Metallica and Rhetorical Meanings Spread through Lyrics

Sometimes, the best way to communicate thoughts and feelings is through song. While many people would believe that music can’t be a way to communicate, Sellnow (2018) argues that music can have attached meanings and that “Music as communication refers to the individual and unique meanings each of us might attach to a musical work” (p. 170). The author recommends that thoughts and meanings can be spread through song through “musical rhetoric,” where arguments are conveyed persuasively through song (p. 171). 

The first band that came to mind upon reading this was Metallica. In the band's early years, they were highly political and wanted to spread their message through music. They were great at this and developed a deep cult following. 

Some of their most famous songs, such as Master of Puppets, Leper Messiah, and One, all have meanings the band wants to convey an argument to their audience. For instance, Master of Puppets, which many consider the best song written by the band, discusses drug addiction and how the person the narrator is describing is told to “obey your master,” which is the drug they are addicted to (“Master of Puppets,” 1986). 

In the same album, Leper Messiah discusses televangelists and exploiting religion to make great deals of money. The song also discusses how these televangelists will convince people that sending them money will be rewarded once they make it to heaven. This is referred to by the lyric, “Make a contribution, and you’ll get the better seat” (“Leper Messiah,” 1986). 

Finally, One, from the …And Justice for All album, discusses a soldier being sent to war, being mortally wounded, but being “saved” by the doctors treating him. The soldier cannot feel or move but is left alive essentially as an experiment. The song was based on the novel Johnny Got His Gun, which was made in 1939. 

All three songs use aggressive lyrics to convey the points more effectively but also show that both behaviors should be viewed negatively. These examples also lead to the question: “What other examples have you seen of bands or artists using an aggressive tone of voice or aggressive lyrics to help them convey their musical rhetoric?”


References

Metallica [Username]. (2022, June 7). Leper Messiah (Remastered) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kogPf0qe5BQ

Metallica [Username]. (2022, July 26). Metallica: Master of Puppets (Official Lyric Video) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xjJ2XIbGRk

Metallica [Username]. (2022, June 1). One (Remastered) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apK2jCrfnsk 

SparkNotes. (n.d.). Johnny Got His Gun. SparkNotes. https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/johnnygun/facts/

Sellnow, D. D. (2018). The rhetorical power of popular culture: considering mediated texts (3rd Ed). Sage Publications. 


Comments

  1. The becoming James Bond BlogFebruary 17, 2024 at 2:46 PM

    I could list Heavy Metal bands for an hour or just as easily refer to some hard rock bands or alternative rock bangs. The genre itself is notorious for producing pieces of loud art meant to stir emotion and aid in direction. To me, it doesn't matter how the masses see a song because the way they see things and the way I see things more often and not, simply don't add up. I can hear a song and the lyrics could be totally negative, but the instrumental gives me a boost or inspiration to cover some ground in one way or another. Music drives MY emotion, My emotion. So whatever inhabits the motive of the song might and could in fact not mean a thing to me.

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