On the surface, this song is about a girl and her dangerously addictive personality. In addition to being a girl's name, Amber is also the color of many beers, leading many listeners to determine that the song deals with James Hetfield's past addition to alcohol, specifically beer. But contrary to popular belief, this song's lyrics don't deal with Hetfield's addictions - at least not intentionally. According to the book This Monster Lives: The Inside Story of Some Kind of Monster, it was written in the spur of the moment after Metallica's label forced them to record commercials for their sponsors, hinting that they had to do it if they were to remain on good terms with the label: "Scratch your back so you won't stab mine."
"Sweet Amber" is the eighth track on Metallica's eighth studio album, St. Anger. Metallica started recording the album on April 23, 2001. They stopped in July when Hetfield entered rehab for his alcoholism and possibly other unspecified addictions (reports conflict on details). The band picked up recording again in 2002 but worked only four-hour days so Hetfield could continue recovering. It wasn't released until June 5, 2003.
Metallica played this song live just once: in Lubbock, Texas on September 4, 2004.
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