‘Pop pop, it’s show time (show time) / Guess who’s back again?’ Can you guess? No words describe the comeback of Metallica’s 1986 single ‘Master of Puppets’ better than Bruno Mars’ ‘24K Magic.’ If you’re ready to dive into why it’s back and which band member had known the song’s potential from the get-go, even if he’s tragically not here to see it, let’s begin.
One of Metallica’s most treasured songs, co-written by its late bassist Cliff Burton, has made a comeback! The track not only had a new lease of life but also cracked into the mainstream charts with its rendition in Netflix’s Stranger Things. Thirty-seven years after its initial release, ‘Master of Puppets’ is still a banger, and Burton was already aware of it the year it came out.
When the track and the album met the audience, it changed the world’s perspective of the band. In fact, most people saw it as the album that finally put them in the big league with all the other big names in the industry during that time. Rolling Stone even wrote that Metallica had redefined heavy metal with technical skill with their third studio album. It became a cult classic as the album had a 72-week run on the Billboard 200 album charts and earned the band its first gold certification. So, it was the album that everyone had on repeat.
Right around the time when the album was released, Burton gave an interview and talked about their then-new studio record. When asked about his favorite track from the album, the bassist replied, “My favorite song is ‘Master.’ ‘Master,’ I think, is the best Metallica song yet. The lyrics are getting a lot better.” Even though he didn’t have a clue of what would become of the song many years later, Cliff had a sense that the track would be their best until that point.
In terms of evolving as a band, whether getting more technical or having a heavier sound, Cliff noted, “Yeah, everything’s growing a bit. It’s progressing.” The late musician knew that this era with the ‘Master of Puppets’ was just the beginning of a remarkable journey in the industry.
Fast forward 37 years, and the title track is a massive hit. It’s even bigger than when it came out, and the question is, how did it get there? It would be fair to say that Netflix’s massive hit show Stranger Things, including a rendition of the track, gave the song and Metallica a newfound audience. It became so big that Metallica even released an animated lyric video for the title track.
Cliff Burton didn’t have the chance to see his prediction come true about his favorite track after losing his life in a tragic accident where the tour bus skidded on ice while they were on tour in Scandinavia. Although the musician didn’t get to see the band’s evolution and how far they came in the industry, as fans of the late bassist, we know what he contributed to the band.
