The Meaning of Metallica Ride the Lyrics

Sales and Market Bullets

• Metallica is often referred to as the “thinking man’s” metal band and James Hetfield wrote lyrics that qualify as rock poetry.
• “The most elucidative dissertation on Metallica ever written. And a kick-ass read to boot!!!” — Scott Ian, guitarist for Anthrax, on Metallica and Philosophy
• Sure to spark discussion and debate, this book provides a close reading of lyrics dense with details and rich with allusions.
• The Metallica group on Reddit has 67.8k members.
• The top Metallica songs on Genius Lyrics have more than 3 million combined contributions to conversation threads about the song lyrics.
• In the last 5 years, Metallica has performed in Germany, Poland, Austria, Romania, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, USA, France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Canada, Hungary, Czechia, Italy
• Metallica will go on a World Tour in 2022 and will visit: Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic, Brazil, Chile, Argentina

Audience

• Metallica fans
• Music academics
• Younger pop culture junkies and politically aware millennials (25-35)
• Readers of Rolling Stone, Spin
• Readers of Wiley’s “and Philosophy” series

The first book to give Metallica’s lyrics the care and contemplation they deserve

More than 40 years since their formation, and 125 million albums later, Metallica is as relevant as ever. Much has been written about the band, but The Meaning of Metallica is the first book to focus exclusively on their lyrics.

Their mighty guitar riffs and pounding drums are legendary, but Metallica’s words match the intensity of their tunes. Lead singer James Hetfield writes rock poetry dealing with death, war, addiction, alienation, corruption, freedom, religion, and other weighty topics. Painting a rainbow of emotions with a deft palette, subtle but not obscure, Hetfield’s lyrics deserve careful attention. A master of narrative, Metallica makes listeners care about a vast array of characters, from a vengeful God, to a suicidal teenager, to a man in mid-life crisis.

The Meaning of Metallica is like a riveting conversation with a close friend. A thematic tour de force that traces Hetfield’s lyrical development across the decades, this companion examines everything from deep cuts like “Confusion” to megahits like “Enter Sandman.” Sure to spark debate and discussion, The Meaning of Metallica provides a close reading of lyrics dense with details and rich with allusions.