There are quite a few names that come to mind when one thinks of the genre of rock and roll, given the countless number of musical geniuses that practiced in this field of music. These musicians had their unique inspirations, ranging from their personal experiences that affected them throughout their lives to even a leaf falling off a tree on a storm day.
Rock fans have also heard that rock and roll heavyweights such as Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson have been inspired by movies, usually containing horror elements. Naturally, this is not a new piece of information in the industry. Yet, it is unlikely for such an ‘aggressive genre’ to be inspired by dramatic movies. It was Metallica who showed their fans their favorite movies that affected the band members in their creation of songs.
On the other hand, it is common to see rock music used in specific scenes in movies. Let’s not kid ourselves, a motorcycle or a fight scene is usually accompanied by such music. The chords and the vocals seem to fit very well with those visuals, especially according to Hollywood producers. As for many bands, Metallica songs were also placed in such scenes in a couple of movies. But they have also been inspired by movies themselves to create songs, and unlike what the film industry is doing with their songs, Metallica refuses to be stuck in that stereotype.
1. The Ten Commandments (1956) – Metallica ‘Creeping Death’
‘The Ten Commandments’ depict the biblical tale of the Prophet Moses, who is touched by God and tries to convince people of this and to follow him to the Promised Land. The biblical tale has been depicted on the screen and has inspired many other stories in the literary scene. None other than Metallica have been inspired by the 1956 movie ‘The Ten Commandments’ for their song ‘Creeping Death.’
In the lyrics, Hetfield can be heard saying, ‘So let it be written, So let it be done,’ which is a solid reference to the Pharaoh, Ramses II’s words in the movie, when he executes an order to his servants. Moses himself utters the words later on when Ramses II banishes him from his land.
2. Johnny Got His Gun (1971) – Metallica ‘One’
One is one of Metallica’s most well-known songs, and the impact it had globally is indescribable. It has remained a staple piece from their album ‘…And Justice For All’ and its most live-performed song off the album. The lyrics are spoken by a World War I soldier after a tragedy he went through, which made him beg for death throughout the remainder of his life. The movie ‘Johnny Got His Gun’ is adapted from the novel of the same name where a soldier, Joe Bonham (Bottoms) survives a war and ends up losing his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose along with both of his arms and legs.
Becoming a prisoner in his own body, the protagonist loses his ambition to survive. As he only communicates with a morse code by hitting his head to communicate, he constantly asks for help to end his misery.
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) – Metallica ‘Welcome Home Sanitarium’
‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ is probably one of the most dramatic and ethically questioning movies of all time. Released in 1975, the movie portrays Randle McMurphy being stuck in a mental institution after a criminal offense. His ventures in the movie also lead the audience to discover the other patients’ personalities and their relationship with McMurphy as he attempts several times to escape and make the other patients think they are in a prison space to fill them with rage against the mental institution.
The events accelerate quickly as the patients are led to believe that they are stuck in a prison-like institution instead of maintaining trust in their treatments. The lyrics of the Metallica song ‘Welcome Home (Sanitarium)’ highly depict the sensations and emotions of having to go through a space where you feel locked up and it ‘mentally deranging’ you. The songwriters Hetfield, Ulrich, and Hammett penned down the rage McMurphy ignited in the patients’ selves against the institution keeping them locked up physically and mentally.
4. For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) – Metallica ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’
Released as part of the 1984 album ‘Ride the Lightning,’ the track ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ draws its inspiration from the namesake war movie from 1943. The song is regarded as one of Metallica’s most popular songs, and the songwriters Burton, Hetfield, and Ulrich wrote about the events going on in the Spanish Civil War.
The movie was an adaptation of impactful author Ernest Hemingway’s novel of the same name. In the movie, there is a bridge-blowing operation to prevent the enemy to travel across it. The Metallica song also provides the listener with depictions of war, shootings, bombs, explosions, and images of shattering skies.
All of the mentioned movies affected the members of the band enough to write successful songs dedicated to these motion pictures. The Hollywood industry took a lot of advantage of the quality of rock and roll music, along with Metallica’s tracks to represent stereotypical aggressive scenes. Metallica members seem to have gotten their revenge by taking advantage of Hollywood to create their own songs.
