Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

Last updated
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
Song by Metallica
from the album Master of Puppets
A-side "Master of Puppets"
ReleasedOctober 23, 1986
Recorded1985
Studio Sweet Silence Studios (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Genre
Length6:28
Label Elektra
Songwriters
Producers

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica from their third studio album Master of Puppets (1986). The song was covered by several bands and artists including Apocalyptica, Bullet for My Valentine, Thunderstone, and Scott D. Davis.

Contents

Composition

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" was based on Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and conveys the thoughts of a patient unjustly caged in a mental institution. [1] The song's subject matter is madness and serves as a metaphor for honesty and truth. [2] According to philosopher William Irwin, "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is perhaps the most revealing of Metallica's songs dealing with insanity. [3]

The song opens with a section of clean single strings and harmonics. The clean, arpeggiated main riff is played in alternating 4
4 and 6
4 time signatures. [4] The song is structured with alternating somber clean guitars in the verses, and distorted heavy riffing in the choruses, unfolding into an aggressive finale. This structure follows a pattern of power ballads Metallica set with "Fade to Black" on Ride the Lightning and would follow with "One" on ...And Justice for All and later "The Day That Never Comes" on Death Magnetic . [5]

Live performances

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is the second-most performed song from Master of Puppets behind the title track. Both tracks along with "Battery" and "Damage, Inc." were featured on the nine-song set list for the album's promotional tour. [6] Those songs were all revived for the band's concerts in 1997 and 1998, after having been retired for a number of years. [5]

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [7] Gold35,000‡
United States (RIAA) [8] Gold500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Begrand, Adrien (September 12, 2002). "Metallica: Master of Puppets". PopMatters . Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  2. ↑ Dome, Malcolm; Wall, Mick (2011). Metallica: The Music and the Mayhem. Omnibus Press. pp. Chapter 11. ISBN   978-0-85712-721-1.
  3. ↑ Irwin, William (2009). Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery. John Wiley & Sons. p. 48. ISBN   978-1-4051-8208-9.
  4. ↑ Bowcott, Nick (January 2006). "Master Class". Guitar World : 120–128. ISSN   1045-6295.
  5. 1 2 Pillsbury, Glenn T. (2006). Damage Incorporated: Metallica and the Production of Musical Identity. Taylor & Francis. pp. 34, 53–54, 61–63, 72–73. ISBN   978-0-415-97374-8.
  6. ↑ McIver, Joel (2004). Justice For All – The Truth About Metallica. Omnibus Press. pp. Chapter 12. ISBN   0-7119-9600-8.
  7. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  8. ↑ "American single certifications – Metallica – Welcome Home (Sanitarium)". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved May 28, 2025.
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