Last Rites
| "Last Rites/Loved to Death" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Megadeth | |
| from the album Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! | |
| Released | June 12, 1985 |
| Recorded | December 1984 – January 1985 |
| Studio |
|
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:38 (4:52 on The Final Kill edition) |
| Label | Combat |
| Producer(s) |
|
Listen to the song Last Rites/Loved to Death or Buy it on amazon
"Last Rites/Loved to Deth" is a song by the American thrash metal band Megadeth. It is the opening song their debut studio album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! which released in 1985 under Combat Records. The song was one of the first written for the group, and was the title track on their Last Rites demo tape.[3]
Music and lyrics[edit]
As the title suggests, "Last Rites/Loved to Death",[nb 1] consists of two parts. "Last Rites" is a melodic piano piece, while "Loved to Death is an aggressive thrash track.
Last Rites[edit]
The opening, "Last Rites", is an instrumental centered around Dave Mustaine playing the piano, as well as having David Ellefson's bass playing accompanying it.[4] The song is a reinterpretation of J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.[5] There is also a short guitar solo near the end of the piece.[6]
Loved to Death[edit]
Mustaine explained that "Loved to Death" was his "version of a love song" to his girlfriend at the time.[7] In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Dave Mustaine went more in depth on the topic. He revealed that, like many Megadeth songs, it was written about his ex-fiance Diana. "I wrote the song about her because I couldn’t have her and she was just so far outside of my batting average when I first started seeing her. It’s the 'boy meets girl, girl doesn’t like boy, so boy kills girl so no one else will have girl' kind of mentality."[8]
Legacy[edit]
A live version of the song features on the 25th anniversary edition of Megadeth's second album, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?.[9] In a 2017 interview with Ultimate Guitar, frontman Dave Mustaine said he was very proud of the song. "That's one of my favorites because it’s really difficult to play and it's got a really cool funky rhythm pattern to it," he said, adding, "So to play it right is one thing but to play it right and sing is a whole other ball game."[10] The song is among their most streamed tracks on Youtube, featuring as #10 on their top songs playlist.[11]
Accolades[edit]
| Year | Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Return of Rock | United States | "Megadeth Songs Ranked"[12] | 20 |
Personnel[edit]
Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[7]
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Megadeth
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Production
|
2002 remix and remaster
The Final Kill 2018 remix and remaster
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| Last Rites | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 📅 Released | March 9, 1984 | |||
| 🎙️ Recorded | 1984 | |||
| ⏳ Length | 11:26 | |||
| 🤑 Producer | Karat Faye | |||
| Megadeth chronology | ||||
| ||||
Buy this album Last Rites/Loved to Death or listen to it on amazon
Demo Tape[edit]
Last Rites is a demo by the American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on March 9, 1984. It is the only Megadeth release to feature Lee Rausch on drums.[14]
Background and recording[edit]
In 1983, after being fired from Metallica, frontman Dave Mustaine met bassist David Ellefson and together they formed Megadeth in Los Angeles.[15] Mustaine later recalled: "After getting fired from Metallica, all I remember is that I wanted blood. Theirs. I wanted to be faster and heavier than them."[16] Fueled by the desire for revenge, Mustaine elevated the intensity of Megadeth's music in order to challenge his former band.[17] He sped up existing songs such as "Mechanix", which Metallica's new line-up adapted into the slower paced "The Four Horsemen".[18] Mustaine included his original version of the song on the album to "straighten Metallica up", as Metallica referred to Mustaine as a drunk, and said that he could not play guitar.[14]
Mustaine and Ellefson auditioned about 15 drummers, hoping to find one who understood meter changes in music. After briefly playing with Dijon Carruthers, they selected Lee Rausch. Following six months of trying to find a lead singer, Mustaine decided to perform lead vocals himself, while also serving as the band's primary lyricist, main songwriter, and co-lead and rhythm guitarist.[19][20] While the band briefly played with guitarist Greg Handevidt, he was fired before the recording of the demo tape.[21] The band was unable to find a suitable replacement for second guitarist, so only Dave Mustaine's guitar work is featured.
Songs[edit]
The demo features early versions of "Last Rites/Loved to Death", "The Skull Beneath the Skin", and "Mechanix", all of which appeared on the band's debut album.[22]
Track listing[edit]
All tracks written by Dave Mustaine.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Last Rites/Loved to Deth" | 4:16 |
| 2. | "Mechanix" | 3:59 |
| 3. | "The Skull Beneath the Skin" | 3:11 |
| Total length: | 11:26 | |
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Original pressings list it as "Loved to Death"; reissues from 2002 onwards list it "Loved to Deth".
References[edit]
- ↑ CMJ Network, Inc (February 11, 2002). "Loud Rock". CMJ New Music Report: 45. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
- ↑ "Killing Is My Business.. and Business Is Good! - Review". metal-archives.com.
- ↑ Wiederhorn, Jon. "37 Years Ago: Megadeth Unleash 'Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good'". Loudwire. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ↑ Reuter, Jerome. "MEGADETH AND THE SOUNDTRACK FOR RETRIBUTION: KILLING IS MY BUSINESS…AND BUSINESS IS GOOD! (1985)". Diabolique Magazine. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ↑ Meyer, Frank. "Megadeth: Killing Is My Business…And Business Is Good (Deluxe Edition)". KNAC. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ↑ "Last Rites/Loved to Deth". Megadeth.com. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! liner notes (2002 reissue). Loud Records. 2002. pp. 2, 7–8. Search this book on
- ↑ Grow, Kory. "Megadeth's Dave Mustaine: My Life in 15 Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ↑ "Megadeth: Details of 25th Anniversary Edition of 'Peace Sells…But Who's Buying?' Announced". Revolver. April 19, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
- ↑ DiVita, Joe. "Megadeth's Dave Mustaine: The Riff in 'Loved to Deth' Is the One I'm Proudest Of Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine: The Riff in ‘Loved to Deth’ Is the One I’m Proudest Of Megadeth's Dave Mustaine: The Riff in 'Loved to Deth' Is the One I'm Proudest Of Read More: Dave Mustaine: The Riff in 'Loved to Deth' Is the One I'm Proudest Of". Loudwire. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ↑ "Megadeth: The Official Playlist". Youtube. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ↑ "Megadeth Song's Ranked". Return of Rock. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ↑ "Last Rites/Loved to Deth". Megadeth.com. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Doe, Bernard (December 1985). "Megadeth – Love It To Death". Metal Forces. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
- ↑ Mustaine 2010, p. 234.
- ↑ Mustaine 2010, p. 235.
- ↑ Wagner, Jeff (2010). Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal. Bazillion Points Books. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-9796163-3-4. Search this book on
- ↑ Mustaine 2010, p. 236.
- ↑ Prown & Newquist 1997, p. 227.
- ↑ Ellefson 2013, p. 46.
- ↑ • Laydon, Page 103. Layden, Joe (2011). Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780061714405 Search this book on ..
- ↑ Mustaine 2011, p. 124.
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