The mask... This is Johnny from the movie "Johnny Got His Gun". In the war, he was utterly destroyed by an explosion. He lost both arms and legs, his face was blown off, he lost his eyes and his lower jaw and tongue. He also lost his hearing. The doctors tried experimental procedures to keep him alive but they all assumed he was brain dead. The procedures were for training. They didn't know he was awake and aware and they were torturing him. When they realized he was aware, it was a series of very conflicting events. They hid him away from the public for obvious reasons. Johnny is literally "One". He is a universe of one. No outside stimuli whatsoever. Alone in his own mind and wanting the pain to end. Metallica bought the rights to this movie just to use it in this video.

This video was epic when it hit MTV it laid waste to all videos being played during that same time. It freaked people out. We metalheads loved it.

These lads were in their late 20s when they wrote one of the most important songs in metal history..truly amazing Edit : Mid 20s not Late 20s my bad

If this song doesn't touch you, you have no soul. One of the greatest ever made hands down.

James Hetfield said, "A battery works positive and negative... and we work well at the negative stuff..." The lyrics of 'One' was inspired by this 1971 movie "Johnny got his gun" (from the novel by Dalton Trumbo) about a WW 1 soldier losing his limbs, sight, hearing and speech from the war. Metallica refused to make a music video before 1988 because of the costs and MTV refusing to put them on air... By their 4th album 'And Justice for all' in 1988, MTV came to them because they had sold platinum without any MTV promotion. So, Metallica decided to make a low budget video w/ the band playing in a warehouse and footage from the movie... It was a hit and the album sold double platinum by the end of their 1989 tour. The 'And Justice for all' album was a tough one to make because Metallica had been traumatized by the 1986 tour bus accident that killed their bassist Cliff Burton... James Hetfield's lyrics were angry and violent... the riffs were just aggressive and pummeling... metal fans immediately loved it and bought the record in droves. The only negative point was that the band decided to fade out bassist Jason Newsted's tracks from the mix, so that the drums and rhythm guitar could be the focus, which was terribly unfair to the new bassist... The album could have sounded better, but it is what it is.

"Each man faces death by himself, alone." Is to me one of the heaviest lines in the whole video.

The footage used in the video isn't recovered historical footage, its footage from the 1971 film Johnny got his gun. The whole song is basically about the victims of war, and the footage almost perfectly fit the the lyrics of the song.

Metallica's 'One' is the 'Stairway to Heaven' of the metal genre 100%.

This is back when music videos helped tell the song's story.

One of the peaks not only by Metallica, but in Metal, if not in music history.

As a former marine this song speaks to me and the injustice done to wounded warriors back in the day, and some what to this day.

One of the best songs ever written ( lyrics, instrumentation and energy are just otherworldly) 🔥🔥🔥🤘🤘🤘

"Landmine has taken my sight Taken my speech Taken my hearing Taken my arms Taken my legs Taken my soul Left me with life in hell"

That guitar solo sounds wicked but in the context of the song you realize just how well it reflects the panic and fear Johnny feels as he pleads for the doctors to kill him

Metallica hadn’t done any videos before this. They hadn’t really had any serious radio airplay before this either. I was in high school when this video was released (1989) and we didn’t have cable on the farm. So, several of my buddies who lived in town and had MTV decided to have “release party”. We went over to one guy’s place to watch it when it premiered. We were expecting killer metal chaos like the Metallica we knew from their previous 3 albums. When the video was over.....you could hear a pin drop!!! We were all literally stunned by what we just saw. My buddy’s dad came into the room and said, “What’s the matter....did the dog die?!” That broke our stunned silence and we piled into a couple cars....cranked Metallica....and went to get some beer. I knew right then that Metallica was going to EXPLODE in popularity. “One” played on MTV every hour for WEEKS...and literally made the other ‘80’s hair bands videos look outright silly at that point. I think it started the shift to Grunge in the early ‘90’s. It truly is a MASTERPIECE of media....to this day. It will never be matched. I can hear the song on the radio and jam out, but when I watch the video....I get goosebumps and even choke up a bit. It takes me to 1989....my buddy Gregg’s basement.....sitting on the floor in shock. That is why Metallica are immortal.........🤘🤘🤘

Dude stepped on a landmine or got blown up by a mortar. He has no legs, no arms, and no face, but did not die. That is what the song is about, being trapped in yourself and not even knowing if you are alive or dead. Best line in the entire video, whether lyrics or dialogue from the movie is when the doctor asks the priest if he has anything to say to the man and the priest replies, "He is a product of your profession, not mine." Powerful stuff right there about medicine taking things too far. Earlier in the video you hear someone say, "Death has a dignity all its own." They saved his life and kept him alive as a medical experiment. From the solo to the end of the song is a perfect musical representation of the insanity felt by the guy.

Two of the darkest lyrics/lines in the song for me is "trapped in myself, body my holding cell" and also "taken my soul, left me with life in hell". Dark lyrics and so true if you're in that position.

When they play this live, it's something else. Hetfield nowadays uses his aggressive tone very strategically, since he was never trained professionally until much later in their career, and damaged his voice. The way he shouts the end of the measure "Fed through the tube that STICKS IN ME" is truly chilling

This video forever gives me chills. One of the few music videos in musical history to really honestly enhance the music in every way.

The footage they used for this video was from the movie Johnny Got His Gun, which was the inspiration for this song. James Hetfield read the book and then wrote One.

I’ve been a Metallica fan since the late 80’s. It gets me emotional when i watch people react to this Epic song/video.

Disposable Heroes is another song by Metallica that talks about a different reality of war. Another one that's definitely worth checking out.

people always seem to forget how talented metallica actually is. So many bangers.

One of greatest videos ever done period! The whole album is a masterpiece.

40 years later almost….still best metal song ever

This is definitely an absolute masterpiece by Metallica.

This is what made Metallica different a lot of musicians can play fast complex music but Metallica always tied their compositions into the emotions of the piece. Master of puppets is another fantastic example once you understand the lyrics the music makes a lot more sense so it can take two or more listens to fully appreciate the song.

I judge all reactors by their reactions to this song. The fact that you heard and even mentioned the “land mine” part of the song tells me you’ve listened and thought more than 95% of other reactors. You’ve earned my subscription!! Imagine losing your sight, speech, hearing, arms, and legs in an instant, yet remaining alive, unable to express yourself, in great pain, knowing that your quality of life is at the lowest point possible. 😮

Saw Metallica live back in the day. Fantastically brutal show.

I remember when this song came out, I was just a kid, but when my sister explained what it was about to me, it made me sick inside. I couldn't imagine losing my arms, legs, speech, and sight. It takes a ton to get tears out of me, but man, this music video always does. Especially since losing 3 friends to the war in Afghanistan.

I've been a metallica fan for 20 years, and maybe it's the beers, but watching the video with the song puts a lump in my throat. I don't often watch the video. Just a beautiful song. Probably the best metallica harmony too in the chorus and also the bridge. It's heavy while also being HEAVY

The scenes were from the mov ie Johnny Got His Gun a book and movie of the same name from 1939 movie is from 1971 though. You can be in awe of the music headbang to it and still be mindful of the heavy subject matter that's what metal is all about...my all time favorite metallica song is Fade To Black is the same.. Helps me a whole lot

Metallica tells the story just as well with the music as they do the lyrics. A perfect example of that is Master of Puppets. It's great to see people discover and learn about them just like I did back in the 80's. Still hits just as hard.

Metallica was huge when this came out. It was their first video. Most bands in the day had come out with lots. New bands didn’t premiere without one. That they waited so long to put their first out was unique at the time.

I've probably seen a dozen people react to this song, and you're the only one that reacted when the army general says to the doctor... "He's a product of your profession, not mine." Like he's blaming the doctor for not successfully putting him back together, despite that it was his profession (war) that tore the soldier a part in the first place. I loved that line. The way it was delivered, flawless. Cold AF.

The guitar opening is so damn AWESOME!!!!!!!

one of the greatest songs in music history and it’s based off a true story

Whoever made the decision to intertwine the movie scenes with Metallica's performance was beyond amazing!

God bless to all that has served. I signed for the draft at 18, but was not called. I would have proudly fought for my country! These colors don't run!

If there was any music video that was to say Stop Going To War this is it. 1971 movie Johnny got his gun is a must watch, They didn't hold back about the effects on the soldiers in war and the movie made people see A truth about war and it's price. Glad you enjoyed the video and learned something.

This was Metallica's very first Mtv music video which was HUGE at the time because this was album #4 and they already were massively popular without very little radio play.

This song and video are a great intro to metal music. The movie "Johnny got his gun" is a masterpiece.

I like how they really highlighted Jason's backing vocals in the video by zooming in on him. Great reaction. You will always get a lot of views when you react to Metallica. FYI, there are a lot of great performances from their 1989 Seattle show and stuff from the 1993 show in Mexico.

IMO, this is one of the few music videos that actually enhance what the song is about and adds more to it. It was their first music video and what really catapulted them into the mainstream, they were the underground gems back then. Great reaction, especially having heard it.

Im 53 and this is still one of the best metal songs ever written. I actually watched the movie, Johnny Got His Gun for the first time a couple weeks ago. The movie itself on how its made is a little strange but the actual story is so sad!!

This was the first song of heavy metal that I had listened to back we I was a kid growing up in the 80's. Still one of my favorites, and I can play the solo!!

You full on have listened to this many times, but cheers for the reaction. It's my fav metallica song and it sounds even better live!

I'm a metallica fan and I remember this because Metallica was pretty big, and from what I remember they really didn't want to be mainstream. This was their first video they ever made. "one" has more meaning then people believe I think. Also, it was supposed to be the only video they'd ever make. "One"

So back when this video came out it was a major event for MTV. It was the first music video Metallica ever released and really brought heavy metal out of the shadows for a lot of people. Back in the late 80's/early 90's metal music videos on MTV were only played late at night and only really on Headbangers Ball, a metal music show that only aired at midnight on Saturdays. After this video though, metal slowly crept into the main rotation of videos played at all hours.

Absolutely love the music video. Normally I prefer people reacting to live or studio versions, but this music video is one of the very few that make the song better.

you know early metallica songs made people want to learn historical and cultural references in their songs. as many have said the footage is from johnny got his gun which is a classic. But metallica have many other songs that reference history and culture and it gave the music so much meaning.

Welcome to why we love metallica so much, the intro is soooo overlooked by many

When this song premiered on MTV, it was unlike anything playing at that time. It was so much darker and heavier than anything else on the charts. After the video played on MTV for the first time, the host said, “Oh, wow! Uh, okay, uh … here’s Michael Jackson with ‘Beat it’!”

This was groundbreaking at the time. Fantastic song, mated perfectly to snippets from the movie to enhance the storytelling. This was one of the first longer format videos (most were 3 mins or so), and was the first by a metal band to win best video.(deservedly so) In the section you refer to, he flashed back to his father reminding him he knows Morse code to communicate (that's his only option). Then his childhood friend translated that he was "saying" SOS/ Help Me and then begging repeatedly for them to kill him. The Chaplin is asked if he has anything to say and do hats where he replies to the Officer that "He's a product...". The nurse even tries to put him out of his suffering but is stopped and he's left stuck in the prison of his own mind, which is entirely CONTRARY to what the Drs said at the start. Glad you liked it and definitely food for thought.

One of the rare instances when a music video gives added context to the song

Stumbled across your page just now. I'm so happy watching your face melt at 2:30 and 7:08. Happy to see someone get amped over such a beautiful song. Thanks for the content, dude!

This song was inspired by the novel/movie "Jonny Got His Gun". It is set during World War 1, and is an excellent horror and anti war story.

This was the only band I was listening to back in the day. Master of Puppets was the first album I caught but …and Justice for all, was the one that hooked me.

This is one of my favorite Metallica songs. Great reaction Rachael!

Such a masterpiece. A great one to watch is No Leaf Clover. The orchestra is awesome!

This song is 100% an allegory for the lowest levels of depression "I'm having trouble and I need help" "I cannot live I cannot die"

Funny seeing your reaction, took me back to my 12 years old watching this video for the first time when released in 1988. I didn't know what to do with it except I wanted to watch it more and more (and learn to play music like these guys). The video was scary as hell, the subject was terrifying but the music and how everything was put together was amazing.

I just came across you by accident and have watched 4 in a row. I never do this but you are like my friends I grew up with in the 70's. And you cannot be over 25. I'm freakin' out- I love it. I played my first bar at 15 back in 72. So i'm not a rookie. You are on my list.

Excellent reaction. I greatly appreciate how in touch with the intensity of the song you were. But, what really earned you a subscription is how you noticed the "Kubrick stare" - glad to see you picked up on it.

I first heard One when I was 17. I loved it because it was Metallica, and that was about it. I watch it now and it impacts me massively.

That whole album was a major turning point for them musically. The compositions were way beyond what they were doing before, and the played way over their heads. They were in mourning, and very inspired. Not a bad song on the entire album. Not one.

The fact you did a reaction to this, I’m in love!! I will follow you. Wow they are awesome!! Just for adding this to your repertoire of reactions lol.

My time I was 15yrs old when and justice for all album came out. METALNATION 4LIFE!!!!! 🍻

A masterpiece in the history of music in any genre!!! Absolute brilliance!!!

Really happy you did One, especially with the official video cause it's so goddamn powerful. Great reaction as always!

This was the first metal song i heard when I was 9, i am thankful for being introduced to this genre with such a powerful and deep song. Its been such a trip for the past 15 years ever since hearing it. Discovering such amazing bands and artists!

I've seen a lot of youtubers react to this and they try to act like this is impactful to them. This is one of those few people who actually gets it and has a true emotional reaction the same as I feel when I hear it. Well done. I'll be sure to subscribe.

Greatest music video of all time, and greatest song ever written.

The evolution of this song is quite striking…. It was written without knowledge, or without FULL knowledge of the movie and thus that is why the lyrics are about becoming a basketcase in a unspecified war by stepping on /driving over a landmine while in the movie the incident is specifically about an American soldier in the trenches of World War one , likely injured during a artillery barrage. After becoming more aware of the movie its connection to the song actually became stronger to the point the driving members of the band INSISTED on its incorporation into the video. This actually required an extended version of the song be written. This became a bit of an issue because of concern thats its length and content would NOT be accepted by MTV. Even dominant artists like Michael Jackson at the time were obligated to edit their songs to fit into the preferred time block desired by MTV and to this point Metallica had zero music videos other than concert footage. Because of this there are TWO versions of this video, the short version that only has footage of the band playing in whatever warehouse or hangar they are in and the “theatrical” version with extended music and scenes from the movie. Sadly reception for either version at MTV were lukewarm at best with it being played ONLY during shows specific to the genre of heavy metal and not during the regular rotation of music videos that used to be the dominant format at MTV. This on top of the Jethro Tull insult at the MTV music awards resulted in the bands absolute REFUSAL to provide the network with ANY addition videos from the justice album or previous records or even excepts from concerts made into a music video. INSTEAD the band released the video cassette Cliff em All, a collection of bootleg and independent recordings of concert footage of songs featuring their departed bassist. Its wasnt until the Black album and a improvement in relationship between the band and MTV that Metallica became a music video Juggernaut for nearly every album afterwards….

Man you’re just awesome. I love your reactions.

Having been a Metallica fan since the ripe age of 12 in 1982, I love to watch the current reaction videos. They are entertaining for me to watch people who have never heard Metallica become fans in 7 minutes of watching their videos. Great video BTW.

Hearing this song live was amazing, especially when the double bass drums kicked in

There has been alot said about the suppressed bass tracks in this album, BUT what people often miss is the album, and this song, introduced fans of the band to the new two vocal harmony that the band was starting to integrate into their musical style….. a two part harmony that is painfully missing since the more recent personnel change in the band

Glad to see you grasp at my favorite Metallica song...deep but also badass

love to see your reacted. keep going ray

I wish I could go back to the time when I first listened to this masterpiece 🖤

I really like how honest your reactions feel. I think it's how you said you were familiar with the song,but not too familiar That was honest. Some reactors are like , "I've never heard this before." And I'm like,, c'mon, some things are just too ingrained in pop culture to where that's hard to believe.

A Masterpiece. Thats the way you do it. Good review. I enjoyed watching the whole 15 minutes.

Just found the Channel.Loved It! Best regards from Brazil.

Metallica was the first band I ever got into as a kid. I gotta say though, listening to them over the years I got a lot of favorites out of their many albums. "One" hits different and always did for me. It is easily my number one favorite song by this band. I take it's meaning in an entirely selfish other direction than what was intended. But that's fine I guess I made it more personal for me subconsciously. Love this shit.

This songs means A lot to me. 23 YEARS IN CORE i have loss friends to stuff like this. WAR is hell. 😢 Nice 👍👍 reaction

Hi. Thanks for you reaction. Very powerful. Greeting from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Metallica Is the true! 🙌🏼

This is a master piece! One of my favorites from Metallica

I highly recommend watching the movie that inspired the song and that the clips and soundbites are taken from. Johnny Got His Gun It's powerful and thought provoking mixing the current, dreams and memories. The current is in black&white as it is the things Johnny can't see or hear. The dreams and memories are in color and somewhat difficult to tell apart

This song is the embodiment of the expression "There are faiths worst than death".

This is when music video and a song synergistic perfectly . That song is really deep. Metallica are the goats , I hope you going to dive into all of their catalog !!

The song that introduced me to metal. The video gives me chills everytime, even all these years later. Powerful.

FYI, the film footage is from a movie called "Johnny Got His Gun" from 1971.

I was a paratrooper in the ARMY, and after 8 years in, I had a partial parachute failure. I woke up in a body cast, with a halo. I had died twice, for a combined 11 minutes. I had broken my neck in 4 places, my back in 7. my jaw in 5, and had severe concussion on 3 sides of my head. because of the TBI, they had my eyes covered, to keep the light from causing more damage, my jaw was wired shut, and I had nasal intubation. I could not see, speak, or move my head or body in any way. I could hear, but the people talking over my body acted as if they did not know that, and talked about me like a piece of meat. the prognosis was that I would most likely never be able to walk, and the severity of the brain injury was unknown. for the first 9 weeks, I felt exactly as this soldier does. and I did not know if I would ever get to communicate again. I didn't understand that my jaw was wired, and might heal. I didn't know if I was blind, or not. and I thought I was going to be a quadriplegic. even after they uncovered my eyes, I still could not talk, or move for another 5 weeks. it was 11 months before I could even start the therapy to try and walk again, and 16 months before I could actually stand. I never recovered to the level I was before. and have been declining over the last 29 years after getting out of the hospital. this song is the closest I have ever found to explain how I felt in those early months. I am now in a wheelchair, and have very severe lasting ( and degenerative) consequences from the TBI and spinal injuries. last week, I turned 55. I honestly never expected to see 25. I live in a constant state of extreme pain, and many days, I curse the doctors for bringing me back when I was peacefully dead. Doctors do not understand the difference between technically "alive" and quality of life.

Glad you enjoyed listening to one of the greatest and most talented bands in rock and roll history !! Although I like many bands,Metallica is and will always be my all time favorite.

I would have been puzzled if you hadn't known it at all, thanks for your honesty and it's been nice watching the video with you - gives perspective, doesn't it?

It can be 20 years from now or even than, does not matter. This song will forever be an anthem of Metal rockers all around the world!! Metallica is forever badass Also, 10:45 Power Rangers vibes for sure :D I see you Ray!

Your comments at the end are a big reason alot of metal is just considered noise. You have to engage with it to see what an amazing thing it really is. As always I really enjoyed your reaction. Thank you for sharing.

I watched multiple react videos of this because it seriously amuses me how often their looks go from intrigue or sadness to straight up horror.

Literally no one writes music like this anymore, and almost no one wrote music like this back then either. So, we really haven't fallen that far I guess.