Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
| "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Metallica | |
| from the album Master of Puppets | |
| A-side | "Master of Puppets" |
| Released | October 23, 1986 |
| Recorded | 1985 |
| Studio | Sweet Silence (Copenhagen, Denmark) |
| Genre | |
| Length | 6:28 |
| Label | Elektra |
| Composers | |
| Lyricist | James Hetfield |
| Producers |
|
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica from their third studio album Master of Puppets (1986). The song was covered by several bands and artists including Apocalyptica, Bullet for My Valentine, Thunderstone, and Scott D. Davis.
Composition
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" was based on Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and conveys the thoughts of a patient unjustly caged in a mental institution.[1] The song's subject matter is madness and serves as a metaphor for honesty and truth.[2] According to philosopher William Irwin, "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is perhaps the most revealing of Metallica's songs dealing with insanity.[3]
The song opens with a section of clean single strings and harmonics. The clean, arpeggiated main riff is played in alternating 4
4 and 6
4 time signatures.[4] The song is structured with alternating somber clean guitars in the verses, and distorted heavy riffing in the choruses, unfolding into an aggressive finale. This structure follows a pattern of power ballads Metallica set with "Fade to Black" on Ride the Lightning and would follow with "One" on ...And Justice for All and later "The Day That Never Comes" on Death Magnetic.[5]
Live performances
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is the second-most performed song from Master of Puppets behind the title track. Both tracks along with "Battery" and "Damage, Inc." were featured on the nine-song set list for the album's promotional tour.[6] Those songs were all revived for the band's concerts in 1997 and 1998, after having been retired for a number of years.[5]
Legacy
Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo revealed "Undone – The Sweater Song" was "almost a complete rip-off" of "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)".[7]
Personnel
Credits are adapted from Master of Puppets' liner notes.[8]
Metallica
- James Hetfield – rhythm guitar, vocals
- Lars Ulrich – drums, percussion
- Kirk Hammett – lead guitar
- Cliff Burton – bass, backing vocals
Production
- Metallica – production
- Flemming Rasmussen – production, engineering
- Andy Wroblewski – assistant engineer
- Michael Wagener – mixing
- Mark Wilzcak – assistant mixing engineer
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[9] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Begrand, Adrien (September 12, 2002). "Metallica: Master of Puppets". PopMatters. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
- ^ Dome, Malcolm; Wall, Mick (2011). Metallica: The Music and the Mayhem. Omnibus Press. pp. Chapter 11. ISBN 978-0-85712-721-1.
- ^ Irwin, William (2009). Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery. John Wiley & Sons. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-4051-8208-9.
- ^ Bowcott, Nick (January 2006). "Master Class". Guitar World: 120–128. ISSN 1045-6295.
- ^ a b Pillsbury, Glenn T. (2006). Damage Incorporated: Metallica and the Production of Musical Identity. Taylor & Francis. pp. 34, 53–54, 61–63, 72–73. ISBN 978-0-415-97374-8.
- ^ McIver, Joel (2004). Justice For All – The Truth About Metallica. Omnibus Press. pp. Chapter 12. ISBN 0-7119-9600-8.
- ^ Greene, Andy (2009-08-27). "Rivers Cuomo: We Ripped Off "The Sweater Song" From Metallica". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
- ^ Master of Puppets (CD booklet). Metallica. Elektra Records. 1986. 9-60439-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ "American single certifications – Metallica – Welcome Home (Sanitarium)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 28, 2025.