Cyanide (song)

"Cyanide"
File:Metallica - Cyanide cover.jpg
Single by Metallica
from the album Death Magnetic
Released	September 2, 2008
Format	Digital download
Recorded	March 12, 2007–May 11, 2008 at Sound City in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California; Shangri La Studios in Malibu, California and HQ in San Rafael, California
Genre	Thrash metal
Length	6:39
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Robert Trujillo, Lars Ulrich
Producer(s)	Rick Rubin
Metallica singles chronology
"My Apocalypse" (2008) "Cyanide" (2008) "The Judas Kiss" (2008)

"Cyanide" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica, the third single taken from their ninth studio album, Death Magnetic. On September 1, 2008, it was made available for streaming on the band's official website, as well as a download (for Platinum Members only) from the Death Magnetic website Mission: Metallica. It has since been made available for purchase as a digital single in the iTunes Store.

The song was played live for the first time on August 9, 2008 at Ozzfest in Dallas, Texas and was the first song from Death Magnetic to be performed live in its entirety. An audio recording of the performance is featured on the band's MySpace page. Song was also performed live on Later...With Jools Holland in 2008.

Track listing

iTunes single
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cyanide"	6:38

Personnel

• James Hetfield – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Kirk Hammett – lead guitar
• Robert Trujillo – bass
• Lars Ulrich – drums, percussion
• Rick Rubin – producer
• Ted Jensen – mastering
• Greg Fidelman – mixing

Chart performance

"Cyanide" became Metallica's seventh number one hit on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, in March 2009. It is also their second consecutive number one on that chart from Death Magnetic, making the album only the second of Metallica's to spawn two number one hits on the chart (1996's Load being the first). It is also the band's fifth top twenty hit on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, peaking at #19. The song peaked at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100 from high digital sales due to being released as a digital single prior to Death Magnetic's release.

"Cyanide" has been successful worldwide as well, reaching the top twenty in Canada, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, and the top fifty in Australia, the UK, and Ireland.

Charts

Chart (2008)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	48
Canadian Hot 100	19
Danish Singles Chart	23
Finnish Singles Chart	3
Irish Singles Chart	48
Norwegian Singles Chart	15
Swedish Singles Chart	14
UK Singles Chart	48
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	50
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks	19

Preceded by "Something in Your Mouth" by Nickelback

Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one single March 28 - April 11, 2009

Succeeded by "Lifeline" by Papa Roach