Which 1984 Metallica title track is about execution by electric chair?

The 1984 Metallica title track about execution by electric chair is “Ride the Lightning.”

“Ride the Lightning” is the title song of Metallica’s second studio album, released on July 27, 1984. Its central image is a condemned prisoner facing execution in an electric chair, matching the album cover’s illustration of a chair struck by lightning. The song’s perspective and subject matter helped establish Metallica’s interest in darker, more psychologically complex themes than straightforward heavy-metal rebellion.

The phrase “ride the lightning” was taken from Stephen King’s novel The Stand, where it refers to death in the electric chair. Metallica transformed that expression into a song about capital punishment, fear, and helplessness. The track is often remembered alongside “Fade to Black” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls” as evidence of the band expanding beyond the speed and aggression of its debut.

The album was recorded in Copenhagen at Sweet Silence Studios in only three weeks. It was the first Metallica record to include songwriting contributions from Kirk Hammett and the last to include contributions from former guitarist Dave Mustaine. “Ride the Lightning” is a song title, while the question’s 1984 album reference points to the same-named album.