"Frantic" is the second single and opening track from 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 ...

's eighth album ''

St. Anger ''St. Anger'' is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on June 5, 2003. It was the last Metallica album released through Elektra Records and the final collaboration between Metallica and longtime producer Bob ...

'' (2003).

Content

This song, like many others on ''St. Anger'', is about the band's past struggles with addictions, particularly lead singer

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 ...

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

problem, for which he spent many months in

rehab Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...

. The lyrics also draw on Zen axioms, most notably the Buddhist concept of dukkha brought up by Kirk Hammett: "''Birth is pain. Life is pain. Death is pain. It's All The Same.''"

Music video

A music video, directed by Wayne Isham, was made to go along with ''Frantics release as a single. The video, featuring a shortened version of the song, depicts a man looking back on his life (in which he is constantly drinking, having sex, and smoking) at the instant that he crashes his rotisserie delivery pickup truck into an RV at an intersection. Intercut with those clips are scenes of the band performing the song in front of a pile of scrap metal (Hetfield and Hammett) and a set of rocks (Ulrich and Trujillo). At the end of the video, although the man's truck is upside-down, he finds himself still alive and laughs loudly until a car crashes into the side of the truck, tipping it over and presumably killing him. The video was shot in Montreal, Canada.

Track listing

Chart positions

References

{{authority control 2003 singles Metallica songs Songs written by James Hetfield Songs written by Lars Ulrich Songs written by Kirk Hammett Songs written by Bob Rock Music videos directed by Wayne Isham 2003 songs Elektra Records singles Song recordings produced by Bob Rock