Some Kind Of Monster

This was one of the first songs Metallica put together for their St. Anger album. James Hetfield wrote the lyrics and described them to producer Bob Rock as being like Frankenstein, or "Some kind of monster," which gave them the title. The original story of Frankenstein was an 1818 novel written by Mary Shelley. It tells the tale of a scientist named Victor Frankenstein and the monster he puts together and imbues with life. The novel is scant on details, but the suggestion is that Frankenstein used cadaver parts or maybe built the monster cell-by-cell. Whatever the case, he produces a tortured monster and sets off a chain of tragic events. The story has since become a common metaphor about the dangers of unchecked ambition. In the past Hetfield has described Metallica as beings something "monstrous." The stresses of fame and big money have seemed more than they were worth, especially in how they've contributed to his problems with anger and substance abuse, both of which came to a head during the making of St. Anger (Hetfield left in the middle of recording to enter rehab). The stress that came with being one of the biggest bands in the world caused loads of tension and frayed personal relationships within the group. The band itself had become "some kind of monster," which is why they chose the name for this song.

Matt Mahurin drew the image used as the cover of the single. He's contributed illustration, photography, and film for dozens of prominent acts, including Tom Waits, 10,000 Maniacs, Peter Gabriel, and U2.

The music video for the song shows bits of various Metallica shows and a performance in the band's headquarters in San Francisco, California.