Metallica is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band released its debut album Kill 'Em All in 1983, which credited songwriting between frontman James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist Dave Mustaine, who had left before the album was recorded (bassist Cliff Burton was credited for the bass solo "(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth"). On the 1984 follow-up Ride the Lightning, Burton received more songwriting credits and Mustaine's replacement Kirk Hammett was also co-credited on four songs. Master of Puppets, released in 1986, was the last album to feature Burton, who died in a bus accident later that year.
After bringing in Jason Newsted to replace Burton, Metallica released the extended play (EP) The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited in 1987, which featured cover versions of songs by Diamond Head, Holocaust, Killing Joke, Budgie and Misfits. The band's first studio album with Newsted, ...And Justice for All, was released the following year; the bassist was credited on one song only, opener "Blackened". In 1991 the self-titled Metallica was released, which is considered to be the band's mainstream breakthrough album. Load and Reload followed in 1996 and 1997, respectively. The year after Reload, Metallica released Garage Inc., a double album of cover versions.
After Newsted left in 2001, the bass on 2003's St. Anger was performed by producer Bob Rock, who was also credited with co-writing all of the songs. Robert Trujillo replaced Newsted later that year. Death Magnetic was released in 2008, which was the first to feature Trujillo on bass; all songs were credited as being written by all four band members. Unused recordings from the album's sessions were later released in the form of the EP Beyond Magnetic. In 2011, Metallica released the album Lulu in collaboration with Lou Reed. The band's tenth studio album, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct, was released in November 2016; it was written almost entirely by Hetfield and Ulrich, with Trujillo being co-credited on one song ("ManUNkind") and Hammett receiving no writing credits. The band's eleventh album, 72 Seasons, was released in April 2023.
Songs
+Key Indicates song released as a single Indicates song written by the whole band
0–9ABCDEFHIJKLMNOPRSTUWY
+Name of song, writer(s), original artist, original release, and year of release.TitleWriter(s)Original artistReleaseYear"2 X 4"Metallica1996"53rd & 3rd"Ramones2003"72 Seasons" Metallica2023"Ain't My Bitch"Metallica1996"All Nightmare Long" Metallica2008"All Within My Hands" Metallica2003"Am I Evil?"Diamond Head1984"Am I Savage?"Metallica2016""Metallica1988""Metallica1983"Astronomy"Blue Öyster Cult1998"Atlas, Rise!" Metallica2016"Attitude"Metallica1997"Bad Seed"Metallica1997"Battery"Metallica1986"Better Than You" Metallica1997"Blackened"Metallica1988"Bleeding Me" Metallica1996"Blitzkrieg"Blitzkrieg1984"Brandenburg Gate"(with Lou Reed) Lou Reed and Metallica2011"Breadfan"Budgie1988"Broken, Beat & Scarred" Metallica2008""Metallica1984"Carpe Diem Baby"Metallica1997"Chasing Light"Metallica2023"Cheat on Me"(with Lou Reed) Lou Reed and Metallica2011"Commando"Ramones2003"Confusion"Metallica2016"Crash Course in Brain Surgery"Budgie1987"Creeping Death" Metallica1984"Cretin Hop"Ramones2003"Crown of Barbed Wire"Metallica2023"Cure"Metallica1996"Cyanide" Metallica2008"Damage Case"Motörhead1996"Damage, Inc." Metallica1986"" Metallica2008"Devil's Dance"Metallica1997"Die, Die My Darling" Misfits1998"Dirty Window" Metallica2003"Disposable Heroes"Metallica1986"Don't Tread on Me"Metallica1991"Dragon"(with Lou Reed) Lou Reed and Metallica2011"Dream No More"Metallica2016"Dyers Eve"Metallica1988""2007"" Metallica2008"Enter Sandman" Metallica1991"Escape"Metallica1984"Eye of the Beholder Metallica1988"Fade to Black" Metallica1984"Fight Fire with Fire"Metallica1984"Fixxxer"Metallica1997"For Whom the Bell Tolls"Metallica1984""Metallica1983"Frantic" Metallica2003""Metallica1988"Free Speech for the Dumb"Discharge1998"Frustration"(with Lou Reed) Lou Reed and Metallica2011"Fuel" Metallica1997""Metallica1991"Halo on Fire"Metallica2016"Hardwired" Metallica2016"Harvester of Sorrow" Metallica1988"Hate Train"Metallica2011"Hell and Back" Metallica2011"Helpless"Diamond Head1987"Here Comes Revenge"Metallica2016"Hero of the Day" Metallica1996"Hit the Lights"Metallica1983"Holier Than Thou"Metallica1991""Metallica1996"I Disappear" Metallica2000"Iced Honey"(with Lou Reed) Lou Reed and Metallica2011"If Darkness Had a Son" Metallica2023"Inamorata"Metallica2023"Invisible Kid" Metallica2003"It's Electric"Diamond Head1998"" Metallica2008"Jump in the Fire" Metallica1983"Junior Dad"(with Lou Reed) Lou Reed and Metallica2011"Just a Bullet Away" Metallica2011"Killing Time"Sweet Savage1991"King Nothing" Metallica1996"Last Caress/Green Hell"Misfits1987"Leper Messiah"Metallica1986"Little Dog"(with Lou Reed) Lou Reed and Metallica2011"Lords of Summer" Metallica2014"Loverman"Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds1998"Low Man's Lyric"Metallica1997"Lux Æterna" Metallica2023"Mama Said" Metallica1996"ManUNkind"Metallica2016"Master of Puppets" Metallica1986"" Metallica1997"Mercyful Fate"Mercyful Fate1998"Metal Militia"Metallica1983 ""Metallica with Michael Kamen conducting the San Francisco Symphony OrchestraS&M1999"Mistress Dread"(with Lou Reed) Lou Reed and Metallica2011""Discharge1998"Moth into Flame" Metallica2016"Motorbreath"Metallica1983"Murder One"Metallica2016"My Apocalypse" Metallica2008"My Friend of Misery"Metallica1991"My World" Metallica2003 "No Leaf Clover" Metallica with Michael Kamen conducting the San Francisco Symphony OrchestraS&M1999"No Remorse"Metallica1983"Nothing Else Matters" Metallica1991"Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue"Ramones2003"Now That We're Dead"Metallica2016"Of Wolf and Man"Metallica1991"One" Metallica1988"Orion"Metallica1986""Metallica1996"Overkill"Motörhead1996"Phantom Lord"Metallica1983"Poor Twisted Me"Metallica1996""Diamond Head1988"Prince Charming"Metallica1997"Pumping Blood"(with Lou Reed) Lou Reed and Metallica2011"Purify" Metallica2003 "Rebel of Babylon" Metallica2011"Remember Tomorrow"Iron Maiden2008"Ride the Lightning"Metallica1984"Ronnie"Metallica1996"Ronnie Rising Medley"Rainbow2014"Room of Mirrors"Metallica2023"Sabbra Cadabra"Black Sabbath1998"Sad but True" Metallica1991"" Metallica2003"Screaming Suicide" Metallica2023"Seek & Destroy"Metallica1983"Shadows Follow"Metallica2023"Shoot Me Again" Metallica2003""Metallica1988"Sleepwalk My Life Away"Metallica2023"Slither"Metallica1997""Holocaust1987"So What?"Anti-Nowhere League1991"Some Kind of Monster" Metallica2003"Spit Out the Bone" Metallica2016"Stone Cold Crazy"Queen1990"Stone Dead Forever"Motörhead1996""Metallica1991"Suicide & Redemption" Metallica2008"Sweet Amber" Metallica2003"That Was Just Your Life" Metallica2008""Metallica1986"Thorn Within"Metallica1996"Through the Never"Metallica1991"To Live Is to Die"Metallica1988"Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World"Ramones2003"Too Far Gone?"Metallica2023"Too Late Too Late"Motörhead1996"Trapped Under Ice"Metallica1984"Tuesday's Gone"Lynyrd Skynyrd1998"Turn the Page" 1998"" Metallica1991"" Metallica1997"" Metallica2008"" Metallica2003"Until It Sleeps" Metallica1996"" (with Lou Reed) Lou Reed and Metallica2011""Killing Joke1987"Wasting My Hate"Metallica1996"We Did It Again"(with Swizz Beatz and Ja Rule)Kasseem DeanJeffrey AtkinsJames HetfieldLars UlrichKirk HammettMetallica and Ja Rule2002"We're a Happy Family"Ramones2003"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"Metallica1986"When a Blind Man Cries"Deep Purple2012"Where the Wild Things Are"Metallica1997"Wherever I May Roam" Metallica1991"Whiplash" Metallica1983"Whiskey in the Jar" TraditionalThin Lizzy1998"You Must Burn!"Metallica2023"You Really Got Me"(with Ray Davies)2010
See also List of Metallica demos
Footnotes
References
External links List of Metallica songs at the band's official website List of Metallica songs at AllMusic