...And Justice for All (song)
Encyclopedia
"...And Justice for All" is a song by the American heavy metal
band Metallica
. It was released as a promo single from their album of the same name
.
. The lyrics refers to the act of social injustice
, in which "Lady Justice
" is "raped". Especially at the end of the verse, "Pulling your strings, justice is done" as the ultimate symbol of a miscarried justice.
It is Metallica's fifth longest song at 9:46. Only track 8 on the album, "To Live Is to Die
" at 9:49, the song "The Outlaw Torn" (Load
) at 9:48 (10:48 on "Unencumbered by Manufacturing Restrictions Version"), "Suicide & Redemption" on Death Magnetic
(9:57) and "Mercyful Fate" (a cover medley of songs by the band Mercyful Fate
, which was featured on the cover album Garage Inc.
) at 11:12, are longer.
The song is featured in the Metallica 3-Pack that is downloadable content for the music video game series Rock Band.
world tour in support of the album. As lead guitarist Kirk Hammett
would later say in SoWhat! magazine, "'Justice' was a bit much for me. I couldn't stand watching the front row start to yawn by the eighth or ninth minute." Also, when played live the intro of the song is played as a recording due to the intro requiring 3 guitars.
In 1997 at the Playboy Mansion
Metallica performed "...And Justice for All" and when it was done they swore to never play it again.
During the Madly in Anger with the World
and Escape from the Studio '06
tours, Metallica would often tease the fans by playing parts of the song, with Hetfield usually saying nobody wants to hear the song. It remained to be seen whether Metallica would ever play the song in its entirety, or play it on a medley, which was the case during the Wherever We May Roam
/Nowhere Else to Roam
Tours in 1991-1993. Then on June 28, 2007, Metallica played "...And Justice for All" in its entirety for the first time since October 1989, nearly 18 years before, in Lisbon, Portugal on the first show of the Sick of the Studio '07 tour.
It was also played on their headlining set at the new Wembley Stadium
on July 8, on July 10 at Valle Hovin
in Norway, at Stockholms Stadion on July 12, at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium
on July 15, at Luzhniki Stadium
in Moscow, Russia on July 18, at Skonto Stadium in Riga
, Latvia
on July 20, Parco Nord in Bologna, Italy on July 22, Dublin, Ireland on August 20, at Reading Festival August 24, Reading
Boston
on January 18, and recently at their performances such as KFMA
day at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson, Arizona
on May 16, 2008, at the Pengrowth Saddledome
in Calgary, AB on December 4, 2008, the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on January 31, 2009, at The O2 arena
in London
on March 28, 2009, and on June 7, at Foro Sol, in Mexico City
, all four on the World Magnetic Tour
.
A live performance of the complete song appears on the DVD "Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria", recorded in Mexico City during the World Magnetic Tour, and so the song does occasionally appear on the band's live setlist during their modern-day tours.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
. It was released as a promo single from their album of the same name
...And Justice for All (album)
...And Justice for All is the fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on August 25, 1988 through Elektra Records. It is the first full-length Metallica album to feature bassist Jason Newsted following the death of Cliff Burton in 1986...
.
Song information
The song title is the last four words of the Pledge of AllegiancePledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of loyalty to the federal flag and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Christian Socialist Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942...
. The lyrics refers to the act of social injustice
Social injustice
Social injustice is a concept relating to the claimed unfairness or injustice of a society in its divisions of rewards and burdens and other incidental inequalities...
, in which "Lady Justice
Lady Justice
Lady Justice |Dike]]) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems.-Depiction:The personification of justice balancing the scales of truth and fairness dates back to the Goddess Maat, and later Isis, of ancient Egypt. The Hellenic deities Themis and Dike were later...
" is "raped". Especially at the end of the verse, "Pulling your strings, justice is done" as the ultimate symbol of a miscarried justice.
Justice Is Lost,
Justice Is Raped,
Justice Is Gone.
It is Metallica's fifth longest song at 9:46. Only track 8 on the album, "To Live Is to Die
To Live Is to Die
"To Live Is to Die" is a mostly instrumental composition by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the eighth track on the band's fourth album ...And Justice for All . Keeping up with the tradition of the band's previous two albums, the instrumental track comes late in the album and is long...
" at 9:49, the song "The Outlaw Torn" (Load
Load (album)
Load is the sixth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. Released on June 4, 1996 through Elektra Records, it sold 680,000 units in its first week and debuted at #1 on Billboard 200. The album has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and is certified 5x platinum by the RIAA...
) at 9:48 (10:48 on "Unencumbered by Manufacturing Restrictions Version"), "Suicide & Redemption" on Death Magnetic
Death Magnetic
Death Magnetic is the ninth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on September 12, 2008 through Warner Bros. Records. It was the band's first album to feature bassist Robert Trujillo and the first to be produced by Rick Rubin, making this Metallica's first album...
(9:57) and "Mercyful Fate" (a cover medley of songs by the band Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate was a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen. Initially active from 1981 to 1985, they reunited in 1992. The band went on hiatus again in 2000, when frontman King Diamond decided to continue his solo career...
, which was featured on the cover album Garage Inc.
Garage Inc.
-Disc two:These tracks are a collection of B-sides from artists Metallica were inspired by, throughout the early years of the band.-Personnel:* James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar on "Whiskey In the Jar"...
) at 11:12, are longer.
The song is featured in the Metallica 3-Pack that is downloadable content for the music video game series Rock Band.
Touring complications
Due to its complexity, the song was (at least until Sick of the Studio '07) only performed live by the band during their 1988 Damaged JusticeDamaged Justice
Damaged Justice was the fourth concert tour by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It began on September 11, 1988 and ended on October 8, 1989...
world tour in support of the album. As lead guitarist Kirk Hammett
Kirk Hammett
Kirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist and a songwriter in the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stones list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
would later say in SoWhat! magazine, "'Justice' was a bit much for me. I couldn't stand watching the front row start to yawn by the eighth or ninth minute." Also, when played live the intro of the song is played as a recording due to the intro requiring 3 guitars.
In 1997 at the Playboy Mansion
Playboy Mansion
The Playboy Mansion is the home of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner. Located in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles, California, the mansion became famous during the 1970s through media reports of Hefner's lavish parties.-History:The house is described as being in the "Gothic-Tudor" style...
Metallica performed "...And Justice for All" and when it was done they swore to never play it again.
During the Madly in Anger with the World
Madly in Anger with the World Tour
The Madly in Anger with the World Tour was a year-long concert tour by Metallica that took place in 2003 and 2004, in connection with their St. Anger album....
and Escape from the Studio '06
Escape from the Studio '06
Escape from the Studio '06 was a 2006 concert tour by American heavy metal band Metallica. The tour took place during the writing process of the group's then-untitled ninth studio album, Death Magnetic, and follows the Madly in Anger with the World Tour in support of St...
tours, Metallica would often tease the fans by playing parts of the song, with Hetfield usually saying nobody wants to hear the song. It remained to be seen whether Metallica would ever play the song in its entirety, or play it on a medley, which was the case during the Wherever We May Roam
Wherever We May Roam Tour
Wherever We May Roam was the fifth concert tour by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It began in autumn of 1991...
/Nowhere Else to Roam
Nowhere Else To Roam
The Nowhere Else To Roam was the concert tour by American band Metallica, which took place in 1993 in support of their fifth studio album Metallica . This tour was the third part of the huge tour the started, after the Wherever We May Roam Tour and Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour...
Tours in 1991-1993. Then on June 28, 2007, Metallica played "...And Justice for All" in its entirety for the first time since October 1989, nearly 18 years before, in Lisbon, Portugal on the first show of the Sick of the Studio '07 tour.
It was also played on their headlining set at the new Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
on July 8, on July 10 at Valle Hovin
Valle Hovin
Valle Hovin is both a bandy and speed skating rink in cold weather, and an outdoor stadium for concerts in warm weather, in Oslo, Norway.The Bandy World Championships has been held here....
in Norway, at Stockholms Stadion on July 12, at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Helsinki Olympic Stadium
The Helsinki Olympic Stadium , located in the Töölö district about from the center of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country, nowadays mainly used for hosting sports events and big concerts. The stadium is best known for being the center of activities in the 1952...
on July 15, at Luzhniki Stadium
Luzhniki Stadium
The Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex in Moscow, or briefly Luzhniki Stadium , is the biggest sports stadium in Russia. Its total seating capacity is 78,360 seats, all covered. The stadium is a part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, previously called the Central Lenin Stadium...
in Moscow, Russia on July 18, at Skonto Stadium in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
on July 20, Parco Nord in Bologna, Italy on July 22, Dublin, Ireland on August 20, at Reading Festival August 24, Reading
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
on January 18, and recently at their performances such as KFMA
KFMA
- Awards :*Tucson Weekly Best of Tucson: public-vote winner for its radio station category every year since 1996 except once....
day at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
on May 16, 2008, at the Pengrowth Saddledome
Pengrowth Saddledome
The Scotiabank Saddledome is the primary indoor arena of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 19,289 people.Located on the Stampede Grounds, on the east end of downtown Calgary, the Saddledome was built in 1983 to replace the Stampede Corral as the home of the Calgary Flames of...
in Calgary, AB on December 4, 2008, the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on January 31, 2009, at The O2 arena
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on March 28, 2009, and on June 7, at Foro Sol, in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, all four on the World Magnetic Tour
World Magnetic Tour
World Magnetic Tour was a 2008/2009/2010 concert tour by American heavy metal band Metallica in support of the group's ninth studio album, Death Magnetic, which was released in September 2008....
.
A live performance of the complete song appears on the DVD "Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria", recorded in Mexico City during the World Magnetic Tour, and so the song does occasionally appear on the band's live setlist during their modern-day tours.
Track listing
- "...And Justice for All (Edit)" - 5:58
- "...And Justice for All (LP version)" - 9:46