Former Metallica bassist Ron McGovney has challenged Dave Mustaine’s recent claims about early Metallica songs. The statement appeared on X (formerly Twitter).
Mustaine made his claims during an appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show. He claimed credit for writing much of Metallica’s early material and attributed the song ‘Hit the Lights’ to Lloyd Grant.
‘In Dave’s defense, he wasn’t there when Hit the Lights was written. He is mistaken,’ McGovney stated. ‘Lloyd Grant wasn’t there when Hit the Lights was written. As a matter of fact, Lars wasn’t there either. Hit the Lights was a song from Leather Charm. James, Troy James, Jim Mulligan and I.’
Mustaine had previously stated: ‘I went into Lars’ place and started talking to him. And he played this song called Hit The Lights that was written by a guy named Lloyd Grant. Metallica didn’t write that song. Lloyd Grant wrote it, and then he was friends with Lars, and then Lars introduced him to James and then they started playing Hit The Lights.’ He added, ‘I wrote a lot of their music that made them. And all the solos on that first record were mine.’
McGovney’s response provides specific details about the song’s origins with the band Leather Charm. His account directly contradicts Mustaine’s version of events.
The dispute adds another chapter to the ongoing controversy over early Metallica songwriting credits.
Reports from The PRP highlighted Mustaine’s vocal claims about his songwriting contributions. He asserted full ownership of songs like ‘Mechanix’ and ‘Jump in the Fire.’ Metallica later reworked ‘Mechanix’ with new lyrics. They released it as ‘The Four Horsemen.’ ‘Jump in the Fire’ received shared credits between Mustaine and James Hetfield.
The songwriting disagreements created tangible impacts. Ultimate Classic Rock reported that credit disputes halted the expanded release of Metallica’s 1982 demo ‘No Life ‘Til Leather.’
Blabbermouth revealed additional details from 2017. Mustaine’s discussions with James Hetfield about an official release reached an impasse. The breakdown occurred when Lars Ulrich requested credit for two songs Mustaine claims as his own work. ‘I’m not gonna give him my credit, so I’m not gonna be part of it,’ Mustaine declared.
Lars Ulrich has maintained a reserved stance on these disputes. He briefly noted that the demo reissue situation was ‘a little more complicated than that.’ He chose not to elaborate further on the disagreement.
