10 Songs Written About Other Musicians
9. Murder One - Metallica
On the whole, Metallica have never made too many songs that were directed at someone. Throughout most of their classic run, the lyrics of James Hetfield tend to either take on some sort of character or depict the evils that are happening in society as a whole. However, things did tend to get a bit wistful when addressing one of the fathers of heavy metal.
Although the latest album Hardwired to Self Destruct suffers from some bloated moments, Murder One is one of the best tribute songs in recent memory. As you could probably tell from the title, this song is seen as a tribute to Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister, the title of which is a reference to his trademark amplifier. Across this song, Hetfield speaks with the utmost reverence for his idol, as he paints him in the vein of the same type of outlaws you would find in the traditional cowboy songs.
Even down to the individual lines, you can get faint wisps of Lemmy's trademark style, as James name-drops certain Motorhead classics like Born to Lose, Iron Horse, and Ace of Spades in every line. Instead of going too far the other way into sappy, this is exactly the kind of send off that a musician like Lemmy deserves. Raise up your Jack and Coke and pour one out for the man responsible for hard rock, metal, and everything in between.