Metallica’s legendary thrash metal anthem “Master of Puppets” has officially surpassed one billion streams on Spotify, joining the platform’s exclusive Billions Club. Given the vast amount of music added to Spotify daily, only 920 tracks have achieved this feat, making it a rare accomplishment.
Metallica expressed their gratitude: “We’re psyched to share that ‘Master Of Puppets’ has just made its way into Spotify‘s Billions Club – Thank you!”
The Billions Club is a playlist introduced in 2020 that features all songs on Spotify that have exceeded one billion streams. Artists who reach this milestone receive a Billions Club plaque from Spotify in recognition of their achievement.
This marks the third Metallica song to cross the billion-stream mark, following “Enter Sandman” and “Nothing Else Matters” from their 1991 Black Album. The surge in streams for “Master of Puppets” was largely driven by its inclusion in Netflix’s Stranger Things, where it played a key role in a pivotal scene during the third season, sparking viral memes across social media.
In the season four finale of Stranger Things, Eddie Munson delivers what he describes as “the most metal concert ever,” shredding “Master of Puppets” on his cherished Warlock guitar. The performance takes place in the show’s eerie Upside Down realm as part of a daring effort to aid his friends in defeating the season’s main antagonist, the demon Vecna.
By joining the Billions Club, “Master of Puppets” now stands alongside other iconic rock and metal tracks such as “Toxicity” by System of a Down, “In the End” by Linkin Park,”Paranoid” by Black Sabbath, Aerosmith’s “Dream On“, Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger“, ABBA’s Dancing Queen, Papa Roach’s “Last Resort“, Guns N’ Roses’ “Paradise City“, Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life“, and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody“. So far, nearly a thousand songs have reached this milestone.
Looking ahead, Metallica’s next contender for the billion-stream milestone is “One” from their 1988 album …And Justice for All. However, with 672 million streams at the time of writing this article, it still has a way to go before reaching that mark.
Released on February 24, 1986, Master of Puppets was Metallica’s first album following their major label deal with Elektra Records. Though it initially peaked at just No. 29 on the Billboard album chart, the album has since sold over six million copies in the U.S. Tragically, it was also the last Metallica album to feature bassist Cliff Burton, who passed away later that year in a tour bus accident.
