"All Within My Hands" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It appears on the studio album St. Anger as the eleventh and closing track and was issued by Elektra Records. It was written by members James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich and producer Bob Rock. It was the longest song on St. Anger, with a runtime of 8 minutes and 48 seconds. Metallica's All Within My Hands Foundation was named after the song.
In 2020, an acoustic live performance of the song from the S&M2 album featuring the San Francisco Symphony, was released as the first single from the album, and it peaked at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The song has also been performed eight times, which includes the live performance of "All Within My Hands" from S&M2.
Early history and lyrics "All Within My Hands" is widely understood to address the internal conflict surrounding bassist Jason Newsted’s departure from Metallica in 2001. Newsted proposed that the band take a year-long hiatus so members could pursue side projects, including his metal band Echobrain. The proposal was rejected by the other members, leading to Newsted’s resignation. Hetfield was the primary opponent of the idea, later reflecting that his stance stemmed from a controlling and authoritarian mindset. The song explores Hetfield’s self-directed anger and regret over his role in forcing Newsted out of the band. While Newsted has consistently stated that he had no regrets about leaving, Hetfield has acknowledged that Metallica lost an essential element with Newsted’s departure and that some later material may have benefited from his continued presence. The song deals with Hetfield's feelings towards himself in forcing Newsted out.
Music video A music video for the S&M2 live performance of the song was published on YouTube by Metallica's channel on July 15, 2020. It was filmed at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Personnel Studio version Metallica James Hetfield – vocals, guitar Kirk Hammett – guitar Lars Ulrich – drums
Additional musicians Bob Rock – bass guitar
S&M2 version Metallica James Hetfield – lead vocals, guitar Kirk Hammett – guitar, backing vocals Robert Trujillo – bass guitar, backing vocals Lars Ulrich – drums
San Francisco Symphony Edwin Outwater – conductor Nadya Tichman (concertmaster), Jeremy Constant, Mariko Smiley, Melissa Kleinbart, Sarn Oliver, Naomi Kazama Hull, Victor Romasevich, Yun Chu, Yukiko Kurakata, Katie Kadarauch – first violins Jessie Fellows, Polina Sedukh, David Chernyavsky, Raushan Akhmedyarova, Chen Zhao, Adam Smyla, Sarah Knutson, Yuna Lee – second violins Yun Jie Liu, John Schoening, Christina King, Gina Cooper, David Gaudry, Matthew Young, David Kim, Nanci Severance – violas Amos Yang, Margaret Tait, Jill Rachuy Brindel, Stephen Tramontozzi, Shu-Yi Pai, Richard Andaya, Miriam Perkoff, Adelle-Akiko Kearns – cellos Scott Pingel, Daniel G. Smith, S. Mark Wright, Charles Chandler, Chris Gilbert, William Ritchen – double basses Robin McKee, Linda Lukas, Catherine Payne – flutes James Button, Pamela Smith, Russ deLuna – oboes Luis Baez, David Neuman, Jerome Simas – clarinets Stephen Paulson, Rob Weir, Steven Braunstein – bassons Robert Ward, Jonathan Ring, Bruce Roberts, Daniel Hawkins, Chris Cooper, Joshua Paulus, Jeff Garza – horns Aaron Schuman, Joseph Brown, Robert Giambruno, John Freeman – trumpets Timothy Higgins, Nick Platoff, John Engelkes, Jeff Budin – trombones Jeffrey Anderson – tuba Edward Stephan – timpani Jacob Nissly, James Lee Wyatt III, Tom Hemphill, Robert Klieger – percussion Douglas Rioth – harp Marc Shapiro – keyboard Margo Kieser, John Campbell, Matt Gray – librarians
Additional musicians Avi Vinocur – backing vocals
Charts Weekly charts Chart (2020) Peak position
Year-end charts Chart (2020) Peak position US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)15
References