I wanted to be respectful in making sure that Metallica fully understood what context the song was being used in, plus how integral it was to the scene and for this exciting new character, Eddie Munson, who no one had met yet in previous seasons.”Įddie plays an instrumental version of the beloved song, and yes, that is Quinn actually playing the guitar. ‘Master of Puppets’ is a pretty significant song in their catalog, and I think it’s considered a favorite in their live shows. I knew the clearance would be taken seriously as we had used one of their songs (‘The Four Horseman’) in season 2 and had learned at that time that they were fans of the show. She says, “I got in touch with Metallica’s management office and carefully went over the scene and what the intent would be. When it came to securing the needle drop, all clearances had to go directly through the band. The sensitive side that we’ve seen in Eddie, which is clearly evident in the scene when he meets up with Chrissy, is similarly masked and concealed by Eddie’s abrasive public image.” The aggressive up-tempo metal sound belies its cautionary psychological and socially conscious lyrics, which are rooted in a sensitive concern for others. Felder says, “The Talisman-like qualities of Eddie’s guitar and punk metal music help him reconnect to his closely-guarded traits of love, care, and courage.”įelder adds, there are similarities between Vecna and the drugs referenced in “Master of Puppets.” She says, “They share similarities in that they each have life-destroying powers that rob people of their essential personal powers. Until that moment, Eddie has been misunderstood. The track was a perfect match for Eddie since it not only amplified the episode’s most thrilling scene, but “in some ways, aligns with Eddie’s seemingly arrogant and edgy in-your-face public persona.” No other song was discussed further, and we jumped in to clear it straight away.
I believe the Duffer Brothers felt that playing ‘Master of Puppets’ throughout the extended scene was the clear choice. “This part of the story was anticipated to be a pivotal and especially hair-raising scene in which Eddie heroically stood tall for the fight of his life. “It was another one of those ‘it has to be this song,’ moments,” Felder says. the Duffer brothers - had woven the song into the script during pre-production. The show’s music supervisor, Nora Felder, explains that executive producers Matt and Ross Duffer - a.k.a. It runs at an epic 8:35 and ranges from crushing riffs to a progressive-rock middle section. Metallica frontman James Hetfield has said the song, from Metallica’s 1986 breakthrough album of the same name and widely considered one of the band’s all-time classics, is essentially about drugs and how addiction controls people, but its lyrics can be perceived to be about many master/puppet situations.