The 1990s were a strange time for Metallica. After the immense success of 1991’s self-titled album, which saw the thrash pioneers break into the mainstream with a series of crossover hits, it took them five long years to return. During this time, the world moved on significantly from the guitar-dominated days at the onset of the decade, with dance and other forms taking off. Following the experimental spirit of the era, the group also stepped out from their longtime artistic haven when they produced the follow-up to their classic record and tried to do something different.
1996’s Load was a polarising project upon release and remains so today. Seeing the band forgo the thrash metal that made them genre legends and their longest album to date at an extensive 79 minutes, they drew upon influences including blues rock, country and southern rock, which unduly alienated long-term fans. It was the first in a long line of misfires that would not be rectified until 2008’s Death Magnetic. Listening to it today makes you wonder why 2003’s St. Anger gets so much hate. Despite Metallica trying to branch out and keep up with the times, the 1996 release contains some of their worst music by a long way.
Yet, in his typical fashion, drummer Lars Ulrich defended the new sound found on Load. He told Rolling Stone at the time: “This album and what we’re doing with it – that, to me, is what Metallica are all about exploring different things. The minute you stop exploring, then just sit down and fucking die.”
It’s funny that it was such a bold statement. In a separate interview, Ulrich revealed that he and frontman James Hetfield were fully aware that some of the songs stood out not just from the album but their oeuvre in general and originally doubted them. Discussing the singles ‘Hero of the Day’ and the comically country ‘Mama Said’, he said that the former was the first song they’d done in a major key, which came from one of guitarist Kirk Hammett’s demos.
Speaking to Marc Allan in 1997, available at The Tapes Archive, Ulrich examined the country rock ballad ‘Mama Said’ coming to fruition and how it originated on a demo tape Hetfield had penned some time into the songwriting process for Load. At the time, he told the vocalist – who was struggling with addictions and other personal problems during this era – that he liked it. However, it was Hetfield who had serious misgivings about it.
Ulrich recalled: “He said that he was worried or whatever because he didn’t really know if it was Metallica enough or not. And I said, ‘What are you worried about? If it’s on a Metallica record, it means ‘that me and you write it and the four of us play on it,’ then I think it qualifies as a Metallica song.’”
The drummer, who has always been protective over the group’s music, even at its most questionable points, maintained that the overtly country influence of ‘Mama Said’ didn’t become apparent until after the first journalist mentioned it. He thought it was just another song when producing it. This is also interesting, given the husky vocals, moody acoustic guitar, incredibly country use of the slide, and most importantly, the video that features the goateed Hetfield donning a stetson as he drives through the desert. The song’s a far cry away from the black vest and sweatband metal of ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’.
“I can obviously hear how people can interpret it that way,” Ulrich said of the country vibe of ‘Mama Said’. It’s this kind of detachment from reality that pushed Metallica to the brink not long after Load hit the shelves. Ironically, years later, Hetfield would bolster his original position and say he hates the entire 1996 effort. Ulrich and Hammett were far more into it than he and Jason Newsted, he asserted.
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