“Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” by Metallic

As we have pointed out in the past, Metallica is a band which has an affinity for good pieces of American literature. And this particular track was actually inspired by Ken Kesey’s classic 1962 novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, which many people are more familiar with via the 1975 film of the same name starring Jack Nicholson.

Now said book is set in a mental institution, a theme which this song copies.  Or more specifically, in the track, the narrator plays the role of someone institutionalized in a mental-health facility. And before going any further, let’s make something clear. An inmate is not obligated to actually reside inside a sanitarium, meaning that in reality the singer can leave any time he wants to. And this reality is actually alluded to in the first verse when he states “no locked doors, no windows barred”.

Song’s Narrative

And in terms of deciphering the entire narrative of this track, that premise is important to keep in mind. And why is that important? Simply because it becomes increasingly obvious that the singer and his fellow inmates are going through some type of hell in this institution. For instance, in the first we can see that that the staff of the facility sometimes tie inmates up as a form of therapy. Or stated bluntly, the use of violence is common in their treatment processes. In fact it is so much so that at the end of the day the “natives”, i.e. inmates, are “getting restless” and thinking about launching a “mutiny” against the workers at the sanitarium.

Now keeping in mind that these abused individuals can actually leave whenever they want, that then begs the question of why they would endure such treatment in the first place. 

Reason

And most pointedly in the second verse, we see that the abuse they suffer is not only physical but also psychological. Indeed the staff of the sanitarium has the singer afraid to actually venture out into the world and “breathe the open air”. So this scenario generally fits into the plot of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, in which the staff of the featured psychiatric hospital is presented as being oppressive.

In Conclusion

So conclusively, as to what exactly Metallica set out to accomplish via this narrative is not specifically clear. For instance, the band does occasionally take up causes, and perhaps it can be said that they are speaking on behalf of people who actually find themselves abused in psychiatric institutions. 

Indeed such was apparently the intended purpose of the book itself. Another popular theory is that the is actually setting out to present this song from the perspective of an individual who is in fact mentally ill. But honestly, more than anything this track reads like a song which is simply based on a movie. 

Or another way of looking at it is that the band came across a book/film they liked and challenged themselves to write a song from the perceived perspective of one of the characters who would be featured therein – not necessarily a main character but perhaps one of the inmates on the periphery. In other words, the singer more or less cast himself into the book.  And if a listener attempts to derive more from “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” than that, then they might miss out on what is actually a work of art in terms of role playing.

Facts about “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”

This song was written by Metallica members Hammett, Hetfield and Ulrich.  And the entire band produced the tune. They handled the production along with Flemming Rasmussen.

“Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” was released on 3 March 1986. The band released it as part of their 1986 bestselling album entitled “Master of Puppets”. And the label that put it out is Elektra Records.

This track holds a special place in Metallica’s history for a number of reasons. For example, it was the first song from their catalog they ever let be utilized as part of a movie. And said film was entitled “Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills” (1996).

When MTV honored Metallica on their formerly-annual “Icon” series back in 2003, “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” was covered by Limp Bizkit.

Was “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” released as a single?

No. “Master of Puppets” produced just one single. And said single was the album’s title track.

Although, “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” wasn’t a single, it went on to become a fan favorite from its album. “Disposable Heroes” was another famous track from the album.