Fade to Black (song)

Song

For the Flotsam and Jetsam song of the same name, see Fade to Black on the Flotsam and Jetsam Wiki.

Fade to Black is a song by thrash metal band Metallica from their second album, Ride the Lightning (1984). It was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Cliff Burton, and Lars Ulrich.

About[]

The lyrics suggest the story of a man contemplating, and eventually committing suicide. It was the first musical ballad released by the band.

Live[]

"Fade to Black" has been played live 1,269 times as of January, 2025.
"Fade to Black" was played live for the first time on February 8th, 1985, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the Eagles Ballroom.
It was last performed live on September 29th, 2024, in Mexico City, Mexico, during the 72 Seasons tour.
It is one of the eleven songs played live over 1,000 times, along with "Master of Puppets", "Creeping Death", "Seek & Destroy", "One", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Enter Sandman", "Sad But True", "Battery", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", and "Nothing Else Matters".
This was also the song that Metallica had been playing the intro of during their infamous concert at Montreal's Olympic Stadium in 1992, when James Hetfield suffered second-and-third degree burns from a pyrotechnic accident.
James has played the intro with many guitars, using two different double necks in 1992-'93, an explorer or flying v with a clean tone, and with an acoustic guitar.

Trivia[]

January of 1984, the band got their gear stolen, which inspired James to write "Fade to Black".
Former Bassist Jason Newsted's last song played with Metallica live was "Fade to Black".
On August 2nd, 2024, this song was released in the Fortnite Item Shop as a jam track and playable song in Fortnite Festival.

Lyrics[]

    Life, it seems, will fade away
    Drifting further every day
    Getting lost within myself
    Nothing matters, no one else
    
    I have lost the will to live
    Simply nothing more to give
    There is nothing more for me
    Need the end to set me free
    
    Things not what they used to be
    Missing one inside of me
    Deathly lost, this can't be real
    Cannot stand this hell I feel
    
    Emptiness is filling me
    To the point of agony
    Growing darkness taking dawn
    I was me, but now he's gone
    
    No one but me can save myself, but it's too late
    Now I can't think, think why I should even try
    
    Yesterday seems as though it never existed
    Death greets me warm, now I will just say goodbye

References[]

	Ride the Lightning
Songs	Fight Fire with Fire • Ride the Lightning • For Whom the Bell Tolls • Fade to Black • Trapped Under Ice • Escape • Creeping Death • The Call of Ktulu
Members	James Hetfield • Lars Ulrich • Kirk Hammett • Cliff Burton

Guitar Hero Metallica

Songs

For Whom the Bell Tolls • The Unforgiven • Nothing Else Matters • Enter Sandman • King Nothing • Sad But True • No Leaf Clover • Orion • Fade to Black • The Memory Remains • Wherever I May Roam • Welcome Home (Sanitarium) • Fuel • Frantic • One • All Nightmare Long • Hit the Lights • Mercyful Fate • Seek & Destroy • Creeping Death • Master of Puppets • Battery • The Shortest Straw • Whiplash • Dyers Eve • Disposable Heroes • Fight Fire with Fire • The Thing That Should Not Be • Broken, Beat & Scarred • Cyanide • My Apocalypse

Featured Band Songs

Turn the Page • Tuesday's Gone • Am I Evil? • Stone Cold Crazy