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About

Genius Annotation

This song is a tribute to Metallica’s headbanging fans, capturing the feeling of thrashing to the music in concert. Whiplash is a pretty serious medical condition of the neck and, if you headbang enough, you might just get it.

It was also the album’s first single.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Metallica say about "Whiplash"?
Genius Answer

On “Whiplash,” we just tried to play as fast as we could and have it make as much sense as possible. One of the bands we were listening to, who were an influence on “Whiplash,” was Venom. That first record [1981’s Welcome to Hell], with songs like “Angel Dust” and “Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil),” was a big inspiration. They took the energy and speed of what Motörhead were doing and made it a little more heavy metal—Motörhead had more of a punkish attitude. Venom need to get namechecked more when people talk about Metallica’s early days.

Lars Ulrich, Metal Hammer

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