Metallica's Escape Was Not Planned Says James

Metallica's "Escape" is perhaps the most controversial song of the band's early career and now frontman James Hetfield says that it was a last minute addition to the "Ride The Lightning" album.

The band and some fans have derided the mid-tempo song since its release on their 1984 sophomore album due to its mellower nature, with some speculating they recorded it in hopes of getting radio airplay.

The band didn't play the track live until 2012 and they only performed it then because it was a special show featuring a performance of the entire "Ride The Lightning" album.

Hetfield looked back at the birth of the track during an interview with Sopitas and he says that it "was the first time we wrote a song in the studio. I remember we had all the songs and Lars said, 'They want us to record one more, they need one more for the album.'"

James says he then responded, "I was like, 'You didn't tell me that…' So we had to write and it was really last-minute. So 'Escape' was one of those songs that was written in the studio." Check out the full interview here.