"Eye of the Beholder" is a song by the American heavy metal band

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

. It was released on October 30, 1988, as the second single from their fourth studio album, '' ...And Justice for All''. Lyrically, the song concerns imposed limitations on

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

and freedom of expression in general. "Eye of the Beholder" is notable for its chorus section containing time played, not as an ordinary compound quadruple time, but as a

syncopated In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "place ...

rhythm. The rest of the song is a more conventional

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

at a slower tempo than that seen on Metallica's previous three albums. The song has not been performed live in its entirety since 1989. It has, however, always formed part of the

medleys Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music * Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People *Medley (surname), list of people with this na ...

of songs from ''…And Justice for All'' often played by the band in concert during the 1990s as an alternative to playing full songs, many of which were seen as too difficult because of the numerous guitar parts. One such "Justice Medley" was featured on its 1993 live album '' Live Shit: Binge & Purge''. In a September 2020 interview with

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

, Lars Ulrich stated that he is "not a huge fan of that song", calling it "forced" and citing its two different tempos.

Personnel

;Metallica *

James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder and a main songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionall ...

– rhythm guitar, vocals *

Kirk Hammett Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist and a contributing songwriter for heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Before joining Metallica, he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, ...

– lead guitar *

Lars Ulrich Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician best known as the drummer and co-founder of American heavy metal band Metallica. The son and grandson respectively of tennis players Torben and Einer Ulrich, he played tennis in his ...

– drums *

Jason Newsted Jason Curtis Newsted (born March 4, 1963) is an American musician who was the bassist of heavy metal band Metallica from 1986 to 2001. He first performed with thrash metal band Flotsam and Jetsam from 1981 to 1986 before joining Metallica to su ...

– bass

Track listing

Cover versions

In Flames In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by guitarist Jesper Strömblad in Gothenburg in 1990. Alongside At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity, In Flames pioneered the genres known as Swedish death metal and melodic death metal. During t ...

recorded a cover of "Eye of the Beholder" on ''Metal Militia: A Tribute to Metallica'', a tribute album recorded by various artists. This version of the song also appears on the remastered edition of In Flames' first EP, ''

Subterranean Subterranean(s) or The Subterranean(s) may refer to: * Subterranea (geography), underground structures, both natural and man-made Literature * ''Subterranean'' (novel), a 1998 novel by James Rollins * ''Subterranean Magazine'', an American fa ...

''. A cover of the song also appeared on the '' Metallic Attack: The Ultimate Tribute'' tribute album, performed by Life After Death, a band formed by Phil Sandoval after the break-up of

Armored Saint Armored Saint is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1982. Since 1990, the band has consisted of John Bush on lead vocals, Joey Vera on bass, Jeff Duncan (musician), Jeff Duncan on rhythm guitar and the Sandoval ...

References

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Eye of the Beholder (song) "Eye of the Beholder" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on October 30, 1988, as the second single from their fourth studio album, '' ...And Justice for All''. Lyrically, the song concerns imposed limitation ...

Songs written by James Hetfield Songs written by Lars Ulrich Songs written by Kirk Hammett Works about freedom of expression