Metallica Reflect on Dee Dee Ramone's Passing

When James Hetfield returned from his first stint in rehab in 2002, one of the first things Metallica did was record a handful of Ramones cover songs. These songs would include "We're a Happy Family, "Cretin Hop," "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue," "Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World," "Commando" and "53rd and 3rd." The last of those songs would be included on a Ramones tribute album co-produced by Rob Zombie called We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to the Ramones.

Some of the other songs would find their way to the public's ears as b-sides on Metallica singles. A special note to any vinyl collector's out there, as a blue 7 inch vinyl featuring Metallica's cover of "53rd and 3rd" can be found paired with two more Ramones covers by Green Day and Offspring... if you're in to that sort of thing. This record seems to be quite hard to find and is very valuable due to its rarity.

Metallica would submit their version of "53rd and 3rd" to the album's producers on June 5, 2002, a day that would take special significance due to the fact that original founding member and bassist Dee Dee Ramone had passed away, unbeknownst to Metallica.

Co-producer of Metallica's 2004 documentary Some Kind of Monster, Joe Berlinger, noted that guitarist Kirk Hammett was visibly spooked by the coincidence, as he told the media:

"He was noticeably pale. 'That is f***** up,' he said. 'That is f***** up.' He got up and left the room." - Berlinger, 5 Things You Didn't Know About Metallica's St Anger, Jon Weiderhorn, Metal Hammer (Jun 5, 2018)