The Memory Remains

About

"The Memory Remains" is a song by Metallica from their 1997 album ReLoad. It was first performed live in a "jam" version on July 2, 1996. The song is about a once-great, now forgotten celebrity who is desperate to regain her fame but is driven half-mad with her obscurity. It may be a reference to the film Sunset Boulevard. The line "ash to ash, dust to dust, fade to black," is probably an indirect reference to one of their earlier song, "Fade to Black". The song was the first single from the album. It was written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. The song was performed, with Marianne Faithfull, on the December 6, 1997 edition of Saturday Night Live when Metallica was the musical guest. A live version of the song was released as b-side to the single The Unforgiven II. It was later performed with the San Francisco Symphony (conducted by Michael Kamen) on S&M. Another live version was included on Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria. Several bands have covered the song, including The Kovenant, Spleen, Iron Horse and The Stanford Harmonic. The single was successful, hitting #28 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and #13 on the UK Singles Chart. It was Metallica's last appearance in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 until 2008's "The Day That Never Comes". The "Memory Remains" music video features a surreal, anti-gravity concept. The band plays on a large, suspended platform making full and continuous rotations throughout the performance, like an enormous swing. The platform and band are actually stationary and the room, a giant constructed box, spins around it. Marianne Faithfull sings in a dark corridor and turns the crank of a street-organ. In some scenes money rains down, an allegorical reference. According to Encyclopedia Metallica, the video was shot at the Van Nuys Airport and cost $400,000, with the large platform costing over $100,000. The video premiered on MTV's Mattrock on November 15, 1997. There exist two versions of the music video, with a small difference in the beginning five second. In one version James Hetfield plays guitar, while in the other Jason Newsted plays ba. There are multiple issues of this single. Some of them are: CD Single (UK pt. 1) 1."The Memory Remains" - 4:39 2."Fuel for Fire (Work in progress with different lyrics)" 3."Memory (Demo version)" CD Single (UK pt. 2) 1."The Memory Remains" - 4:39 2."The Outlaw Torn (Unencumbered by Manufacturing Restrictions Version)" - 10:48 3."King Nothing (Tepid Mix)" - 5:07 CD 2-track Single (US & Canada) & 7" Single (Europe) 1."The Memory Remains" - 4:39 .

via Last.fm

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