Metallica – The Memory Remains

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  General Comment:umm RIP Cliff

  Flag GnarTardon April 11, 2013   Link

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  My Interpretation:I believe it's about an old star, probably female, who was once famous and believed she was the biggest thing ever, but lost her fame as she grew older and, therefore, became less attractive and less able to sing. "Heavy rings" are a stereotype of stars who achieve lots of fame. "Fade to black" implies imminent death. But the memory remains. That last part is why I didn't just straight-up say "It's a girl;" I believe that the 'na na na na na na na' bit is supposed to be the old star trying to sing his or her song.
  "Dim the light on an already faded prima dona." Saying that someone is 'faded' is basically another way of saying that someone is old.
  "See the nowhere crowd, cry the nowhere tears of honour." The crowd isn't actually there; she thinks there are still fans who love her but in reality they're all gone.
  
  I'm pretty sure the Guns 'N' Roses thing is true as well, because it sounds too right to be wrong, but lyrics can have more than one meaning.

  Flag Snowskeeperon March 04, 2013   Link

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  General Comment:....uhhhh Guys....might want to check out a film made in 1951...Sunset Boulevard... faded silent film starlet tries to make a comeback. "I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille!...

  Flag hawker21on January 23, 2013   Link

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  General Comment:What the hell is going on at the end of this song? Is that a dude chocking a cat while it's trying to shit?
  
  Lars Ulrich is a COMPLETE DOUCHE!
  
  Sad that ALL the talent in this band died on an icy road in 1986.

  Flagged BigDaddy46on October 14, 2011   Link

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    I actually like that part....

    Flag psycokillon August 17, 2012  

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    So psycokill you're saying that you're into some kind of extreme fetish cat porn? Nice.
    
    Lars Ulrich is a COMPLETE DOUCHE!
    
    Sad that ALL the talent in this band died on an icy road in 1986.

    Flag BigDaddy46on September 06, 2012  

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    Actually, that "dude" is Marianne Faithfull!!

    Flag ExitLight7on April 07, 2013  
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  General Comment:i think its like a fade to black sequel sorta thing. saying that they have all this money now and that they have all this fame but "the memory remains" that they got all there shit stolen

  Flag dotdotcurveon October 19, 2010   Link

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  My Interpretation:At my school for our Advanced Reading class we did a poetic interpretation of Metallica and this song was about the life of a celebrity. When they look into the mirror they don't see the person they were before the fame. It drives them crazy. The little tin goddess was the grammy or awards of that type. They made it seem as if it were fake, nothing matters but they want their old lifestyle back without all the fame. I don't know how good that was or how much sense it made, but this was the interpretation we came up with in class. (:

  Flag LexRod13on July 07, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:i think the song is about someonewho is getting older each day and is goin on about when he or she dies

  Flag aboweon May 10, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:The song seems to be about someone who once had fame but has lost it and tries to reach back out and grab it. Time moves on, the song suggests with, "Up to lips that time forgets."
  When it says "ash to ash dust to dust fade to black" it is referring that the song will live on forever even when the time comes. Some were suggesting the reference with Fade to Black was referring back to their song entitled the same but really it wasn't. Fade to Black is another term that means that death is about to come or you are fading away to the darkness known as death or Fade to Black. I really hope that made sense because for some reason it is hard for me to type out instead of acting it out in person. Well anyway, the song Fade to Black is about dying so why not hit two birds with one stone? :D

  Flag Wormon August 29, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:I've always had a theory that this song was about Guns N' Roses, specifically ripping on Axl Rose, because James doesn't like Axl....especially considering Axl stood Metallica up the day James burned...and "The Memory Remains" refers to that memory
  
  Fortune, fame
  Mirror vain
  Gone insane
  But the memory remains
  
  ** Pretty much sums Axl up to a T...GN'R went to hell because Axl overtook the band and believed that he was the whole band
  
  Heavy rings on fingers wave
  Another star denies the grave
  See the nowhere crowd
  Cry the nowhere tears of honor
  
  ** The rings could refer to Axl's excessive jewelry, and the star denying the grave would be Hetfield because he some how managed to not die from the stage mishap...at the time when the song was written, GN'R was already split up and had their "nowhere crowd", also referring to Axl as the faded prima donna (a pun against him as a female...there's even a backstage video of Hetfield referring to Axl as scrawny and girly)
  
  Heavy rings hold cigarettes
  Up to lips that time forgets
  While the Hollywood sun sets
  Behind your back
  
  ** Again, this should be pretty obvious given Axl's cigarette habits and then reason Axl gave for standing Metallica up the night Hetfield burned was because his voice (due to his heavy cigarette smoking)...Hollywood is where GN'R took off and were at one time called "Hollywood Rose"
  
  And can't the band play on
  Just listen, they play my song
  Ash to ash
  Dust to dust
  Fade to black
  
  ** This is what really strikes me..."and can't the band play on?" Hetfield asks...a riot occured that night GN'R refused to "play on"....Metallica couldn't play on because Hetfield burned (ash to ash, dust to dust), during the song Fade to Black (what a coincidence)
  
  Dance little tin goddess
  
  ** Could be another female pun against Axl...and we've probably all seen him doing his weird dances and sways on stage as he performs

  Flag cj0054on June 02, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:its about an forgotten star who tries to be noticed and this song is sooo underrated
  

  Flag razean55on May 15, 2009   Link

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