Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
I Disappear
2000 single by Metallica From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
"I Disappear" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on June 2, 2000 as the lead single from the Mission: Impossible 2 soundtrack. The music and lyrics were written by frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and they were joined by Bob Rock as producer.[1] The song is the first appearance of the infamous snare drum on their eighth studio album, St. Anger (2003).
The single for "I Disappear" was only officially released in Germany, but reached the top 10 on charts in seven countries, and went to No 1 on US Mainstream Rock.[2] The song's leak on the file-sharing service Napster prompted the band to sue the service. This inspired the song "Shoot Me Again".[3]
Remove ads
Composition
"I Disappear" is a hard rock and heavy metal song, according to the music sheet published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group. Set in the time signature of common time and composed in a moderate tempo of 124 beats per minute, the track is set in the key of E minor with Hetfield's vocals ranging from E4 to G5.[4] The song includes a "hey, hey, hey" hook by Hetfield, chugging drums on the chorus by Ulrich, and a guitar solo by Kirk Hammett.[5]
Remove ads
Music video
Most of "I Disappear"'s music video was shot in Monument Valley 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 in Downtown Los Angeles for "action sequences, explosions, chaos and mayhem".[6]
The 2000 music video also featured a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Metallica band member James Hetfield. Hetfield was given the car after filming, and in 2003, listed it on eBay.[7] With 77,000 miles (124,000 km) on the odometer, the restored two-door car had an automatic transmission and was bidding at US$70,100 (equivalent to $119,822 in 2024) with seven days remaining in the auction; proceeds from the sale were earmarked for music education programs.[8]
Remove ads
Release
Summarize
Perspective
.svg)
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 Napster. After finding their entire catalog available on Napster, they became the first musicians to file lawsuit against the service (Metallica v. Napster, Inc.).[10] As of April 2025[update], "I Disappear" was available for streaming via the Napster streaming music service.[11]
"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,[12] under the Hollywood Records label. In Belgium and Italy, the song was released by Edel-Mega Records.[1][13] In the chronology of Metallica singles, "I Disappear" was released between "No Leaf Clover" (March 20, 2000) and "St. Anger" (June 23, 2003).[14] Metallica performed "I Disappear" 94 times from June 3, 2000, through May 17, 2023.[9]
On April 23, 2021, Metallica released the two-track Disappear (Leaked and Live) through their Vinyl Club. The first song is "I Disappear (Leaked Napster Version)", and the second is "I Disappear (Live)", a live performance recorded at the West Hollywood House of Blues on July 18, 2000.[15]
Critical reception
Mike McGuirk of San Francisco Bay Guardian described "I Disappear" as leaning on a reworking of "Enter Sandman" with an incorporation of some grunge aesthetic. He said that following Load (1996), 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.[11]
The Nu Metal Agenda ranked "I Disappear" at number 91 on a list of the 100 greatest nu metal songs of all time, with Holiday Kirk calling the band's first foray into the genre, "a summer blockbuster of a single."[16] WMMR placed the song at number 13 in their ranking of every Metallica song, with Erica Banas labeling it "undeniable hard rock treasure,"[5] while Loudwire ranked the song at number 26 and stated it holds up "alongside the highlights of The Black Album."[17]
Remove ads
Track listing
The CD maxi single of "I Disappear" has only two tracks, the title song and its instrumental version.[12][18]
Charts
Remove ads
Certifications
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads