Until It Sleeps

Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox song "Until It Sleeps" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on May 20, 1996, as the lead single from their sixth studio album, Load. "Until It Sleeps" reached number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it Metallica's highest-charting single and only top-10 hit in the United States. The song also topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, peaked within the top five in the United Kingdom, and reached number one in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, and Sweden. The song's music video, directed by Samuel Bayer and inspired by the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, won the Best Hard Rock Video award at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards.

Versions

An early demo version of this song was entitled "F.O.B.D." (recorded on December 8, 1995) because it reminded the band members of the Soundgarden song "Fell on Black Days", in that the "It grips you...It stains you..." refrain is in the same 6/4 time signature that "Fell on Black Days" is in. The band can be heard saying "Fell on Black Days" on the fanclub-only Fancan 1 CD just prior to jamming on a portion of "Until It Sleeps", and also featured on one of the two CD single releases.

The 10-inch vinyl version of the single is red in color and featured a B-side industrial-sounding remix by Moby, credited as "Herman Melville".<ref>Thump 'n Grind</ref> In April 2025, this remix, as well as the "F.O.B.D." version and a 1996 live version, were re-released with a re-mastered version as a digital single ahead of the June 2025 reissue of Load.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The song was performed with orchestral accompaniment on the album S&M, and a live version featured on the Cunning Stunts video release in 1998.

"Until It Sleeps" became the first "officially" pirated MP3 when it was released by Compress 'Da Audio (a piracy group and spinoff of the Warez scene) via an Internet Relay Chat network on August 10, 1996. An EFnet member on the #mpeg3 IRC channel named Coyote666 was responsible for creating the first mp3 ripping software.<ref name="rns">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Lyrics

The lyrics of the song, written by Hetfield, address his mother's battle with cancer, to which the "it" in the title refers. They can be seen as either describing the emotional pain he feels for the loss, or the physical pain his mother was feeling while she was ill. Both of his parents were Christian Scientists, and did not believe in medicine. The lyrics are also interpreted as dealing with anger issues. Hetfield's father, Virgil, died in late 1996, during Metallica's Load tour.

Music video

The song also has a music video directed by Samuel Bayer (Nirvana, Green Day, the Smashing Pumpkins). It was shot in various locations around Los Angeles on May 6 and 7 in 1996. It was premiered by MTV on May 21.<ref>Metallica In For a Lollapalooza of a Summer</ref> The video depicts surreal concepts dealing with the fall of man, taken from various paintings by Hieronymus Bosch. Apart from the general forms inspired from Bosch's paintings, the prominent figures in the video are the human-eating monster from The Garden of Earthly Delights, the fall of Adam and Eve from Haywain and Christ in the Crucifige Eum (Crucify Him) scene of Ecce Homo. The video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video in 1996.<ref name="VMA1996">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Awards

The song won a 1996 Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award for Song of the Year.<ref>Metal Edge, June 1997</ref>

Personnel

Personnel are adapted from the album's liner notes.<ref name="booklet">Template:Cite book</ref>

• James Hetfield – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Kirk Hammett – lead guitar
• Jason Newsted – bass
• Lars Ulrich – drums

Charts

Weekly charts

Template:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chart

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Benelux Airplay (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	3
Czech Republic (IFPI CR)<ref name="m&m">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	3
Denmark (IFPI)<ref name="m&m"/>	1
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	4
European Hit Radio Top 40 (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	16
European Alternative Rock Radio Top 25 (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	11
Hungary (Mahasz)<ref>Template:Cite magazine See LW column</ref>	1
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	4
Italy (Musica e dischi)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	7
Latvia (Latvijas Top 40)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	5
Quebec (ADISQ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	6
Poland Airplay (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	2
Spain (AFYVE)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	16
UK Network Singles (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	2

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)	Position
Australia (ARIA)<ref name="ausye">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	44
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	71
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	76
Canada Top Singles (RPM)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	61
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	68
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	47
Netherlands (Single Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	83
Sweden (Topplistan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	23
US Billboard Hot 100<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	92
US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	3

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Template:Abbr
United Kingdom	May 20, 1996	Template:Hlist	Vertigo	<ref name="ukrel">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
United States	May 21, 1996	Template:Hlist	Elektra	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Japan	July 3, 1996	CD	Sony	citation	CitationClass=web }} Click on Discography.</ref>