One (Hetfield/Ulrich)
The song "One" was the third single release of the "... And Justice For All" album.
The song was Metallica first nomination for a Grammy award.
Album:
... And Justice For All
The song live:
Before Metallica's live performance of "One" there's always a lot of firework on stage.
There's one more big explosion right after James is singing 'landmine'. Since its release it
has always been a fixed part of Metallica's live show.
The Best Solos Ever Reader's Choice:
The solo of "One" reached the 7th place in the "100 Best Solos Ever Reader's Choice"
in the September 1998 issue of Guitar World.
The "One" demo:
The original demo of "One" was recorded on Jaymz's 4-track right after they
wrote the song in the second week of November '87. The demo is just played with
guitars, drums, vocals and Kirk setting in with the same last solo is it appears
on "...And Justice For All" after he'd only heard the song on the day before.
The refrain is occasionally just hummed. On the demo is no bass.
The "One" video:
"One" is Metallica's first video ever. It has been shot on December 6th 1988 in a Los
Angeles warehouse.
The movie clips in the "One" video:
They are from the movie "Johnny Got His Gun" which is based upon the book by Dalton
Trumbo who also directed the movie in 1971. The movie is about a soldier who's arms and legs
were blown away by a grenade during World War I. Metallica purchased the rights to this film
to use it for the music video.
The three "One" videos:
1. Normal version:
- shows the band playing the song and the clips from the movie.
2. The shorten version:
- It shows the same like the normal version, but the video is shorter.
3. Band version:
- Shows only the band playing the song without the clips of the movie.
The single:
The single release of "One" peaked at #35 on the U.S. charts on April 9th in 1989 and
on August 18 the "One" single was even certified platinum.
Metallica's first Grammy performance:
Metallica performed "One" at the Grammy Awards in 1989. They were nominated for a Grammy
for the "...And Justice For All" album and the "One" single, but lost to Jethro Tull.
The intro:
In the intro there can be heard machine gun fire, explosions and a yelling soldier
which all represents a war scene. In the end of the intro there can be heard a fading sound
of a helicopter. The sound of the machine gun fire seems to arise again in the instrumental
parts - replaced by the drums and guitars.
The inspiration:
James has been inspired by Dalton Trumbo's book/movie "Johnny Got His Gun". The
idea for the song's opening riff originates from a Venom song called "Buried Alive".
The subject matter:
James' reason for writing the lyrics was the thought of beeing cut off from the outside
world just like the main character of Dalton Trumbo's book/movie "Johnny Got His Gun".
Metallica about "One"
Kirk Hammett: I used a Mesa-Boogie power-amp, an '88 preamp and an Aphex
paramatric EQ on this album. We wanted a clean guitar sound fo "One". The first solo
went fine, but I had trouble with the second; I just couldn't nail it. I only had eight
days to record all my leads because we were heading out on the "Monsters of Rock" tour.
As a result, I was never happy with what was on record, and I flew to the Hit factory
in New York between gigs to patch up the solos. I did the third solo in a couple of
hours. I worked out the first right-hand tapping thing and from there it flowed very well.
I think it worked because I was so pissed off that the second solo wasn't working out.
When I had to play that live, it didn't feel right because it was so clean. So I started
playing it in full volume with full distortion on my neck pick-up, and like it better.
In retrospect, I think I should have played it that way on the album.
James Hetfield: I had been fiddling around with that A-G modulation for a long
time. The idea for the opening came from a Venom song called "Buried Alive". The kick
drum machine-gun part near the end wasn't written with the war lyrics in mind, it just
came out that way. We started that album with Mike Clink as producer. He didn't work out
so well, so we got Flemming [Rassmussen] to come over and save our asses. (source: GuitarWorld issue of '91)
