| "Hero of the Day" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Metallica | ||||
| from the album Load | ||||
| B-side | See below | |||
| Released | September 9, 1996[1] | |||
| Recorded | December 13, 1995 | |||
| Studio | The Plant (Sausalito, California) | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock[2] | |||
| Length | 4:21 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Composer(s) | ||||
| Lyricist(s) | James Hetfield | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Metallica singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Hero of the Day" on YouTube | ||||
"Hero of the Day" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica from their 1996 album Load. The song was recorded on December 13, 1995, at Plant Studios in Sausalito, California.[3] "Hero of the Day" was Metallica's second single release from the album. The song became their second consecutive number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and reached number two in Australia, number three in Finland and number eight in Norway. The song is one of the few Metallica songs written primarily in a major key. A promotional video for the track was also filmed.
The "Hero of the Day" single is notable for including four Motörhead cover songs, recorded live direct to two-track at The Plant Studios during a rehearsal for Lemmy's 50th Birthday Party at Los Angeles' Whisky a Go Go nightclub.[4] These B-sides were later released on the second CD of the Garage Inc. compilation in 1998.[5]
- ^ "Hero of the Day". Release date. Metallica.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- ^ Jenkins, Mark (December 3, 1997). "Metallica's 'Re-Load': Bludgeon The Drum Slowly". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ^ Metallica: Fuel and Fire ISBN 978-1-896-52209-8 p. 165
- ^ Metallica: Fuel and Fire ISBN 978-1-896-52209-8 p. 174
- ^ "Metallica Cover Songs - Other bands songs that Metallica have covered". Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2012.