"Hardwired" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the lead single from their tenth studio album, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016), on August 18, 2016 as a download.[1][2] The song was first played live near the end of the band's show at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on August 20, 2016.[3] The song received a nomination for Best Rock Song at the 2017 Grammy Awards.[4]
"Hardwired" | ||||
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Single by Metallica | ||||
from the album Hardwired... to Self-Destruct | ||||
Released | August 18, 2016 | |||
Recorded | June 2016 | |||
Studio | Metallica's HQ (San Rafael) | |||
Genre | Thrash metal | |||
Length | 3:11 | |||
Label | Blackened | |||
Composer(s) | ||||
Lyricist(s) | James Hetfield | |||
Producer(s) | Greg Fidelman | |||
Metallica singles chronology | ||||
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The band detailed on the song's debut at The Howard Stern Show that it was a rather late addition to the album. Lars Ulrich explained that after finishing the other songs "we decided that we needed a short, fast opener", leading him and James Hetfield to compose "Hardwired" in about a week in June 2016.[5]
The music video was released on August 18, 2016. Filmed in black-and-white, it features the band performing the song in the dark under rapidly flashing strobe lights, as the camera continuously rotates around the band members.
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[31] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |