- Don't Tread on Me (Metallica song)
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"Don't Tread on Me" 
Single by Metallica from the album Metallica Released August 29, 1991 Recorded October 1990 - June 1991 at One on One Recording, Los Angeles, California Genre Heavy metal Length 3:59 Label Elektra Writer(s) James Hetfield / Lars Ulrich Producer Bob Rock, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich Metallica singles chronology "Enter Sandman"
(1991)"Don't Tread on Me"
(1991)"The Unforgiven"
(1991)"Don't Tread on Me" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica, from the eponymous fifth album, Metallica. The title is connected with the American Revolutionary War. The words "Don't Tread on Me" constitute the motto of the Gadsden flag, and the snake image on the flag is pictured on the cover of the album.
The instrumental introduction uses the famous eight bar phrase from "America", a popular song from the musical and film West Side Story. The lyrics also feature a reference to American Revolutionary Patrick Henry's famous quote "give me liberty or give me death" with the line "liberty or death, what we so proudly hail".
Hetfield said the song was a reaction to the anti-American tone of their album ...And Justice for All - "This is the other side of that. America is a fucking good place. I definitely think that. And that feeling came about from touring a lot. You find out what you like about certain places and you find out why you live in America, even with all the bad fucked-up shit. It's still the most happening place to hang out.[1]
The song has never been performed live by the band.[2] One possible reason is James Hetfield's particular dislike for the song, as revealed in an April 2001 interview with Playboy magazine,where Hetfield stated: "There are some songs on there I don't like. 'Don't Tread on Me', probably not one of my favorite songs musically."[3]
The song reached number 21 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks in the United States, despite it was released only as a promo single there.
References
- ^ Fricke, David (November 14, 1991). "Metallica". Rolling Stone (617). http://web.archive.org/web/20090321082148/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/21395583/metallica/1.
- ^ "AllMetallica song info page". http://www.allmetallica.com/info/songinfo/tread.php. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
- ^ "Playboy April 2001 interview transcript". Archived from the original on Dec 05, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071205015546/http://geocities.com/hetfieldinter/metplayboy8.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
Categories:- 1991 singles
- Metallica songs
- Thrash metal songs
- Songs written by James Hetfield
- Songs written by Lars Ulrich
- American patriotic songs
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