Harvester of Sorrow: Difference between revisions
Binksternet (talk | contribs) poor sourcing, misinterpreted |
Carnivore82 (talk | contribs) Nope. The source never claims the song is groove metal, but that its merely reminiscent of what would come to be known as the genre. I did reword some things and add another source however to make things a little more clear and accurate. Tag: Reverted |
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| recorded = 1988 |
| recorded = 1988 |
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| studio = [[Extasy Records#Extasy Recording Studios|One on One]] (Los Angeles) |
| studio = [[Extasy Records#Extasy Recording Studios|One on One]] (Los Angeles) |
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| genre = [[Thrash metal]] |
| venue = |
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| genre = *[[Thrash metal]] |
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*[[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] |
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| length = 5:45 |
| length = 5:45 |
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| label = [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] |
| label = [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] |
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The single contained two B-sides, both of which were cover songs: "[[Breadfan]]", originally by [[Budgie (band)|Budgie]], and "The Prince", originally by [[Diamond Head (English band)|Diamond Head]]. There was an error in the mastering of the recording: At the end of "Breadfan", a distorted voice can be heard saying "Mommy, where's Fluffy?". This was actually intended to be the intro to the next track, "The Prince". However, it was separated in the wrong place.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}} The band decided not to correct this error when the tracks were included on their 1998 ''[[Garage Inc.]]'' compilation. |
The single contained two B-sides, both of which were cover songs: "[[Breadfan]]", originally by [[Budgie (band)|Budgie]], and "The Prince", originally by [[Diamond Head (English band)|Diamond Head]]. There was an error in the mastering of the recording: At the end of "Breadfan", a distorted voice can be heard saying "Mommy, where's Fluffy?". This was actually intended to be the intro to the next track, "The Prince". However, it was separated in the wrong place.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}} The band decided not to correct this error when the tracks were included on their 1998 ''[[Garage Inc.]]'' compilation. |
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==Lyrics and musical style== |
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==Content== |
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The song's subject matter refers to a man who is traumatically abused during his childhood, descends into alcoholism and drug addiction, and takes out his anger on his family. At the end of the song, it is implied his sanity snaps and he murders them. |
The song's subject matter refers to a man who is traumatically abused during his childhood, descends into alcoholism and drug addiction, and takes out his anger on his family. At the end of the song, it is implied his sanity snaps and he murders them. |
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It is the second shortest song on the album ''[[...And Justice for All (album)|...And Justice for All]]'' and is notable for having a sound comparable to that of the [[groove metal]] genre,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.invisibleoranges.com/metallica-the-first-four-albums-harvester-of-sorrow/|title=Metallica: The First Four Albums - "Harvester of Sorrow"|publisher=Invisible Oranges|date=November 4, 2012|access-date=June 13, 2024}}</ref> which at this point in time, wasn't considered a yet. Because of this, the song has been labeled as "proto-groove metal" by some.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Metallica/I-wsEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=harvester+of+sorrow+%22groove+metal%22&pg=PA119&printsec=frontcover|title=Metallica|last=Apatoff|first=Ben|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|date=August 15, 2021|access-date=August 27, 2024|language=English}}</ref> |
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==Cover versions== |
==Cover versions== |
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Revision as of 16:40, 27 August 2024
| "Harvester of Sorrow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Metallica | ||||
| from the album ...And Justice for All | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | August 28, 1988[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Studio | One on One (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:45 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Composer(s) | ||||
| Lyricist(s) | James Hetfield | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Metallica singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Harvester of Sorrow" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on August 28, 1988, as the first single from their fourth studio album, ...And Justice for All (1988). The song debuted at a live performance prior to the release of ...And Justice for All while the band was on the summer Monsters of Rock Tour in 1988 with Van Halen, Scorpions, Dokken and Kingdom Come.
The single contained two B-sides, both of which were cover songs: "Breadfan", originally by Budgie, and "The Prince", originally by Diamond Head. There was an error in the mastering of the recording: At the end of "Breadfan", a distorted voice can be heard saying "Mommy, where's Fluffy?". This was actually intended to be the intro to the next track, "The Prince". However, it was separated in the wrong place.[citation needed] The band decided not to correct this error when the tracks were included on their 1998 Garage Inc. compilation.
Lyrics and musical style
The song's subject matter refers to a man who is traumatically abused during his childhood, descends into alcoholism and drug addiction, and takes out his anger on his family. At the end of the song, it is implied his sanity snaps and he murders them.
It is the second shortest song on the album ...And Justice for All and is notable for having a sound comparable to that of the groove metal genre,[2] which at this point in time, wasn't considered a yet. Because of this, the song has been labeled as "proto-groove metal" by some.[3]
Cover versions
The song was covered by San Francisco–area punk rock band Link 80 for the 2000 compilation album Punk Goes Metal. Apocalyptica covered the song for the A Tribute to the Four Horsemen cover album. German electronic group Funker Vogt also covered the song on The Blackest Album Vol. 3 tribute album.
Personnel
Personnel adapted from the ...And Justice for All liner notes[4]
- Metallica
- James Hetfield – vocals, rhythm guitar, production
- Kirk Hammett – lead guitar
- Lars Ulrich – drums, production
- Jason Newsted – bass
- Technical personnel
- Flemming Rasmussen – production, engineering
- Toby "Rage" Wright – assistant and additional engineering
- Steve Thompson, Michael Barbiero – mixing
- George Cowan – assistant mixing engineer
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- George Marino – 1995 remastering
- Reuben Cohen – 2018 remastering
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | August 19, 1988 | CD, vinyl | Elektra |
| United States | August 28, 1988 |
Chart positions
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian (ARIA) Singles Chart[5] | 100
|
| Ireland (IRMA)[6] | 19 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] | 30 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[8] | 11 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[9] | 20 |
References
- ^ "Harvester of Sorrow". metallica.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011.
- ^ "Metallica: The First Four Albums - "Harvester of Sorrow"". Invisible Oranges. November 4, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ Apatoff, Ben (August 15, 2021). Metallica. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ ...And Justice for All liner notes (Media notes). Vertigo Records. 1988.
- ^ "Chartifacts – Week Ending: 25 August 1991 (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 83)". imgur.com. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Harvester of Sorrow". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- ^ "Metallica – Harvester of Sorrow". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "Metallica: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
