"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]

"Bleeding Me"
Promotional single by Metallica
from the album Load
ReleasedMarch 11, 1997
RecordedMay 1, 1995 – February 1, 1996
StudioThe Plant Studios, Sausalito, California
Length8:18
LabelElektra
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)James Hetfield
Producer(s)
Metallica singles chronology
"King Nothing"
(1997)
"Bleeding Me"
(1997)
"The Memory Remains"
(1997)

Lyrics

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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

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Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[4][5]

Metallica

Production

  • Bob Rock – production
  • Brian Dobbs – engineering, mixing
  • Randy Staub – engineering, mixing
  • Jason Goldstein – assistant engineering
  • Kent Matcke – assistant engineering
  • Mike Fraser – mixing
  • Matt Curry – mixing assistant
  • Mike Rew – mixing assistant
  • George Marino – mastering
  • Paul DeCarli – digital editing
  • Mike Gillies – digital editing assistant
  • Chris Vrenna – digital editing assistant
  • Satori – cover design
  • Ross Halfin – photography

Track listing

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  1. "Bleeding Me" (Radio Edit) – 5:57
  2. "Bleeding Me" – 8:18

Weekly charts

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Chart (1997) Peak
position
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[1] 6
US Active Rock (Billboard)[8] 2
US Heritage Rock (Billboard)[9] 15


References

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  1. ^ a b "MAINSTREAM ROCK AIRPLAY". Billboard. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  2. ^ "10 Most Underrated METALLICA Songs". Metal Injection. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  3. ^ "13 METALLICA Songs That Deserve More Recognition". Loaded Radio. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  4. ^ Load liner notes. Vertigo Records. 1996.
  5. ^ "Liner notes". Metallica official website. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  6. ^ "20 Years of Blood, Semen & Haircuts: A Conversation about Load". metallica.com. June 9, 2016. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "From the Archive: Metallica's James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett Discuss Their 1996 Album, 'Load'". November 18, 2011. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  8. ^ "ACTIVE ROCK". Billboard. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  9. ^ "HERITAGE ROCK". Billboard. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
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