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This song is about a soldier fighting in a war and a mortar blows off in his face. He can't hear, see, smell, taste and he doesn't have arms or legs. He comes out of a coma in a hospital. During the time he is in the hospital he reflects on his life and things his father told him. Eventually the doctors get worried because he's having spasms all the time, but he doesn't seem to be dying. They call in the general and he can't figure it out either but the soldier with the general recognizes it. "Its Morse code," he says. The general asks what he is saying and the soldier looks for a minute and then says, "He is saying K-I-L-L- M-E over and over again. (thanks, paul - Anacortes, WA)
The lyrics are based on the novel Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo, which is about World War I. A specific passage that inspired the song is: "How could a man lose as much of himself as I have and still live? When a man buys a lottery ticket you never expect him to win because it's a million to one shot. But if he does win, you'll believe it because one in a million still leaves one. If I'd read about a guy like me in the paper I wouldn't believe it, cos it's a million to one. But a million to ONE always leaves one. I'd never expect it to happen to me because the odds of it happening are a million to one. But a million to one always leaves one. One." (thanks Vesa - Tampere, Finland and Bertrand - Paris, France)
In 1971, Johnny Got His Gun was made into a movie which was directed by Trumbo. The video for the song uses images and monologues from that movie.
This was the first single released by the band to feature bassist Jason Newsted. He continued playing with Metallica until 2001.
Metallica performed this at the Grammy awards in 1989. This was the first year a Grammy was awarded for Hard Rock/Metal Performance, and it went to Jethro Tull. This was a bit of a joke, since few people consider Jethro Tull to be Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. The next year, this won the award for Best Metal Performance and the year after, Metallica won again for "Stone Cold Crazy."
Metallica guitarist James Hetfield wrote this with drummer Lars Ulrich. It is a fixture at their live shows.
This was included on the 1999 live album S&M, which they recorded with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
KoRn performed this on MTV Icon in 2003. (thanks, Nick - Paramus, NJ, for above 3)
The name of the statue with the scales on the album cover is "Doris." (thanks, Ali Sadeghi - Scottsdale, AZ)
Hetfield has said he lifted the intro from Venom's "Buried Alive," a song about being trapped in a casket while being buried alive, similar to the predicament of the character in this song. (thanks, Michael - North Adams, MA)
This was the first video Metallica made, and it expanded their fan base by giving them a presence on MTV. Many fans got mad at Metallica for selling out, but the band said it felt right. (thanks, Josh - East Longmeadow, MA)
Hammett told
Kerrang! September 13, 2008 that this track has one of his favorite Metallica guitar solos. He explained: "Specifically, this is the middle solo of the song. Much like '
Enter Sandman' it's a solo that everybody can pretty much sing along to, and it definitely gives me a really good feeling every time I play it."
This song is featured in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and is considered the second hardest song on the game. (thanks, matt - Langhorne, PA)
Comments (140):
JJ Burnel of The Stranglers
JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.
Mike Watt - "History Lesson, Pt. 2"
Mike Watt of the Minutemen tells the story of the song that became an Indie Rock touchstone. It's also the story of what Mike calls "The Movement."
Songs About Movies
Iron Maiden, Adele, Toto, Eminem and Earth, Wind & Fire are just some of the artists with songs directly inspired by movies - and not always good ones.
Bass Player Scott Edwards
Scott was Stevie Wonder's bass player before becoming a top session player. Hits he played on include "I Will Survive," "Being With You" and "Sara Smile."
But after talking with their managers, Cliff Burstein and Peter Mensch, they decided to finally try it with One.
"We'd use the movie footage, and then intercut band performance – but without really showing our faces. If you watch that video, there are a lot of shoulders and arms. We were proud to have struck the right balance between our own feelings about video and the commercial demands. We didn't think of it as a particularly accessible video." (James Hetfield also refused to cover the words F*CK BON JOVI on his guitar, so the director, Bill Pope, had to shoot around this as well.)
The video for One cost $25,000, and it was sent to MTV uncut at over seven minutes. As Burnstein recalled, after playing it once at night, it was the second most request video the next day.
"After seeing what the One video did for them, Metallica were just as interested in making videos as everyone else was," Burnstein added.
But i need a help from u guys, im writing an arugement about this song, and i need a strong thesis statement,, not something like "this song shows that war is not good" its not valid or strong enuff, does anyone have any sugggestion? THNXX
Long Live Metallica
AND ONE IS THEIR BEST SONG WITH THEIR BEST SOLO
Awesome song.
Great story though. The song rocks.
I think this song has one of the best solos ever.
IT WON AN AWARD!
OTOH, the lyrics say "Landmine has taken my..." followed by a list of body parts.
I would say he got hit by a landmine, seeing as how James says "LANDMINE" and not "MORTAR". Anywho, this song, Master of Puppets, and Creeping Death are my favorite Metallica songs EVER. Not to mention, these are, in my opinion, excellent when played live...MOP and One because of their length, and creeping death because of the millions of fans screaming "DIE! DIE! DIE!" (not to mention these songs rule, in the first place) m/ >_< m/ <---headbanger xD
Leave the original feelings alone, it's what makes artists who they are.
Korn can certainly kiss my ass too, those unoriginal bitches... they are Becoming the Rod Stewarts of Metal.
This is an amazing song...done by METALLICA!
Inspired by the film "When Johnny Got His Gun"
The fil is about a man who's arms, legs, and most of his body are blown off by a landmine, and he cant talk or see... so he lives in his own personal hell...
long live Metallica
it was back in 2003 or so, when my cousin came from usa to Lebanon and he told me about this song!!!
since then MetallicA influenced me and my life-BIG TIME- and i had both good and bad times listening to their great Music...some of the songs i like(including one):-nothing else matters(s&m)-fade to black-until it sleeps-whiskey in the jar- MAMA SAID-wherever i may roam-st. anger-my world-some kind of monster.......
and in 2004 i moved from lebanon to australia and then MetallicA became everything to me...and beleive it or not, 3/4 of the lyrics i can imply to myself and how i have changed after the big move.....
i love you METALLICA!!!---just because i'm happy
What an awesome book, the progression of Johnny's insanity and his view of what's happened to him is very intense and sad.
It's amazing how metallica managed to bring out that same desperate feeling in their song...what an accomplishment!
i loved the lyrics
i loved the clip
i have a question.in the video there are monologues from the film but i can't understand them.i wanted to know that is there any site that writes these monologues.
Thanks from Turkey
That's new to me, I did never realise the "lyrics" at the very beginning of the song.
Since I'm very interested in the lyrics of Metallica, I'm glad about any news from my favourite band.
REALLY - he says, "It's Morse code". "What does it say?" "SOS. Help!" And then he says "THEY kill me - over and over again"
2. there are two videos for "One" - one is with excepts from the movie, the other is without.
The song and video is very fitting to the movie, and isses involved
Lars responds: look out Sarge!
then Kirk screams: Nazi Bastards!
2, This song is based on that film, not about a singular war.
Try asking a Vietnam Vet if there was a war going on... I only hope you have matured and the veil has been lifted. You are correct politically, but so very, very wrong.
Oh yeah, BEST METALLICA SONG EVER!
Jesse, 16, Morristown T.N. U.S.A.
This song is just so powerful and moving. I had a great-great uncle killed in action on the Western Front in 1918, so I have studied the subject a bit (and in Australia it is a compulsory subject during high school). The lyrics are the accurate portrayal of a man who had had everything taken from him by the war and left with a fate worse than death.
"...And Justice For All" album and the "one"single but lost to Jethro Tull eventhou everyone expected Metallica to win.