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The Unforgiven II

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"The Unforgiven II"
Single by Metallica
from the album Reload
B-side
  • "Helpless" (live)
  • "The Four Horsemen" (live)
  • "Of Wolf and Man" (live)
  • "The Thing That Should Not Be" (live)
  • "The Memory Remains" (live)
  • "King Nothing" (live)
  • "No Remorse" (live)
  • "Am I Evil?" (live)
  • "The Unforgiven II" (demo)
ReleasedFebruary 23, 1998 (1998-02-23)
StudioThe Plant (Sausalito, California)
GenreHeavy metal
Length6:36
LabelElektra
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)James Hetfield
Producer(s)
Metallica singles chronology
"The Memory Remains"
(1997) 		"The Unforgiven II"
(1998) 		"Fuel"
(1998)
Music video
"The Unforgiven II" on YouTube

"The Unforgiven II" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica from their 1997 studio album, Reload. It was written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett and is the sequel to "The Unforgiven", a song from their 1991 self-titled album. Another sequel, "The Unforgiven III", was released in 2008.

Composition

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The chord progression during the verses is similar to the one used in the chorus on "The Unforgiven". Hetfield's verse melody is played with a B-Bender guitar; a guitar that allows the player to bend the B-string independently of other strings.[1]

Music video

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"The Unforgiven II" video is similar to the first video's story, though a tunnel is substituted for the blank room shown in the first video. It begins with a shirtless boy stuck in a wall, showing the wall breaking piece by piece as the boy ages. As the video progresses, it becomes more abstract, with waves crashing on the other side of the wall and rupturing it, making the wall smaller each time. The final scene shows the remaining piece of the wall turning into a woman, with the now older boy's hand still embedded in her back. The boy opens his hand, allowing the woman to take the key out of his hand and allowing him to take his hand out of the wall.[2]

Live performances

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"The Unforgiven II" was first performed live on December 8, 1997, at that year's Billboard Music Awards. It was not played in a live setting again for the next 17 years, until Metallica re-introduced it into the setlist for their 2015 European festival tours.[3] Following its performance in Gelsenkirchen, Germany's Rock im Revier festival, Metallica then included it in the setlists of their next three shows.[4]

Track listings

[edit]
International single Part 1
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."Helpless" (Live)4:15
3."The Four Horsemen" (Live)6:19
4."Of Wolf and Man" (Live)4:31
US single
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."The Thing That Should Not Be" (Live)4:40
International single Part 2
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."The Thing That Should Not Be" (Live)7:33
3."The Memory Remains" (Live)4:19
4."King Nothing" (Live)7:14
International single Part 3
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."No Remorse" (Live)4:54
3."Am I Evil?" (Live)5:09
4."The Unforgiven II" (Demo)7:14
Japanese EP
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:38
2."The Thing That Should Not Be" (Live)7:31
3."The Memory Remains" (Live)4:28
4."No Remorse" (Live)4:52
5."Am I Evil?" (Live)5:11
6."The Unforgiven II" (Demo)7:13
European single
No.TitleLength
1."The Unforgiven II"6:36
2."The Memory Remains" (Live)4:19

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[28] Platinum 70,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[29] Gold 45,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[30] Gold 15,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States January 12, 1998 Alternative radio Elektra [31]
United Kingdom February 23, 1998 CD [32]
Japan April 22, 1998 Sony [33]

References

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  1. ^ Breathnach, Cillian (March 2, 2020). "Ever wondered how a b-bender works?". BandLab Technologies. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Metallica - The Unforgiven II (Official Music Video)". NME. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  3. ^ "Hear Metallica Perform 'The Unforgiven II' Live For The Second Time Ever". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  4. ^ "The Unforgiven II". Metallica.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  5. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  6. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  7. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 11. March 14, 1998. p. 12.
  8. ^ "Metallica: The Unforgiven II" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  9. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  10. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  11. ^ "Top National Sellers". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 14. April 4, 1998. p. 12.
  12. ^ "Top National Sellers". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 15. April 11, 1998. p. 12.
  13. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (5.2.–12.2. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). February 6, 1998. p. 26. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  14. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Unforgiven II". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  15. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 12, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  16. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  17. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  18. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II". VG-lista. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  20. ^ "Metallica – The Unforgiven II". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  21. ^ "Metallica: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  22. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  23. ^ "Metallica Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  24. ^ "Metallica Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  25. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1998". ARIA. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  26. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 100 – Vinsælustu lögin '98". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 2, 1999. p. 34. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  27. ^ "The Year in Music 1998: Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. YE-84.
  28. ^ Cite error: The named reference ARIA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  29. ^ "Danish single certifications – Metallica – The Unforgiven II". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  30. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Metallica – The Unforgiven II". Radioscope. Retrieved February 13, 2025. Type The Unforgiven II in the "Search:" field.
  31. ^ "Be on the Lookout". Gavin Report. No. 2187. January 9, 1998. p. 34.
  32. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. February 21, 1998. p. 29.
  33. ^ "Metallica". Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Archived from the original on January 24, 2001. Retrieved August 25, 2023. Click on Discography.


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