Megadeth

Released: September 14, 2004

Songwriter: Dave Mustaine

Producer: Jeff Balding Dave Mustaine

[Verse 1]
Where were you when it happened?
Where could you be found?
Were you at the front of the stage
Or in the underground?
From SF out to Old Bridge
New York back to LA
The world of metal changed forever
Back in the day

[Chorus]
Well that was back in the day
And if you weren't there
It doesn't matter anyway
Because you wouldn't understand

[Verse 2]
Live to die and die to play
Every day and place
Leave a path of metal
Across the world from stage to stage

[Chorus]
Well that was back in the day
And if you weren't there
It doesn't matter anyway
Because you wouldn't understand

[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 3]
In denim and leather
We were all part of one force
Knocked rock and roll on its ass
And put metal on the course

[Bridge]
Higher! Higher!
Higher! Higher!

[Chorus]
Back in the day
You weren't there
It doesn't matter
Because you wouldn't understand

[Verse 4]
This is our way of life
A life that was born free
To follow orders how to live
Was never meant to be
Oh, oh-oh, oh, oh-oh

[Verse 5]
Peals of thunder, sheets of lightning
The power hits the stage
The music was exciting
The mania raged
Oh, oh-oh, oh, oh-oh

[Verse 6]
We all had the fever
Our ears started to ring
Feeding this wildfire
Consuming everything
Oh, oh-oh, oh, oh-oh

[Verse 7]
Metals king back then
And still to this day
Others imitate or challenge
But it never goes away
Oh, oh-oh, oh, oh-oh

[Instrumental Outro]

After being kicked out of Metallica, Dave Mustaine decided to form a Thrash Metal band that not only rivaled his former band, but played faster, more technical Metal. Along with bassist David ‘Junior’ Ellefson and a revolving door of guitarists and drummers, Mustaine set the world afire as Megadeth became known as the world’s state-of-the-art Speed Metal band throughout the 80s and the early 90s. One of the Big Four of Thrash Metal, Megadeth remains one of Metal’s most popular acts today.

However, Dave Mustaine’s fledgling band got off to a shaky start. Initially unable to find like-minded individuals, it was not until an altercation with his (underage) downstairs neighbours Dave Ellefson and Greg Handevidt, that led to him buying them beer and forming the first incarnation of the band with drummer Dijon Carruthers in 1983.

The band was named after a political pamphlet that referred to a “megadeath” (one million deaths by nuclear explosion):

more tracks from the album

The System Has Failed

From the album

The System Has Failed (2004)

Megadeth popular songs

Back in the DayMegadeth

Megadeth

The System Has Failed