Use the Man

The inspiration behind the lyrics of Use the Man comes from a poignant story about a person recovering from addiction. Dave Mustaine recounted that, while working on the album Cryptic Writings, he visited a twelve-step meeting near the studio. There, a caretaker showed him a box with the belongings of someone who had passed away in a transitional house after using heroin. This experience led him to reflect on the destructive cycle of drugs, comparing it to an Eastern proverb about how a person can fall under the dominion of a substance. The phrase "First the man made the needle, then the needle made the man, and then the needle made the man" encapsulates the central idea and gives rise to the song's title. It is a somber tale about overdoses and the tragic loss of lives. Use the Man was released as the third single from the album Cryptic Writings in 1997, reaching number 15 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The recording took place in September 1996 at The Tracking Room in Nashville, Tennessee, and The Castle in Franklin, Tennessee, with Dann Huff and Dave Mustaine producing. The album, released on June 17, 1997, under the Capitol label, marked the last studio album appearance of drummer Nick Menza with Megadeth, thus concluding the band's longest-standing lineup at that time. For this work, they decided to collaborate with Dann Huff in Nashville, seeking a different approach from their previous producer, Max Norman. The album featured more accessible song structures and lyrics adapted for a wider audience, which generated divided opinions among critics, who perceived a departure from the thrash metal roots. The song has been performed live 194 times by Megadeth, and also by Mustaine and David Ellefson. Since the band's reunion in 2004, its performance has been limited to acoustic concerts. Interestingly, Use the Man was one of the first songs Mustaine was able to play in public after an arm injury that prevented him from using the guitar.