Sad But True (5:23)

“Sad but True” is a heavy metal song recorded by Metallica for their fifth studio album, Metallica. The song was released as the album’s fifth single in mid-1992. It is one of Metallica’s first attempts at tuning down guitars, in this case, tuning down to D standard. They would use this tuning later on their cover of “Whiskey in the Jar” from Garage Inc., and would utilize drop C tuning (D standard with the bottom string tuned another full step) on St. Anger. In 2004, Guitar Player listed James Hetfield’s tone, most likely produced by an ESP guitar driving a Mesa Boogie amplifier as one of the “50 Greatest Tones of All Time.”[1]

The lyrical theme of this song is dissociative identity disorder and schizophrenia, inspired by the 1978 Anthony Hopkins film Magic. James Hetfield sings from the point of view of an evil personality.

“Sad but True” is one of six singles from Metallica. The song was included on Metallica’s live collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Michael Kamen), entitled S&M, as well as their 1993 box set Live Shit: Binge & Purge.