James Hetfield: Why He Apologized to Kip Winger
James Hetfield is a stand-up guy who has no issue apologizing for past wrongs. A great example is an apology he offered up to Kip Winger. Winger recently appeared on…

James Hetfield is a stand-up guy who has no issue apologizing for past wrongs. A great example is an apology he offered up to Kip Winger.
Winger recently appeared on the Appetite for Distortion podcast and recalled getting a call from the Metallica frontman a few years ago. Hetfield called Winger to apologize for the "Nothing Else Matters" video. In the video, Lars Ulrich is seen throwing darts at a picture of Winger.
Winger said Ulrich, himself, has never apologized to him. However, he said of his phone call with Hetfield, "James was really cool ... And he was very sincere and it wasn't like he just called to apologize and then blow me off. He's actually texted me a few times, we text every now and then."
The dart moment has resurfaced in 2023 thanks to former Winger guitarist Reb Beach. The guitarist touched on it in a January appearance on the In the Trenches podcast. Beach was asked whether the ridicule the band faced via Beavis & Butt-Head factored into the group disbanding. He said it did. Beach added that after Stuart was introduced on the show wearing a Winger shirt, "In the weeks that followed, we had to cancel the tour because people wouldn't be caught dead buying a ticket to a Winger show."
Beach further noted, "Metallica didn't help with showing in their biggest video they throw darts at a poster of Kip Winger. They would show it at their live show, and my friend who went to see them said the entire arena laughed at that part of the video where Lars throws darts at Kip."
Metallica: All Songs Ranked Worst to Best
Metallica is one of the most revered bands of all time with a catalog any up-and-coming band could only dream of having. It's impossible imagining the rock/metal landscape without them.
With this in mind, we did a deep dive on the mighty Metallica catalog focusing only on albums/EPs with new material (sorry, Garage Inc.) but excluding Lulu, their infamous 2011 collaboration with Lou Reed for obvious reasons (not sorry about that.)
Buckle in for a wild ride that will likely get very opinionated, because here is every Metallica song ranked from worst to best. Yeah-Yeah!
Author credits
(EB) = Erica Banas
(AE) = Anne Erickson
(SP) = Sara Parker
(ST) = Sydney Taylor
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127. "Suicide & Redemption" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros.126. "Purify" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra125. "Shoot Me Again" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra124. "My World" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra123. "Attitude" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra122. “Sweet Amber” - ‘St. Anger’ (2003)
Elektra121. "The Unnamed Feeling" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra120. “Hell And Back” - ‘Beyond Magnetic’ (2011)
Warner Bros.119. "Bad Seed" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra118. "Lords of Summer" - Single (2014)
Blackened Recordings117. "Murder One" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings116. “Don’t Tread On Me” - ‘Metallica’ (1991)
Elektra115. "Just a Bullet Away" - 'Beyond Magnetic' (2011)
Warner Bros.114. "Better Than You" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra113. “Am I Savage?” - ‘Hardwired… To Self Destruct’ (2016)
Blackened Recordings112. "The Unforgiven III" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros.111. "Slither" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra110. "Broken, Beat & Scarred" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros.109. "Invisible Kid" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra108. "The Judas Kiss" - ‘Death Magnetic’ (2008)
Warner Bros.107. "Devil's Dance" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra106. "Dirty Window" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra105. “Here Comes Revenge” - ‘Hardwired… To Self Destruct’ (2016)
Blackened Recordings104. "The Unforgiven II" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra103. "ManUNkind" - Hardwired...To Self-Destruct (2016)
Blackened Recordings102. "Cyanide" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros.101. "Hate Train" - 'Beyond Magnetic' (2011)
Warner Bros.100. "The Shortest Straw" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra99. "Some Kind of Monster" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra98. “You Must Burn!” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened97. "Wasting My Hate" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra96. "Prince Charming" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra95. "Thorn Within" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra94. “Crown of Barbed Wire” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened93. "Carpe Diem Baby" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra92. "The House Jack Built" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra91. "Where the Wild Things Are" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra90. "Poor Twisted Me" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra89. "The Outlaw Torn" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra88. "Rebel Of Babylon" - 'Beyond Magnetic' (2011
Warner Bros.87. “Chasing Light” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened86. "Ronnie" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra85. "Holier Than Thou" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra84. "Of Wolf and Man" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra83. "Cure" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra82. "The Struggle Within" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra81. "Confusion" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings80. “Hero Of The Day” - ‘Load’ (1996)
Elektra79. "All Within My Hands" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra78. "St. Anger" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra77. “Frantic” - ‘St. Anger’ (2003)
Elektra76. "My Apocalypse" - Death Magnetic (2008)
Warner Bros.75. “Screaming Suicide” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened74. "My Friend of Misery" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra73. "Halo On Fire" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings72. “Sleepwalk My Life Away” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened71. "Through the Never" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra70. “Escape” - ‘Ride The Lightning’ (1984)
Megaforce69. "The End of the Line" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros68. "Mama Said" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra67. “Too Far Gone?” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened66. “No Remorse” - ‘Kill ‘Em All’ (1983)
Megaforce65. "Ain't My Bitch" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra64. "The God That Failed" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra63. "That Was Just Your Life" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros.62. “If Darkness Had a Son” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened61. "Dream No More" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings60. “Phantom Lord” - ‘Kill ‘Em All’ (1983)
Megaforce59. "- Human" - 'S&M' (1999)
Elektra58. "2 x 4" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra57. "All Nightmare Long" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros.56. “Room of Mirrors” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened55. "Now That We're Dead" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings54. "(Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth" - 'Kill 'Em All' (1983)
Megaforce53. “Jump In The Fire” - ‘Kill ‘Em All’ (1983)
Megaforce52. "Fixxxer" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra51. “Inamorata” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened50. "The Memory Remains" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra49. “72 Season” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened48. "The Thing That Should Not Be" - ‘Master of Puppets’ (1986)
Elektra47. "No Leaf Clover" - 'S&M' (1999)
Elektra46. "Dyers Eve" - ‘...And Justice for All’ (1988)
Elektra45. "Atlas, Rise!" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings44. “Shadows Follow” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened43. "Fuel" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra42. "Metal Militia" - ‘Kill 'Em All’ (1983)
Megaforce41. “Until It Sleeps” - ‘Load’ (1996)
Elektra40. “The Four Horsemen” - ‘Kill ‘Em All’ (1983)
Megaforce39. "Ride the Lightning" - 'Ride the Lightning' (1984)
Megaforce38. "To Live Is to Die" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra37. "Motorbreath" - 'Kill 'Em All' (1983)
Megaforce36. “Leper Messiah” - ‘Master of Puppets’ (1986)
Elektra35. "Bleeding Me" - ‘Load’ (1996)
Elektra34. "Spit Out the Bone" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings33. "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra32. "Low Man's Lyric" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra31. "Eye of the Beholder" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra30. "Moth Into Flame" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings29. “Trapped Under Ice” - ‘Ride The Lightning’ (1984)
Megaforce28. "Disposable Heroes" - 'Master of Puppets' (1986)
Elektra27. "Orion" - ‘Master of Puppets’ (1986)
Elektra26. "Hardwired" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings25. "...And Justice for All" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra24. "The Call of Ktulu" - 'Ride the Lightning' (1984)
Megaforce23. “The Day That Never Comes” - ‘Death Magnetic’ (2008)
Warner Bros.22. "King Nothing" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra21. "Harvester of Sorrow" - ‘…And Justice for All’ (1988)
Elektra20. "Blackened" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra19. "Wherever I May Roam" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra18. “Lux Æterna” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened17. "Hit the Lights" - 'Kill 'Em All' (1983)
Megaforce16. "Creeping Death" - 'Ride the Lightning' (1984)
Megaforce15. "Fight Fire with Fire" - ‘Ride the Lightning’ (1984)
Megaforce14. "Whiplash" - 'Kill 'Em All' (1983)
Megaforce13. "I Disappear" - 'Mission: Impossible 2 Soundtrack' (2000)
Hollywood12. "Nothing Else Matters" - ‘Metallica’ (1991)
Elektra11. “Fade To Black” - ‘Ride The Lightning’ (1984)
Megaforce10. "Enter Sandman" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra9. “The Unforgiven” - ‘Metallica’ (1991)
Elektra8. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" - 'Master of Puppets' (1986)
Elektra7. "Seek & Destroy" - 'Kill 'Em All' (1983)
Megaforce6. "Battery" - 'Master of Puppets' (1986)
Elektra5. "Sad But True" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra4. "Damage, Inc." - ‘Master of Puppets’ (1986)
Elektra3. "One" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra2. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" - 'Ride the Lightning' (1984)
Megaforce1. "Master of Puppets" - 'Master of Puppets' (1986)
Elektra



