The Unforgiven II

Last updated
"The Unforgiven II"
Metallica - The Unforgiven II cover.jpg
Single by Metallica
from the album Reload
B-side
  • "The Thing That Should Not Be" (live)
ReleasedFebruary 23, 1998 (1998-02-23) [1]
Studio The Plant (Sausalito, California)
Genre Heavy metal
Length6:36
Label Elektra
Composers
Lyricist James Hetfield
Producers
Metallica singles chronology
"The Memory Remains"
(1997)		"The Unforgiven II"
(1998)		"Fuel"
(1998)
Music video
"The Unforgiven II" on YouTube

"The Unforgiven II" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica from their 1997 studio album, Reload . It was written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett and is the sequel to "The Unforgiven", a song from their 1991 self-titled album. Another sequel, "The Unforgiven III", was released in 2008.

Contents

Composition

The chord progression during the verses is similar to the one used in the chorus on "The Unforgiven". Hetfield's verse melody is played with a B-Bender guitar; a guitar that allows the player to bend the B-string independently of other strings. [2]

Music video

"The Unforgiven II" video directed by Matt Mahurin and filmed in December 1997 in Los Angeles and premiered in 20 January 1998.

It is similar to the first video's story, though a tunnel is substituted for the blank room shown in the first video. It begins with a shirtless boy stuck in a wall, showing the wall breaking piece by piece as the boy ages. As the video progresses, it becomes more abstract, with waves crashing on the other side of the wall and rupturing it, making the wall smaller each time. The final scene shows the remaining piece of the wall turning into a woman, with the now older boy's hand still embedded in her back. The boy opens his hand, allowing the woman to take the key out of his hand and allowing him to take his hand out of the wall. [3] The video was directed by Matt Mahurin, who previously directed the video for "The Unforgiven". [4]

Live performances

"The Unforgiven II" was first performed live on December 8, 1997, at that year's Billboard Music Awards. It was not played in a live setting again for the next 17 years, until Metallica re-introduced it into the setlist for their 2015 European festival tours. [5] Following its performance in Gelsenkirchen, Germany's Rock im Revier festival, Metallica then included it in the setlists of their next three shows. [6]

Track listings

International single Part 1
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."Helpless" (Live)4:15
3."The Four Horsemen" (Live)6:19
4."Of Wolf and Man" (Live)4:31
US single
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."The Thing That Should Not Be" (Live)4:40
International single Part 2
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."The Thing That Should Not Be" (Live)7:33
3."The Memory Remains" (Live)4:19
4."King Nothing" (Live)7:14
International single Part 3
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."No Remorse" (Live)4:54
3."Am I Evil?" (Live)5:09
4."The Unforgiven II" (Demo)7:14
Japanese EP
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:38
2."The Thing That Should Not Be" (Live)7:31
3."The Memory Remains" (Live)4:28
4."No Remorse" (Live)4:52
5."Am I Evil?" (Live)5:11
6."The Unforgiven II" (Demo)7:13
European single
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."The Memory Remains" (Live)4:19

Personnel

Metallica

Additional musician

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [30] Platinum70,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [31] Gold45,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [32] Gold15,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United StatesJanuary 12, 1998 Alternative radio Elektra [33]
United KingdomFebruary 23, 1998CD [34]
JapanApril 22, 1998 Sony [35]

References

  1. ↑ Irwin, Corey (February 23, 2023). "25 Years Ago: Metallica Continues Story With 'The Unforgiven II'". Ultimate Classic Rock . Archived from the original on December 9, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  2. ↑ Breathnach, Cillian (March 2, 2020). "Ever wondered how a b-bender works?". BandLab Technologies . Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Metallica - The Unforgiven II (Official Music Video)". NME. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  4. ↑ Young, Simon (March 15, 2023). "The 10 most viewed Metallica videos on YouTube". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on October 11, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Hear Metallica Perform 'The Unforgiven II' Live For The Second Time Ever". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  6. ↑ "The Unforgiven II". Metallica.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media . Vol. 15, no. 11. March 14, 1998. p. 12.
  10. ↑ "Metallica: The Unforgiven II" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Top National Sellers". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 14. April 4, 1998. p. 12.
  14. ↑ "Top National Sellers". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 15. April 11, 1998. p. 12.
  15. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (5.2.–12.2. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). February 6, 1998. p. 26. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  16. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Metallica". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 12, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II". VG-lista. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 7/3/1998 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Metallica Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart on 7/3/1998 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Metallica Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard . Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Metallica Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard . Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  27. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1998". ARIA . Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 100 – Vinsælustu lögin '98". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 2, 1999. p. 34. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  29. ↑ "The Year in Music 1998: Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks". Billboard . Vol. 110, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. YE-84.
  30. ↑
  31. ↑ "Danish single certifications – Metallica – The Unforgiven II". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  32. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Metallica – The Unforgiven II". Radioscope. Retrieved February 13, 2025.Type The Unforgiven II in the "Search:" fieldand press Enter.
  33. ↑ "Be on the Lookout". Gavin Report . No. 2187. January 9, 1998. p. 34.
  34. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . February 21, 1998. p. 29.
  35. ↑ "Metallica". Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Archived from the original on January 24, 2001. Retrieved August 25, 2023.Click on Discography.
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