Musical Throwback Thursday #2 - Metallica's The Unforgiven - You Are The Slave Of Your Own Self
Once upon a time (i.e over six years ago) an ordinary girl stumbled upon a powerful song from a VCD that she borrowed from a friend. Yes, a VCD - Video Compact Disc, believe it or not. She cannot remember its exact name now but it has something to do with Best Classic Rock Songs, something like that. By that time Rock was a whole new term that was totally unbeknownst to her. No idea what was in her mind by the time she asked her friend to give her that VCD, maybe she was in quest for an adventure. Not a literal one, but somewhat a mental / emotional one that was destined to change her life forever.
She carefully put the VCD into her family's DVD player, together with a small TV, were her only kind of entertainment. Computers and Internet, she didn't know what they meant. There were numerous classic songs such as Guns'n'Roses' November Rain, Don't Cry, Tesla's Love Song, but she was particularly hooked by "The Unforgiven" by Metallica. Who were they? She did not know. All in her thoughts were: pretty generic band name, isn't it? A metal band dubbed Metallica. Quite silly, yet interesting.
The original idea
She, by that time, had never seen a Black & White music video before on her colour TV. Well, she used to watch everything in Black and White as her family used to have a small 12" B&W TV, so she was used to the dark. Then she was introduced to the liveliness of colours displayed on her cousin's modern TV. She can still remember it was years ago while she was still in elementary school, once she visited her cousin in the semi-modern place where people had CD players, colour TV and even games player. She was awestruck. That was somehow when she realised that her family wasn't at all wealthy, but at least it was cosy. Then finally they got a more modern TV (which, miraculously, still functions to date) and eventually a DVD player (which, sadly, was stolen one or two years later together with some other properties), that was when she knew what technology was, and the entertainment that others had already been enjoying for so long, but was still something so strange and fresh to her mind.
She was still young, all she was listening to was old ballads that were popular by that time. She didn't choose to listen to them, but that was all she had, and she was happy with it. That was the first time she watched, and listened to such an exotic song that was completely different to what she was used to. Incomprehensible images - checked, powerful music - checked, haunting vocals - checked, grotesque awesomeness - checked!
She then later on acknowledged that it was a classic which featured in Metallica's album Metallica, also known as The Black Album released in 1991, also the year she was born. This one to date is still her favourite one to enjoy: Enter Sandman, Sad But True, The Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam and Nothing Else Matters. In 2003, the album was ranked number 255 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. These song she discovered awhile later on when she decided to give the band a long shot instead of just listening to one or two songs of theirs. Being a legendary band must be something rather than just a one-hit-wonder. She never regretted.
She understood little about what message the music video was trying to deliver, but to her, it was quite intriguing. A child discovered, then got trapped in a tunnel trying to find a way out, all his life. He was carving on the wall little by little but it wouldn't budge. Why wouldn't he find the way through which he got into the tunnel? It was not a masquerade. And yet he always had the key, why wouldn't he escape from the dark?
She didn't understand why, and couldn't find any logic in such narration. But then as time flies by, she gets that life is not that simple - sometimes you just cannot go back. Sometimes you have the key to free yourself, but you fail to use it, or even fail to know about its presence. Sometimes even if you do know, it's not the way, and / or you keep yourself from freedom. The mind has such strong a power that can control a human being. You - are the slave of your own self.
What makes the song more magical
She's not a philosopher though, all she could extract from the song was her own mind's idea. Which, again, proves that she was the slave of her own self. Indeed the song is genial and its melody is so captivating (which explains why it's a classic), but what really makes it stand out is the message it give to her mind. Would she be able to get out of the tunnel once she got stuck, or would she just ignore the key and would just put herself in a desperate quest of seeking a key that never existed.
Maybe Metallica didn't have such huge idea on their mind as producing this particular song and music video, but it powerfully grabs her mind, twists them until she wouldn't be able to distinguish whether it was pleasure or pain. It opened the door to a whole new musical world in which she would be alone, but somewhere out there she would be able to find her comfort zone.
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