“Bleeding Me” is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica from their 1996 album, Load. Although never commercially released as a single, a promotional CD was sent out to radio stations in 1997, and the song would eventually reach #6 on the US Mainstream Rock chart.[1]
Lyrics
Like many songs on Load, “Bleeding Me” features some of the most personal lyrics James Hetfield has ever written about.[2] In a 2001 interview with Playboy, he explained the meaning of the song:
“Around the time of Load, I felt I wanted to stop drinking. “Maybe I’m missing out on something. Everyone else seems so happy all the time. I want to get happy.” I’d plan my life around a hangover: “The Misfits are playing in town Friday night, so Saturday is hangover day.” I lost a lot of days in my life. Going to therapy for a year, I learned a lot about myself. There’s a lot of things that scar you when you’re growing up, you don’t know why. The song ‘Bleeding Me’ is about that: I was trying to bleed out all bad, get the evil out. While I was going through therapy, I discovered some ugly stuff in there. A dark spot.”[3]
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album’s liner notes.[4]
Metallica
- James Hetfield – guitars, vocals
- Kirk Hammett – guitars
- Jason Newsted – bass
- Lars Ulrich – drums
Additional musician
- Jim McGillveray – percussion[5]
Track listing
- “Bleeding Me” (Radio Edit) – 5:57
- “Bleeding Me” – 8:18
Weekly charts
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[1] | 6 |
| US Active Rock (Billboard)[6] | 2 |
| US Heritage Rock (Billboard)[7] | 15 |
References
- ^ a b “MAINSTREAM ROCK AIRPLAY”. Billboard. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ “10 Most Underrated METALLICA Songs”. Metal Injection. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ “13 METALLICA Songs That Deserve More Recognition”. Loaded Radio. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ Load liner notes. Vertigo Records. 1996.
- ^ Clerc 2023, pp. 222–250.
- ^ “ACTIVE ROCK”. Billboard. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ “HERITAGE ROCK”. Billboard. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
Sources
- Clerc, Benoît (2023). Metallica All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London: Cassell. ISBN 978-1-78472-893-9.
External links
- “Bleeding Me” at Discogs
