The Unforgiven (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Unforgiven" is a song by American heavy metal
band Metallica
. It was released as the second single from their eponymous fifth album Metallica
. Though one of the slower tracks on the album, its chord progression
is distinctly one of the heavier.
The song has since spawned two sequels (both in name proper as well as thematically), in the form of "The Unforgiven II", from the album ReLoad
, and "The Unforgiven III", from the album Death Magnetic
.
explained that the band wanted to try something new with the idea of a ballad
- instead of the standard melodic verse and heavy chorus (as evidenced on their previous ballads "Fade to Black
", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
" and "One
"), the band opted to reverse the dynamic, with heavy, distorted verses and a softer, melodic chorus, played with classical guitar
s. The opening section contains percussive instruments performed by Ulrich, and also a small amount of keyboards.
The horn intro was essentially taken from a Western movie and then reversed so its source would be hidden, as Hetfield later explained on Classic Albums: Metallica - Metallica. While Metallica has never disclosed what movie the horn was taken from, it is believed to be from a piece of music called "The Showdown", which was composed by Ennio Morricone
for the 1965 Clint Eastwood
"Spaghetti Western
" film, For a Few Dollars More
.
tour. It has most been played in the band's "World Magnetic" tour.
The live version of "Unforgiven" includes a second solo near the end of the song, something the original recording did not have.
, the band's 2006 music video compilation.
, Vernon Reid
, Frankie Banali
, and Tony Franklin
for Metallic Assault: A Tribute to Metallica.
"The Unforgiven" has also been covered in other styles of music, notably in bluegrass
style by Iron Horse
on the album Fade to Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica. A Gregorian chant
cover by Gregorian
also appeared on Masters of Chant Chapter V
, Swiss pop singer Stefanie Heinzmann
(winner of a German TV talent contest at the TV show TV Total
) included a version on the delux edition of her debut album Masterplan
, and a classical instrumental version by Finnish cello
ensemble Apocalyptica
appeared on their release Plays Metallica by Four Cellos
. Tribute duo Harptallica recorded a harp
version on their album Harptallica: A Tribute.
International Single
International Vinyl Single
, Lars Ulrich
and Kirk Hammett
and appears on the album ReLoad
as a sequel to "The Unforgiven" (which appears on the album Metallica
). Both songs have similar musical themes. They both start with the horn which is supposed to be taken from For a Few Dollars More
. The chord progression during the verses is strikingly similar to the one used in the chorus on "The Unforgiven", and certain parts of the song bear a strong resemblance to Iron Maiden's 1982 song, Children of the Damned. Over a decade later, the song was followed by a second sequel, "The Unforgiven III", from the album Death Magnetic
.
US Single
International Single Part 2
International Single Part 3
Japanese EP
, released in 2008. It is the second continuation of the song "The Unforgiven", which appears on the album Metallica
. The song is precedent for the song "The Unforgiven II" (which makes appearance on the album ReLoad), which is the first sequel. "The Unforgiven III" is structured similar to "The Unforgiven", containing a heavy verse and a soft chorus, "The Unforgiven II" had the opposite, making it different from the rest. "The Unforgiven III" is also missing the opening horn note, opening instead with an acoustic piano with a horn section in the background. The chords progression during the piano intro is the same as the choruses of the previous songs. It was not released as a single, as its predecessors were. A live version was performed for the first time on April 14, 2010 in Oslo, Norway. In 2010, it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance but lost to "War Machine" by AC/DC
.
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 the second single from their eponymous fifth album Metallica
Metallica (album)
Metallica is the self-titled fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. Mainly produced by Bob Rock, it was released on August 12, 1991 through Elektra Records to critical acclaim...
. Though one of the slower tracks on the album, its chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
is distinctly one of the heavier.
The song has since spawned two sequels (both in name proper as well as thematically), in the form of "The Unforgiven II", from the album ReLoad
ReLoad
ReLoad is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on November 18, 1997 through Elektra Records. The album is a sequel or counterpart to the band's previous album, Load. It debuted number 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 417,000 copies in its first week....
, and "The Unforgiven III", from the album 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...
.
History
Lars UlrichLars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich is a Danish drummer, and one of the founding members of the American thrash metal band Metallica. He was born in Gentofte, Denmark to an upper-middle class family. A tennis player in his youth, Ulrich moved to Los Angeles, California at age sixteen to pursue his training; though rather...
explained that the band wanted to try something new with the idea of a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
- instead of the standard melodic verse and heavy chorus (as evidenced on their previous ballads "Fade to Black
Fade to Black (song)
"Fade to Black" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the first promotional single from its second studio album, Ride the Lightning...
", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
"Welcome Home " is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the third and final single from their third album, Master of Puppets...
" and "One
One (Metallica song)
"One" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the third and final single from their fourth album ...And Justice for All. "One" was also the band's first Top 40 hit single, reaching number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100...
"), the band opted to reverse the dynamic, with heavy, distorted verses and a softer, melodic chorus, played with classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
s. The opening section contains percussive instruments performed by Ulrich, and also a small amount of keyboards.
The horn intro was essentially taken from a Western movie and then reversed so its source would be hidden, as Hetfield later explained on Classic Albums: Metallica - Metallica. While Metallica has never disclosed what movie the horn was taken from, it is believed to be from a piece of music called "The Showdown", which was composed by Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
for the 1965 Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
"Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
" film, For a Few Dollars More
For a Few Dollars More
For a Few Dollars More is a 1965 Italian spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Gian Maria Volonté. German actor Klaus Kinski also plays a supporting role as a secondary villain...
.
Live performances
"The Unforgiven" was played live as part of Metallica's Nowhere Else to Roam world tour which lasted from 1991–1993, in support of the Black Album. It was played again on the Madly in Anger with the World world tour in 2003–2004 and the Escape from the Studio '06Escape 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...
tour. It has most been played in the band's "World Magnetic" tour.
The live version of "Unforgiven" includes a second solo near the end of the song, something the original recording did not have.
Music video
An accompanying video was released for the song. The black and white video is themed around a boy who spends his life living in captivity inside a small, windowless room made entirely of stone. As the video progresses he ages into an adult and then an old man. He spends his entire life carving into the stone to create a window while occasionally grasping his one possession: a locket. It is inferred that another captive lives on the other side of the stone room. The video ends with the old man finally creating a window through which he deposits his possession and subsequently lies down to die. A 11:33, "theatrical" version of the video exists, featuring several minutes of introductory scenes which precede the timeline of the main portion of the video. This version was featured on The Videos 1989-2004The Videos 1989-2004
The Videos 1989–2004 is a video album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on December 4, 2006 worldwide, and on December 5 in North America. It features all of the band's videos from 1989 to 2004. The DVD sold 28,000 copies in its first week of release. The disc has been...
, the band's 2006 music video compilation.
Cover versions
The song was covered by Doug PinnickDoug Pinnick
Doug Pinnick sometimes stylised as dUg Pinnick or simply dUg is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist, songwriter, and co-lead vocalist for the hard rock/progressive metal band King's X. He has fourteen albums with King's X, four solo albums, and numerous side projects and guest...
, Vernon Reid
Vernon Reid
Vernon Reid is an English-born American guitarist, songwriter, composer, and bandleader. Best known as the founder and primary songwriter of the heavy metal band Living Colour, Reid was named #66 on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.Critic Steve Huey writes, "[Reid's]...
, Frankie Banali
Frankie Banali
Frankie Banali is an American rock drummer, best known for his work with multi-platinum heavy metal band Quiet Riot. He has been the band's manager during since 1994. He played drums in the heavy metal band W.A.S.P., as well as with Billy Idol...
, and Tony Franklin
Tony Franklin (musician)
Anthony James "Tony" Franklin is an English rock musician, best known for his work on the fretless bass guitar with Roy Harper, The Firm, Jimmy Page, John Sykes' Blue Murder, Whitesnake and briefly, with Quiet Riot.-Fretless bass:...
for Metallic Assault: A Tribute to Metallica.
"The Unforgiven" has also been covered in other styles of music, notably in bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
style by Iron Horse
Iron Horse (band)
Iron Horse is a Bluegrass band from Killen, Alabama. They are known for performing and recording bluegrass cover versions of rock songs, particularly their bluegrass treatments of heavy metal songs popularized by Metallica. The band has two tracks on the tribute album Strummin' with the Devil: The...
on the album Fade to Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica. A Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
cover by Gregorian
Gregorian (band)
Gregorian is a German band headed by Frank Peterson that performs Gregorian chant-inspired versions of modern pop and rock songs. The band features both vocal harmony and instrumental accompaniment.- Band history :...
also appeared on Masters of Chant Chapter V
Masters of Chant Chapter V
Masters of Chant Chapter V is the seventh album by German band Gregorian. It was released on March 31, 2006.Note that the album The Dark Side was also released in Oceania under the name Masters of Chant V...
, Swiss pop singer Stefanie Heinzmann
Stefanie Heinzmann
Stefanie Fabienne Heinzmann is a Swiss soul and pop singer. She gained public interest in early 2008 when she won SSDSDSSWEMUGABRTLAD, a talent contest hosted in Stefan Raab's Late-Night-Show TV total on the German ProSieben network.Following her win, Heinzmann subsequently released her debut...
(winner of a German TV talent contest at the TV show TV Total
TV total
TV total is a German late-night television comedy talk show that has run since 8 March 1999 on ProSieben, and is currently aired at around 23:15 from Monday to Thursday....
) included a version on the delux edition of her debut album Masterplan
Masterplan (Stefanie Heinzmann album)
Masterplan is the first studio album by Swiss singer Stefanie Heinzmann. It was released by Universal Music Domestic on March 7, 2008 in German-speaking Europe, after she won the television talent show SSDSDSSWEMUGABRTLAD. The album was mainly produced by Paul NZA and Marek Pompetzki...
, and a classical instrumental version by Finnish cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
ensemble Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
appeared on their release Plays Metallica by Four Cellos
Plays Metallica by Four Cellos
Plays Metallica by Four Cellos is the debut album by Finnish metal band Apocalyptica, released in 1996. It features eight instrumental Metallica covers arranged and played on cellos.-Track listing:#"Enter Sandman" - 3:41 ...
. Tribute duo Harptallica recorded a harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
version on their album Harptallica: A Tribute.
Track listing
US Single- "The Unforgiven"
- "Killing Time"
International Single
- "The Unforgiven"
- "Killing Time"
- "The Unforgiven (Demo)"
International Vinyl Single
- "The Unforgiven"
- "So What"
- "Killing Time"
- "The Unforgiven (Demo)"
The Unforgiven II
"The Unforgiven II" was written by James HetfieldJames Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
, Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich is a Danish drummer, and one of the founding members of the American thrash metal band Metallica. He was born in Gentofte, Denmark to an upper-middle class family. A tennis player in his youth, Ulrich moved to Los Angeles, California at age sixteen to pursue his training; though rather...
and 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...
and appears on the album ReLoad
ReLoad
ReLoad is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on November 18, 1997 through Elektra Records. The album is a sequel or counterpart to the band's previous album, Load. It debuted number 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 417,000 copies in its first week....
as a sequel to "The Unforgiven" (which appears on the album Metallica
Metallica (album)
Metallica is the self-titled fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. Mainly produced by Bob Rock, it was released on August 12, 1991 through Elektra Records to critical acclaim...
). Both songs have similar musical themes. They both start with the horn which is supposed to be taken from For a Few Dollars More
For a Few Dollars More
For a Few Dollars More is a 1965 Italian spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Gian Maria Volonté. German actor Klaus Kinski also plays a supporting role as a secondary villain...
. The chord progression during the verses is strikingly similar to the one used in the chorus on "The Unforgiven", and certain parts of the song bear a strong resemblance to Iron Maiden's 1982 song, Children of the Damned. Over a decade later, the song was followed by a second sequel, "The Unforgiven III", from the album 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...
.
Track listing
International Single Part 1- "The Unforgiven II"
- "Helpless (Live)"
- "The Four Horsemen (Live)"
- "Of Wolf & Man (Live)"
US Single
- "The Unforgiven II"
- "The Thing That Should Not Be (Live)"
International Single Part 2
- "The Unforgiven II"
- "The Thing That Should Not Be (Live)"
- "The Memory RemainsThe Memory Remains-Personnel:Metallica*James Hetfield – vocals, rhythm guitar*Kirk Hammett – rhythm and lead guitar*Jason Newsted – bass*Lars Ulrich – drumsAdditional performer*Marianne Faithfull – additional vocals on "The Memory Remains"Production...
(Live)" - "King NothingKing Nothing"King Nothing" is a song by Metallica in their 1996 album Load.The song King Nothing, written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett, circles around the theme of "be careful what you wish for." The song starts on a bass riff which develops into the main riff of the song. A single of "King...
(Live)"
International Single Part 3
- "The Unforgiven II"
- "No Remorse (Live)"
- "Am I Evil? (Live)"
- "The Unforgiven II (Demo)"
Japanese EP
- "The Unforgiven II"
- "The Thing That Should Not Be (Live)"
- "The Memory Remains (Live)"
- "No Remorse (Live)"
- "Am I Evil? (Live)"
- "The Unforgiven II (Demo)"
The Unforgiven III
"The Unforgiven III" appears on the album Death MagneticDeath 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...
, released in 2008. It is the second continuation of the song "The Unforgiven", which appears on the album Metallica
Metallica (album)
Metallica is the self-titled fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. Mainly produced by Bob Rock, it was released on August 12, 1991 through Elektra Records to critical acclaim...
. The song is precedent for the song "The Unforgiven II" (which makes appearance on the album ReLoad), which is the first sequel. "The Unforgiven III" is structured similar to "The Unforgiven", containing a heavy verse and a soft chorus, "The Unforgiven II" had the opposite, making it different from the rest. "The Unforgiven III" is also missing the opening horn note, opening instead with an acoustic piano with a horn section in the background. The chords progression during the piano intro is the same as the choruses of the previous songs. It was not released as a single, as its predecessors were. A live version was performed for the first time on April 14, 2010 in Oslo, Norway. In 2010, it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance but lost to "War Machine" by AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
.
The Unforgiven
| Country | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
|
| France | |
| Netherlands | |
| Sweden | |
| United States | |
| United Kingdom UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|
Cover versions
- Stefanie HeinzmannStefanie HeinzmannStefanie Fabienne Heinzmann is a Swiss soul and pop singer. She gained public interest in early 2008 when she won SSDSDSSWEMUGABRTLAD, a talent contest hosted in Stefan Raab's Late-Night-Show TV total on the German ProSieben network.Following her win, Heinzmann subsequently released her debut...
:
| Country | Position |
|---|---|
| Switzerland | |
| Germany | |
| Austria | |
| Poland | |
| Greece | |