The Metallica song eulogising Amy Winehouse
James Hetfield has often been frank about his battle with addiction throughout the Metallica years, and drew not only on his own experience but that of the late Amy Winehouse for Hardwired… to Self-Destruct track ‘Moth Into The Flame’. Although the song’s opening might not sound the most touching tribute with its talk of a “blacked out pop queen,” it’s a moving ode to the complex relationship between addiction and public scrutiny she endured, as told by someone who has gone through it himself.
The uneasy trade-off between fame and addictive tendencies was tentatively explored in Asif Kapadia’s Amy documentary, which Hetfield told Canadian radio’s 102.1 The Edge inspired the song from Metallica’s 10th album. “Just watching that movie was extremely saddening,” he explained.
“How her life went from [her being] such a lively, joyous person to someone who was just trying to escape the reality of where she was.” Hetfield was struck by a moment in the film where “she was lost in her mind,” as she left her Camden flat, swarmed by photographers. It wasn’t the lack of personal space or the constant flashes of the camera that bothered him, it was that they called her by her name.
“It really hit me,” he said, “[when] the press were just hanging out in front of her place all the time, snapping these pictures of her: ‘Hey, Amy, how’s it going?’ Talking to her like they know her.” The faux connection a certain level of fame creates, especially when someone becomes a household name, can be a confusing place for addicts to be given their emotional vulnerabilities, which he touches on in the song’s lyrics: “All for publicity / Destruction going viral.”
“There was a total misconnection there with reality,” explained Hetfield, who noted the paparazzi wouldn’t say Winehouse looked skinny or unhealthy but would still scream her name as if they were familiar to each other. As well as being an alienating experience, Hetfield confessed there was something almost enticing about fame on that level.
Speaking to BBC 6 Music about the inspiration Winehouse provided, he reiterated that: “The film about Amy Winehouse inspired me to write that song. It’s a sad movie. Fame can be a dark, dangerous drug. Everybody wants a piece of you. It totally changes your view of the world.”
Hetfield own relationship with fame has often been fraught and has contributed to his battle with addiction much as it did for Winehouse. “Fame has followed me around since we formed the band,” he said. “It’s a Pandora’s box that often makes you wonder: ‘Okay, how do I now become unfamous?’”
Winehouse was often quoted as saying she hated her own celebrity, and would take it all back just for the chance to walk down the street a normal person. When Hetfield sings: “Fame is the murderer / Seduce you into ruin,” it’s a fitting ode to a shared experience only one of them survived.
