The Conjuring (song)

"The Conjuring"
Song by Megadeth
from the album Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?
ReleasedSeptember 19, 1986 (1986-09-19)
RecordedFebruary–March 1986
GenreThrash metal[1][2]
Length5:04
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Dave Mustaine
Producer(s)Dave Mustaine, Randy Burns
Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? track listing
8 tracks
  1. "Wake Up Dead"
  2. "The Conjuring"
  3. "Peace Sells"
  4. "Devils Island"
  5. "Good Mourning/Black Friday"
  6. "Bad Omen"
  7. "I Ain't Superstitious"
  8. "My Last Words"

"The Conjuring" is a song by the thrash metal band Megadeth from their 1986 album Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?.

Written by Dave Mustaine during a time when he dabbled in black magic during his teenager years, the song's lyrics have been described as referencing a Satanic ritual and, according to Mustaine, contain "instructions for hexes".[3][4]

Overview

The song is composed in E minor.[5] It is one of several Megadeth songs referencing the occult, witchcraft, or black magic. Others include "Bad Omen", "Good Mourning/Black Friday", and most explicitly, "Five Magics" from their 1990 album Rust in Peace, which directly mentions wizardry, sorcery, alchemy, and magic.[6]

In an interview, Mustaine said, "I used to do black magic when I was a kid, and I put a hex on a dude and his leg kind of got messed up. The other one was, I put a sex hex on this girl and the next night she was in my bed, so I think that it worked."[7][8][9]

Live performances

From 2001 to 2018, a period of 17 years, the song was not performed live by Megadeth.[10][11] This was due to Mustaine's Christian beliefs[12] being at odds with its subject matter. In 2011, several months before the 25th anniversary of the release of the album Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? Mustaine reiterated his reluctance to perform the song.[3] In 2016, however, after the band's drummer Chris Adler asked if they could "re-record [the song] with different lyrics", Mustaine admitted in an interview that he "wouldn't mind doing the song again", as long as "it didn't hurt anybody".[13] On June 12, 2018, Megadeth performed "The Conjuring" live for the first time in 17 years at the Home Monitoring Aréna in Plzeň, Czech Republic.[14][15]

References

  1. ^ "The 25 greatest thrash metal albums ever". Kerrang!. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  2. ^ "20 Essential Eighties Thrash Albums". Revolver. 2007-04-01. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  3. ^ a b Parker, Matthew (March 18, 2011). "Dave Mustaine: "Black magic ruined my life!"". Total Guitar. Music Radar. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  4. ^ Lewis, G. Craige (2009). The Truth Behind Hip Hop. Xulon Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-60791-916-2.
  5. ^ Song Key of The Conjuring (Megadeth), retrieved 2022-09-27
  6. ^ "ShieldSquare Captcha". validate.perfdrive.com. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
  7. ^ Songfacts. "The Conjuring by Megadeth - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
  8. ^ Childers, Chad (23 August 2022). "Dave Mustaine Tells Joe Rogan the Stories of Two Hexes He Put on People in His Youth". Loudwire. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
  9. ^ Blabbermouth (2019-09-25). "MEGADETH's DAVE MUSTAINE Talks About Making Of 'The Conjuring' Song For 'Death By Design' Graphic Novel (Video)". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
  10. ^ DiGiacomo, Robert (November 12, 2012). "Megadeth Revisits 'Extinction': Heavy metal legends offer classic album in entirety at House of Blues on Friday night". Atlantic City Insiders. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Goldmine Staff (13 September 2022). "5 strong (and interesting) opinions from Dave Mustaine". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  12. ^ "Dave Mustaine Explains Why He Refuses To Share Stage With His 'Confessed Enemy' – Blabbermouth.net". Roadrunnerrecords.com. May 8, 2007. Archived from the original on October 31, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  13. ^ "Megadeth's Dave Mustaine Is Reconsidering His Decision To Never Play 'The Conjuring' Again". Blabbermouth.net. January 21, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  14. ^ "MEGADETH Performs 'The Conjuring' Live For First Time In 17 Years (Video)". Blabbermouth.net. June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  15. ^ Guitar World Staff (2018-06-14). "Watch Megadeth Perform "The Conjuring" For the First Time in 17 Years". guitarworld. Retrieved 2022-09-27.