Metallica are the First Rock Act to Have a #1 Song in Four Different Decades

Metallica have become the first act to have tracks at #1 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart in four different decades, according to a new report at Billboard.

Before we go any further, can you guess which songs? I couldn’t; it’s not as obvious as you’d think.

The most recent one is the easiest because this decade isn’t even a year long yet: “All Within My Hands” from the band’s symphonic reprisal of their landmark 1999 performance, S&M2.

The other songs are “Until It Sleeps” in 1996, “No Leaf Clover” in 2000 (from the original S&M), and “Atlas, Rise!” in 2017.

Overall, Metallica have had ten #1 songs on the chart, matching Disturbed and Tom Petty’s tallies. Ahead of them are Shinedown (16), Three Days Grace (15), Van Halen (13), and Godsmack (11). The chart was launched in 1981.

Metallica have been working on their next album remotely, with James Hetfield saying he’s been writing a whole lot and Hammett revealing he has 600 song ideas to sort through. The band recently hosted a pre-recorded drive-in concert at hundreds of outdoor movie theaters and just released the recording of last year’s S&M2 concert.