Metal Health (song)
| "Metal Health" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover of the 1983 US single | ||||
| Single by Quiet Riot | ||||
| from the album Metal Health | ||||
| Released | 1983 | |||
| Format | ||||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal[1] | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Pasha | |||
| Writer(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Spencer Proffer | |||
| Quiet Riot singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Metal Health", sometimes listed as "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)", "Bang Your Head" or, as it was listed on the Billboard Hot 100, "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)", is a song by the American heavy metal band Quiet Riot on their breakthrough album, Metal Health. The song is one of their best known hits and received heavy MTV music video and radio play. "Metal Health" was the band's second top 40 hit, peaking at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was ranked #35 on VH1's Top 40 Metal Songs.
The song talks about the headbanging subculture. Because of this, the song caught the attention of many heavy metal fans on its release. The single contained both the studio-recorded version and a live version, which was later released on their Greatest Hits compilation. The lyric, "well now you're here, there's no way back", eventually became the title for Quiet Riot's documentary, released in 2014.
Music video
The music video was produced for $19,000 and was filmed in the Walt Disney Modular Theater and hallways of the California Institute of the Arts, employing students as extras.[2]
Uses in popular culture
The song was heard in Footloose and its 2011 remake. It was also used in the opening credits of the movies Crank (2006) and The Wrestler (2008),[3] and in a TV commercial for Hyundai first shown during CBS's coverage of Super Bowl XLVII on February 3, 2013.
"Weird Al" Yankovic performed the song as part of his 1985 polka medley "Hooked on Polkas" from his album Dare to Be Stupid.
The song is featured in the music game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The 80s as the opening track.
Personnel
Quiet Riot
- Kevin DuBrow - lead vocals
- Carlos Cavazo - guitars, backing vocals
- Rudy Sarzo - synthesizer
- Frankie Banali - drums, backing vocals
Additional personnel
- Chuck Wright - bass guitar[4]
Chart performance
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (RPM) | 48 |
| United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company) | 45 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 31 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 37 |
References
- ↑ Klosterman, Chuck (2007). Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota. Simon and Schuster. p. 17. ISBN 9781416589525.
- ↑ Ragogna, Mike (April 14, 2010). "From Gods And Monsters and Quiet Riot to Tina Turner and Citizens Of The World: A Conversation With Spencer Proffer". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
- ↑ "'The Wrestler' Soundtrack Finally Hits The Mat - Curiously Does Not Contain "The Wrestler"". Theplaylist.blogspot.com. January 30, 2009. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
- ↑ "Chuck Wright Interview". Music Legends. Retrieved 3 July 2013.