The Unforgiven III

Last updated
"The Unforgiven III"
Song by Metallica
from the album Death Magnetic
ReleasedSeptember 12, 2008 (2008-09-12)
Genre Heavy metal
Length7:47
Label Warner Bros.
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s) James Hetfield
Producer(s) Rick Rubin

"The Unforgiven III" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica from their ninth studio album, Death Magnetic (2008). It is a sequel to two of the bands past songs: "The Unforgiven II" and "The Unforgiven".

Contents

History

In an interview for MTV, James Hetfield said that the song is "continuation of the same storyline about sin and consequence, forgiveness and unforgiveness." Hetfield has also said that, of all parts of "The Unforgiven," this is his favorite. [1] Robert Trujillo said "it's got a great flow and it's very dynamic. It's somehow connected to the [remaining] body music of the album." [2]

A live version was performed for the first time on April 14, 2010, in Oslo, Norway, and only played a few times afterwards with the last performance being on November 21, 2010. It was played for the first time in almost eight years in Lincoln, Nebraska, on September 6, 2018, and was next performed on the two nights of Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony's S&M2 at the Chase Center, albeit in an alternate form featuring only Hetfield and the orchestra. [3] [4]

Composition and lyrics

"The Unforgiven III" is a thrash metal power ballad that serves as a continuation of the band's past singles "The Unforgiven" and "The Unforgiven II". [5] In comparison to those its predecessors, "The Unforgiven III" features a softer composition; Brady Gerber of Vulture described the song as the most "reflective" in the trilogy, and compared it to another song from the album, "The Day That Never Comes". [5] Hetfield explained that the song was purely about self-forgiveness, saying that it was asking the question of "how can I forgive you if I can't forgive myself?". This was in contrast to the first song in the trilogy, which Hetfield said that he had none of while writing it. [6]

Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic in his review of the album, described the song as having "symphonic tension". [7] In 2010, it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance, but lost to "War Machine" by AC/DC. [8]

Personnel

Metallica
Additional musicians

Chart performance

Chart (2008)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [9] 41
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [10] 50
Denmark (Tracklisten) [11] 24
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [12] 16
Norway (VG-lista) [13] 8
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [14] 34
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [15] 120

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [16] Gold35,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Video on YouTube
  2. ↑ "Headbangers Ball > Headbangers Ball 20th Anniversary - 20 Years of Metallica". MTV. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  3. ↑ "The Unforgiven III". Metallica.com.
  4. ↑ "The first ever setlist at @chase_center! And night one of #SandM2 is in the books". Twitter. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  5. 1 2 Gerber, Brady (2023-04-15). "A Brief Guide to the Best Late-Period Metallica Songs". Vulture. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
  6. ↑ Singh, Surej (2024-06-20). "Metallica's James Hetfield on if the band will write another 'Unforgiven' song". NME. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
  7. ↑ Thomas, Stephen (September 12, 2008). "Metallica: Death Magnetic". AllMusic. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  8. ↑ "AC/DC Wins GRAMMY For 'Best Hard Rock Performance' - Jan. 31, 2010". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Metallica – The Unforgiven III". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Metallica – The Unforgiven III" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Metallica – The Unforgiven III". Tracklisten. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Metallica: The Unforgiven III" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Metallica – The Unforgiven III". VG-lista. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Metallica – The Unforgiven III". Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  15. ↑ Chart Log UK 1994–2010: M zobbel.de. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  16. ↑ '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000001E-QINU`"' "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
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