 1988 that it hit the Billboard album rock chart and it didn’t hit the Billboard Hot 100 until October 1988, after the success of the #1 hit “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” The song then recharted in the UK, reaching #24. The song is about “the ugly underbelly of the streets of L.A.” AMG “many people encounter when they go there to pursue fame.” SF Author Dave Thompson calls it “a glimpse into the sometimes nightmare of modern urban life, where even the wildest beasts are uncaged.” DT Lead singer Axl Rose’s lyrical inspiration came from an encounter in New York with a homeless man who yelled, “You know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby.” WK Musically, bassist Duff McKagan contends that the song’s breakdown originated from a song called “The Fake” that he wrote in 1978 for a punk band, the Vains, that he was in. WK According to Alan Niven, the band’s then-manager, the video was inspired by the movies Midnight Cowboy, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and A Clockwork Orange. It depicts Axl Rose arriving in Los Angeles and transforming into a city punk after encounters with a drug dealer and a wino, played by the band’s guitarists Izzy Stradlin and Slash, respectively. When Geffen Records was struggling to sell the video to MTV, David Geffen made a deal that they show it once about 5am on a Sunday morning. The network received multiple callers wanting to see the video again and it soon became MTV’s most requested video. WK The song’s “gritty, swirling angry sound was a huge contrast to the cartoonish pop-metal” AMG of “buffoonish party bands like Poison.” AMG The guitar work was “unapologetically loud, wailing, and unpolished” AMG and Rose’s “abrasive, screeching voice had a sneering, well-worn quality to it.” AMG VH1 named this the greatest hard rock song of all time WK while a Blender poll called it the “greatest song about Los Angeles.” WK Rolling Stone readers named it the greatest sports anthem in 2009. WK Resources: AMG All Music Guide SF Songfacts DT Dave Thompson (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. Krause Publications: Iola, WI. Page 199. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 2/1/2021; last updated 4/1/2023.

AC/DC chart with “Back in Black” single

Back in Black AC/DC

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Kiss “Rock and Roll All Nite” released

Rock and Roll All Nite Kiss

Writer(s): Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons (see lyrics here) Released: April 2, 1975 First Charted: May 17, 1975 Peak: 12 US, 17 CB, 16 GR, 18 HR, 15 RR, 1 CL, 13 AR, 13 CN, 18 AU, 2 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.2 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 98.13 video, 474.25 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Kiss formed in New York City in 1973. They “blended the Rolling Stones’ ballsy grit with a surprising dose of Beatles-type tunefulness, then cranked up the volume.” UCR They released their self-titled album and follow-up, Hotter Than Hell, the next year. Neither set the charts on fire. “Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart figured out what was missing as the band assembled their third album, 1975’s Dressed to Kill.” UCR Band member Paul Stanley explained, “At that time, rock bands didn’t have anthems…but Neil was real smart and really ahead of his time…You guys really should have an anthem.’” UCR Stanley and bassist Gene Simmons cobbled together an old tune called “Drive Me Wild” with “a general desire to reproduce the dynamics of a rave-up like Sly Stone’s ‘I Want to Take You Higher.’” TC Simmons provided the verses and Stanley delivered “one of rock’s most universally appealing and memorable choruses.” UCR They brought in a large group including studio musicians and members of the road crew to sing and clap on the chorus. They used zippers on their jackets to make sounds. WK Bandmate Ace Frehley said, “I knew it was gonna be something special. The song says it all.” UCR The initial single release wasn’t anything special. It did give the band its second Billboard Hot 100 entry, but at a measley #68. Still, “a grueling tour schedule that helped perfect a flashy and literally explosive stage show had earned the band a devoted following among hard rock fans.” UCR “With both band and label at the end of their financial ropes, they decided to throw a last-ditch Hail Mary six short months later by releasing the double-live album Alive! Freed from the constrictions of their underfed studio versions and supercharged by the band’s live delivery, Kiss’s songs connected with a massive new audience.” UCR The album reached the top 10 on the Billboard charts, led by a live version of “Rock and Roll All Nite” which reached #12. The band did, in fact, achieve “not just an anthem but an enduring cultural touchstone, and the song remains the soundtrack for the confetti-and-explosion-filled climaxes of the band’s concerts.” UCR Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Kiss TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Page 125. UCR UltimateClassicRock.com (6/20/2013). “Top 100 Classic Rock Songs” WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 8/1/2022; last updated 4/29/2024.