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Until It Sleeps

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"Until It Sleeps" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on May 20, 1996, as the lead single from their sixth studio album Load. "Until It Sleeps" reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 making it Metallica's highest charting single and only top ten hit in the United States. The song was also their first number-one on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, peaked in the top five in the United Kingdom, and reached number-one in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, and Sweden. The song's music video, directed by Samuel Bayer and inspired by the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, won the Best Hard Rock Video award at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards.

"Until It Sleeps"
Single by Metallica
from the album Load
B-side
  • "2 X 4" (live)
  • "F.O.B.D." (demo)
  • "Kill/Ride Medley" (live)
  • "Until It Sleeps" (Herman Melville Mix)
  • "Overkill" (live)
ReleasedMay 20, 1996 (1996-05-20)[1]
Recorded1995
GenreAlternative rock[2]
Length4:30
Label
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)James Hetfield
Producer(s)
Metallica singles chronology
"Sad but True"
(1993) 		"Until It Sleeps"
(1996) 		"Hero of the Day"
(1996)
Music video
"Until It Sleeps" on YouTube

Versions

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An early demo version of this song was entitled "F.O.B.D." (recorded on December 8, 1995) because it reminded the band members of the Soundgarden song "Fell on Black Days", in that the "It grips you...It stains you..." refrain is in the same 6/4 time signature that "Fell on Black Days" is in. The band can be heard saying "Fell on Black Days" on the fanclub-only Fancan 1 CD just prior to jamming on a portion of "Until It Sleeps". The 10-inch vinyl version of the single is red in color. Moby, credited as "Herman Melville", did an industrial-sounding remix used as a B-side.[3]

"Until It Sleeps" became the first "officially" pirated MP3 when it was released by Compress 'Da Audio (a piracy group and spinoff of the Warez scene) via an Internet Relay Chat network on August 10, 1996. An EFnet member on the #mpeg3 IRC channel named Coyote666 was responsible for creating the first mp3 ripping software.[4]

Moby produced a remix of the song, titled "Until It Sleeps (Herman Melville Mix)". The song was performed with orchestral accompaniment on the album S&M.

Lyrics

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The lyrics of the song, written by Hetfield, address his mother's battle with cancer, to which the "it" in the title refers. They can be seen as either describing the emotional pain he feels for the loss, or the physical pain his mother was feeling while she was ill. Both of his parents were Christian Scientists, and did not believe in medicine. The lyrics are also interpreted as dealing with anger issues. Hetfield's father, Virgil, died in late 1996, during Metallica's Load tour.

Music video

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The song also has a music video directed by Samuel Bayer (Nirvana, Green Day, The Smashing Pumpkins). It was shot in various locations around Los Angeles on May 6 and 7 in 1996. It was premiered by MTV on May 21.[5] The video depicts surreal concepts dealing with the fall of man, taken from various paintings by Hieronymus Bosch. Apart from the general forms inspired from Bosch's paintings, the prominent figures in the video are the human-eating monster from The Garden of Earthly Delights, the fall of Adam and Eve from Haywain and Christ in the Crucifige Eum (Crucify Him) scene of Ecce Homo. The video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video in 1996.[6]

Awards

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The song won a 1996 Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award for Song of the Year.[7]

Track listings

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US CD single[8]
No.TitleLength
1."Until It Sleeps"4:33
2."Overkill"4:07
UK and European CD1[9]
No.TitleLength
1."Until It Sleeps"4:33
2."2 X 4" (live at Castle Donington, England)6:06
3."F.O.B.D." (aka Until It Sleeps – early 'writing in progress' version)4:56
UK and European CD2[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Until It Sleeps" 
2."Kill/Ride Medley" (live at Castle Donington, England) 
3."Until It Sleeps" (Herman Melville mix) 
Japanese EP[11]
No.TitleLength
1."Until It Sleeps" 
2."Until It Sleeps" (Herman Melville Mix) 
3."Kill/Ride Medley" (live at Castle Donington, England) 
4."2 X 4" (live at Castle Donington, England) 
5."Overkill" (live at the Plant Studios in Sausalito, California) 
6."F.O.B.D." (aka Until It Sleeps – early 'writing in progress' version) 

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[57] Platinum 70,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[58] Gold 5,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[59] Gold  
Sweden (GLF)[60] Gold 25,000^
United States (RIAA)[62] Gold 500,000[61]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom May 20, 1996
  • 10-inch vinyl
  • CD
 Vertigo [1]
United States May 21, 1996
  • CD
  • cassette
 Elektra [63]
Japan July 3, 1996 CD Sony [64]

References

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  1. ^ a b "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. May 18, 1996. p. 25.
  2. ^ Jenkins, Mark (December 3, 1997). "Metallica's 'Re-Load': Bludgeon The Drum Slowly". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  3. ^ Thump 'n Grind
  4. ^ Witt, Stephen (April 21, 2015). "The Man Who Broke the Music Business". The New Yorker. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  5. ^ Metallica In For a Lollapalooza of a Summer
  6. ^ "MTV Video Music Awards 1996". MTV. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  7. ^ Metal Edge, June 1997
  8. ^ Until It Sleeps (US CD single disc notes). Metallica. Elektra Records. 1996. 64276-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Until It Sleeps (UK & European CD1 disc notes). Metallica. Vertigo Records. 1996. METCD 12, 578 145-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Until It Sleeps (UK & European CD2 liner notes). Metallica. Vertigo Records. 1996. METCX 12, 578 135-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ アンティル・イット・スリープス (Japanese EP liner notes). Metallica. Sony Records. 1996. SRCS 8062.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ "Metallica – Until It Sleeps". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  13. ^ "Metallica – Until It Sleeps" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  14. ^ "Metallica – Until It Sleeps" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  15. ^ "Metallica – Until It Sleeps" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  16. ^ "Major Market Airplay" (PDF). Music & Media. June 29, 1996. p. 25. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  17. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9529." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  18. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3025." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  19. ^ a b "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 24. June 15, 1996. p. 14. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  20. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 24. June 15, 1996. p. 12. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  21. ^ "EHR Top 40 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 24. July 13, 1996. p. 12. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  22. ^ "European Alternative Rock Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. June 22, 1996. p. 25. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  23. ^ "Metallica: Until It Sleeps" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  24. ^ "Metallica – Until It Sleeps" (in French). Les classement single.
  25. ^ "Metallica – Until It Sleeps" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  26. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. June 22, 1996. p. 25. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  27. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 30. July 27, 1996. p. 14. Retrieved February 16, 2020. See LW column
  28. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (6.7. – 12.7. '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). July 6, 1996. p. 26. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  29. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Until It Sleeps". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  30. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 25. June 22, 1996. p. 16. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  31. ^ "Oricon Top 100 Chart: 1996-06-30" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  32. ^ "Latvian Airplay Top 217 of 1996" (in Latvian). Lanet.lv. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  33. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 23, 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  34. ^ "Metallica – Until It Sleeps" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  35. ^ "Metallica – Until It Sleeps". Top 40 Singles.
  36. ^ "Metallica – Until It Sleeps". VG-lista.
  37. ^ "Major Market Airplay" (PDF). Music & Media. June 29, 1996. p. 25. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  38. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  39. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  40. ^ "Metallica – Until It Sleeps". Singles Top 100.
  41. ^ "Metallica – Until It Sleeps". Swiss Singles Chart.
  42. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  43. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  44. ^ "Metallica Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  45. ^ "Metallica Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  46. ^ "Metallica Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  47. ^ "1996 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  48. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1996" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  49. ^ "Rapports annuels 1996" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  50. ^ "RPM Year End Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  51. ^ "Year End Sales Charts – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1996" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 51/52. December 21, 1996. p. 12. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  52. ^ "Árslistinn 1996". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 2, 1997. p. 16. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  53. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1996" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  54. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1996" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  55. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1996". Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  56. ^ "The Year in Music 1996 – Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 52. December 28, 1996. p. YE-76. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved December 25, 2023 – via Google Books.
  57. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  58. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Metallica – Until It Sleeps". Recorded Music NZ.
  59. ^ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
  60. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011.
  61. ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1996". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 3. BPI Communications Inc. January 18, 1997. p. 61. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  62. ^ "American single certifications – Metallica – Until It Sleeps". Recording Industry Association of America.
  63. ^ "Until it Sleeps". Metallica.com. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  64. ^ "Metallica". Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Archived from the original on January 24, 2001. Retrieved August 25, 2023. Click on Discography.
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