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(Credits: Far Out)<\/p>\n
Wed 18 March 2026 1:30, UK <\/p>\n
Music is so broad because inspiration can come from many different places. However, so long as conflict exists, it will always be a driving force behind creativity, as Metallica<\/a> prove.\u00a0<\/p>\n When people write songs about war, they can take one of many different approaches. Some people go for a much more personal and individual approach, which means focusing on an individual, and writing from the point of view of a soldier. Some prime examples of this include Marvin Gaye and \u2018What\u2019s Goin\u2019 On\u2019, Bill Withers and \u2018I Can\u2019t Write Left Handed<\/a>\u2019, and of course, Bruce Springsteen\u2019s \u2018Born In The USA\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n Springsteen famously wrote what is now considered a classic anti-war anthem after meeting a former soldier, Ron Vovic, and being moved by both him and other soldiers he was taken to meet. Kovic escorted Springsteen on a visit to the veterans centre in Venice, Los Angeles. An experience which the musician found quite eye-opening. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m usually pretty easy with people, but once we were at the center, I didn\u2019t know how to respond to what I was seeing,\u201d said Springsteen when discussing how the experience inspired him to write his classic. \u201cTalking about my own life to these guys seemed frivolous. There was homelessness and drug problems and post-traumatic stress \u2013 guys my age dealing with life-changing physical injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n While these are much more grounded approaches to anti-war anthems, there are some bands who decide to take on a more nihilistic approach. This means not focusing on an individual but instead trying to tackle the issue with war as a whole. It\u2019s a lot harder to do (given how big a topic it is), and because of its scale, it\u2019s also a lot harder for people to connect with. However, when it\u2019s done right, the result is a grandiose punk anthem which borders on the philosophical. <\/p>\n Metallica did this with their song \u2018For Whom The Bell Tolls\u2019, which was inspired by one of the greatest American authors of all time, Ernest Hemingway. Despite being a controversial figure for many, there is no escaping how much a lot of Hemingway\u2019s books still resonate with audiences, and Metallica took advantage of this when writing their 1984 track. <\/p>\n Hemingway\u2019s book is also called For Whom The Bell Tolls, and it focuses on an American who is given the job to take out a bridge which is held by the fascist army in the Spanish Civil War. Metallica used the book as a jumping off point and in doing so, didn\u2019t write a song which centred around an individual, but instead created a track which seemed to highlight the overall pointlessness of war. <\/p>\n