5 Facts About Metallica Song, Jump In The Fire

Metallica's single Jump in the Fire (Instagram @metallica) cover artwork

JAKARTA - Released in July 1983 as the fourth song on Metallica's debut album, Kill 'Em All, and then in January 1984 as single, Jump in the Fire was one of a handful of Metallica songs in which Dave Mustaine was credited with writing, including The Four way, Metal Militia, and Phantom Lord.

According to setlist.fm, Jump in the Fire is the 67th most played song Metallica on stage, which is performed almost 100 times. However, James Hetfield et al removed this song from their list for 20 years - from 1984 to 2004.

The following are five facts that open the eye to Jump in the Fire, compiled by VOI from Revolver magazine.

1. As Dave Mustaine told Rolling Stone in 2017, the first song he wrote was Jump in the Fire at the age of 16, when he was still in the metal band Panic, before bringing it to Metallica in 1982. Of course, even though he wrote it, Mustaine never had the opportunity to record Jump in the Fire or any other song with Metallica, apart from some demos.

2. James Hetfield's lyrics for Jump in the Fire are written from the point of view of the devil, who tease people with sins so they can finally "jump into the fire" of hell. Mustaine's original lyrics, as heard in the No Life 'Til Leother demo, are very different, dealing with youth anxiety and sexual desire.

3. Kill 'Em All reflects New Wave of British Heavy Metal's influence on Metallica. And Jump in the Fire, in particular, was inspired by NWOBHM giant Iron Maiden. In 2004, when Metallica played Jump in the Fire live for the first time in two decades, drummer Las Ulrich described the song as an answer to Iron Maiden's Run to the Hills.

4. From Rolling Stones (Got Live If You Want It!) to KISS (Alive!) to Type O Negative (The Origin of the Feces), many bands released fake live albums featuring studio recordings with additional audience voices. Metallica entered into the "fake live" action with the single Jump in the Fire in January 1984. This single includes, on the B-side, the song Phantom Lord (live) and See & Destroy (live). Regardless of how the track is described in brackets in its title, both of them are actually recordings of an alternative studio that are overdub with the voice of the audience and quite clear after listening to it.

5. Lived animals, red skin that emerges from flames in the cover of a single Jump in the Fire is one of the great Metallica iconography. In 2009, it was even turned into a collectable Metallica action figure. In fact, the Jump in the Fire devil originated in 1978, when artist Les Edward painted the image with oil paint for the cover of Graham Masterton's thriller occultation novel, The Devils of D-Day, which was released the following year.