"I Disappear" is a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

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 ...

from the ''Mission: Impossible 2'' soundtrack, which released on May 9, 2000. The music and lyrics were written by

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 ...

and

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 ...

, and they were joined by Bob Rock to produce the song. The song's leak on the file-sharing service

Napster Napster was a peer-to-peer file sharing application. It originally launched on June 1, 1999, with an emphasis on digital audio file distribution. Audio songs shared on the service were typically encoded in the MP3 format. It was founded by Shawn ...

prompted the band to sue the service. The soundtrack single was released on June 2, 2000.

Music video

Most of "I Disappears music video was shot in

Monument Valley Monument Valley ( nv, Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, , meaning ''valley of the rocks'') is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of sandstone buttes, the largest reaching above the valley floor. It is located on the Utah-Arizona s ...

atop a sandstone butte on April 13, 2000. After accessing the butte by helicopter, Metallica and their instruments were alone on the plateau, circled by filming aircraft, for over twelve hours. By the end of the shoot, winds were so severe that the drum kit was blown over, footage of which appears in the video. Ulrich was later filmed on a

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...

for "action sequences, explosions, chaos and mayhem". The 2000 music video also featured a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Metallica band member

. Hetfield was given the car after filming, and in 2003, listed it on eBay. With on the

odometer An odometer or odograph is an instrument used for measuring the distance traveled by a vehicle, such as a bicycle or car. The device may be electronic, mechanical, or a combination of the two (electromechanical). The noun derives from ancient Gr ...

, the restored two-door car had an automatic transmission and was bidding at with seven days remaining in the auction; proceeds from the sale were earmarked for

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...

programs.

Release

While still working on the song, Metallica learned in 2000 that a pre-release version was being aired on US radio stations. The band traced the source of the song to the peer-to-peer file sharing service

. After finding their entire catalog available on Napster, they became the first musicians to file lawsuit against the service (''

Metallica v. Napster, Inc. ''Metallica, et al. v. Napster, Inc.'' was a 2000 U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California case that focused on copyright infringement, racketeering, and unlawful use of digital audio interface devices. ''Metallica vs. Napster ...

''). , "I Disappear" was available for streaming via the Napster streaming music service. "I Disappear" was formally released with the ''Mission: Impossible 2'' soundtrack on May 9, 2000. The single was released as a CD maxi on June 2, 2000, under the

Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Records l ...

label. In Belgium and Italy, the song was released by Edel-Mega Records. Metallica performed "I Disappear" 93 times from June 3, 2000, through December 19, 2021.

Critical reception

Music critic Mike McGuirk (of the ''

San Francisco Bay Guardian The ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'' was a free alternative newspaper published weekly in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1966 by Bruce B. Brugmann and his wife, Jean Dibble. The paper was shut down on October 14, 2014. It was relaun ...

'') described "I Disappear" as leaning on a reworking of " Enter Sandman" with an incorporation of some

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

aesthetic. McGuirk said that following Metallica's ''Load'', which he called their " country record", this new song with a "mega" riff and "catchy as hell" melodic choruses proved that the band was not afraid to change things up.

Track listing

The CD maxi single of ''I Disappear'' has only two tracks, the title song and its instrumental version. # "I Disappear" (

)4:26 # "I Disappear" (Instrumental)4:26

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{authority control 2000 singles Hollywood Records singles Metallica songs Mission: Impossible (film series) Mission: Impossible music song recordings produced by Bob Rock songs written by James Hetfield songs written by Lars Ulrich