Why Chumbawamba once released a bizarre, violent jazz-pop diss-track against James Hetfield

Thanks to the headline-generating feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, diss tracks have been a hot topic in mid-2024. However, the form of attacking someone via the medium of song isn’t reserved exclusively for hip-hop. Certain metalheads know this because, in 2010, anarcho-punks Chumbawamba, famous for their smash hit 1997 number one single Tubthumping , used music to take shots at one of the figureheads of heavy music: Metallica singer/guitarist James Hetfield .

The groundwork for the British band’s sonic takedown against Papa Het was laid two years prior. In 2008, the musician responded to news reports that his band’s music, specifically mainstream megahit Enter Sandman , had been used to torture inmates in Guantanamo Bay.

Hetfield expressed mixed emotions on the topic, telling German TV station 3SAT (per Blabbermouth ): “Part of me is proud because they chose Metallica. […] It’s strong; it’s music that’s powerful. It represents something that they don't like – maybe freedom, aggression… I don’t know… freedom of speech.”

However, the frontman continued: “And then part of me is kind of bummed about it that people worry about us being attached to some political statement because of that. We’ve got nothing to do with this and we're trying to be as apolitical as possible, ’cause I think politics and music, at least for us, don’t mix. It separates people, [and] we wanna bring people together.”

Since Hetfield made the comments, it’s been reported that Metallica privately asked the US government to stop using their music in Guantanamo Bay, and the job of sonically distressing prisoners was transferred to Christian metal collective Demon Hunter. Nonetheless, what Het said about his half-pride in Metallica’s music being used in such a way was enough for Chumbawamba to take notice.

In response, the Brits wrote Torturing James Hetfield : a lounge-pop number that belies its laidback musicianship with farcical and brutal lyrics. The band weave a narrative about, well… torturing James Hetfield, opening with the lines: “Well, we got James Hetfield, and we tied him up tight.” They then continue their imagined torture of the Metallica man with the chorus: “James, James, James – just give us names, names, names.”

Potshots against Chumbawamba’s own music then sneak their way into the second verse: “Now look what we’ve brought for you James, your favourite disc. It’s Chumbawamba, their greatest hits (there’s only one). Turned up the volume, you should've heard him sing (oh how he sings). He cried like a baby and told us everything (it was Lars!).”

Whether Papa Het ever even heard Chumbawamba’s comic clapback is unclear, but Metallica certainly didn’t retaliate with a track of their own. The UK band haven’t released a record since the one featuring Torturing James Hetfield (entitled ABCDEFG ). Meanwhile, the California thrashers are still very much active, touring Europe before heading to North and Central America in August.

Metallica 2024 tour dates:

Jun 14: Copenhagen Parken Stadium, Denmark
Jun 16: Copenhagen Parken Stadium, Denmark
Jun 26: Oslo Tons Of Rock Festival, Norway
Jun 29: Clisson Hellfest, France
Jul 05: Warsaw PGE Narodowy, Poland
Jul 07: Warsaw PGE Narodowy, Poland
Jul 12: Madrid Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, Spain
Jul 14: Madrid Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, Spain

Aug 02: Foxborough Gillette Stadium, MA, USA
Aug 04: Foxborough Gillette Stadium, MA, USA
Aug 09: Chicago Soldier Field, IL, USA
Aug 11: Chicago Soldier Field, IL, USA
Aug 16: Minneapolis US Bank Stadium, MN, USA
Aug 18: Minneapolis US Bank Stadium, MN, USA
Aug 23: Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium, Canada
Aug 25: Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium, Canada
Aug 30: Seattle Lumen Field, WA, USA
Sep 01: Seattle Lumen Field, WA, USA
Sep 20: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 22: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 27: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 29: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico