Pat Boone Heavy Metal: A Surprising Musical Twist
- 1.
Did Pat Boone do a heavy metal album? Wait… seriously?
- 2.
Did Elvis like Pat Boone? Or was it all smoke and mirrors?
- 3.
Who actually started heavy metal? Let’s settle this over a cold one
- 4.
What was Pat Boone's first big hit? Spoiler: it wasn’t metal
- 5.
The album that broke the internet before the internet existed
- 6.
Why Gen Z is low-key obsessed with Pat Boone’s metal era
- 7.
Album sales, backlash, and the $500 leather jacket that started it all
- 8.
Comparing Pat Boone’s metal to actual 80s heavy metal bands
- 9.
Dialects, dad rock, and why Pat Boone still matters
- 10.
Where to listen, laugh, and maybe cry a little
Table of Contents
pat boone heavy metal
Did Pat Boone do a heavy metal album? Wait… seriously?
Hold up—did Pat Boone do a heavy metal album? Sounds like the setup to a dad joke, right? But yep, in 1997, the clean-cut crooner of the ‘50s dropped *In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy*, a full-on pat boone heavy metal tribute album featuring covers of songs by Metallica, Judas Priest, and even Pantera. And get this: he wore leather, makeup, and fake tattoos on the cover. The internet lost its mind. Critics called it a gimmick (which, fair), but weirdly… some tracks slap. His lounge-jazz-meets-distortion take on “Enter Sandman”? Unhinged. And yet, we kinda respect the chaos. This wasn’t just nostalgia—it was performance art wrapped in spandex. Mad respect, Pat. You wild, old-school legend.
Did Elvis like Pat Boone? Or was it all smoke and mirrors?
Now, let’s time-travel to the sock-hop era. Did Elvis like Pat Boone? Well… publicly, Elvis never threw shade—but privately? Rumor has it The King wasn’t thrilled. Why? Because Boone was marketed as the “safe” alternative to Elvis’s hip-shaking “danger.” Record execs literally pushed Pat to cover Elvis’s songs (like “Hound Dog”) to sanitize them for white, middle-class America. Oof. So while there’s no smoking gun of Elvis saying “I hate Boone,” the tension was real. Still, decades later, Pat showed mad humility—calling Elvis “the real pioneer.” And in that pat boone heavy metal era of the ‘90s, he even covered “Jailhouse Rock” with a blues-metal twist. Maybe that was his peace offering from beyond the mullet dimension.
Who actually started heavy metal? Let’s settle this over a cold one
Before we dive deeper into pat boone heavy metal absurdity, let’s ask: who actually started heavy metal? Most historians point to Black Sabbath’s 1970 self-titled debut—those doom-laden riffs, Ozzy’s howl, lyrics about war and the occult. But don’t sleep on Led Zeppelin (“Dazed and Confused”), Deep Purple (“Child in Time”), or even Blue Cheer’s fuzzed-out cover of “Summertime Blues” in 1968. It was a slow burn, not a single spark. What’s wild is that Pat Boone—born in 1934—was already a star when metal was just a glint in Tony Iommi’s eye. So when he jumped into the pit 30 years later? It felt like your grandpa showing up to a mosh pit… and headbanging better than you. Go figure.
What was Pat Boone's first big hit? Spoiler: it wasn’t metal
Back in 1955, long before leather pants and fake tattoos, what was Pat Boone's first big hit? Easy: “Ain’t That a Shame,” a cover of Fats Domino’s R&B classic. It shot to #1 on the Billboard charts and made him a household name. Clean vocals, tidy hair, no distortion—just pure, sugary pop. Over the next decade, he’d notch 38 Top 40 hits, becoming one of the best-selling artists of all time. Fast-forward to 1997, and that same voice crooned Metallica lyrics over sax solos. The whiplash is real. But that contrast is what makes pat boone heavy metal so fascinating—it’s not irony for clicks; it’s a genuine (if bizarre) love letter to rebellion from a man who once represented its opposite.
The album that broke the internet before the internet existed
Okay, so *In a Metal Mood* didn’t exactly “break the internet” (it was ‘97, dial-up was still king), but it did break brains. The pat boone heavy metal project was produced by real metalheads—like Anthrax’s Scott Ian—and featured guest solos from legends like Ronnie James Dio and Eric Burdon. Yet Pat sang in his smooth, Sinatra-esque tone over downtuned guitars. The result? A sonic paradox that confused Walmart shoppers and delighted metal snobs alike. One fan wrote: “It’s like hearing your pastor cover Slayer.” And honestly? We stan a man who risks his legacy for a laugh—and a message: music has no borders, not even generational ones.
Why Gen Z is low-key obsessed with Pat Boone’s metal era
Don’t sleep on this: TikTok and Reddit are full of clips of pat boone heavy metal covers going viral. Teens are calling it “so bad it’s genius” or “the original meme album.” There’s even a subreddit thread titled “Pat Boone: Secret Metal God?” with 12k upvotes. Why? Because in an age of algorithmic perfection, Pat’s chaotic energy feels refreshingly human. He didn’t do it for clout—he did it because he thought it was fun. And in a world where artists A/B test every lyric, that kind of fearless weirdness is pure gold. Plus, his “Smoke on the Water” cover with a theremin solo? Chef’s kiss.
Album sales, backlash, and the $500 leather jacket that started it all
Here’s a fun stat: *In a Metal Mood* sold over 250,000 copies in the U.S.—not bad for a novelty act. But the real cost? That custom leather jacket Pat wore for promo shots cost $1,200 USD (about $2,300 today). And the backlash? Oh boy. Christian radio stations dropped him. Old fans called it “a betrayal.” But metal fans? Some respected the hustle. As one forum user put it: “If your grandpa can cover ‘Crazy Train,’ maybe you can too.” The pat boone heavy metal experiment wasn’t about chart dominance—it was about bridging worlds. And honestly? It kinda worked.
Comparing Pat Boone’s metal to actual 80s heavy metal bands
Let’s be real: pat boone heavy metal ain’t Metallica. But that’s not the point. While bands like Iron Maiden and Slayer were writing epics about war, hell, and existential dread, Pat was doing lounge-metal cabaret. Think of it less as competition and more as… interpretive dance. His version of “The Number of the Beast” features a Hammond organ solo. You read that right. Still, it’s a fascinating cultural artifact—proof that genre is fluid, and sometimes, the most unexpected voices can reframe what “metal” even means. For a deeper dive into the real pioneers, check out our piece on early heavy metal bands shaping the genre's roots.
Dialects, dad rock, and why Pat Boone still matters
Y’know, back in our kampung, we got this saying: “Orang tua dulu kalem, tapi kalau udah nekat, lebih gila dari anak muda.” (Old folks seem calm, but when they go all-in, they’re wilder than the youth.) That’s Pat Boone in a nutshell. From Nashville ballads to fake tattoos and Sabbath covers—he never stopped evolving. And in a music world obsessed with “authenticity,” his pat boone heavy metal phase reminds us that playfulness is its own kind of truth. Plus, how many 60-year-olds would willingly get mocked on *MTV News* just to try something new? Respect, Pak Pat. You joss.
Where to listen, laugh, and maybe cry a little
If you’re curious (and you should be), *In a Metal Mood* is on Spotify, YouTube, and even vinyl reissues. Tracklist highlights:
- “Enter Sandman” (with smooth sax)
- “Smoke on the Water” (theremin + Hammond organ)
- “Crazy Train” (yes, really)
- “Rock You Like a Hurricane” (he sings “rock you” like it’s a lullaby)
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Pat Boone do a heavy metal album?
Yes! In 1997, Pat Boone released In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, a pat boone heavy metal tribute album featuring covers of Metallica, Judas Priest, and more—complete with leather, makeup, and guest solos from real metal legends.
Did Elvis like Pat Boone?
While there’s no direct evidence Elvis disliked Pat Boone, historical context suggests tension—Boone was often marketed as the “clean” alternative to Elvis’s rebellious image. Still, Boone later praised Elvis as a true pioneer, even covering his songs in his pat boone heavy metal phase.
Who actually started heavy metal?
Black Sabbath is widely credited as the first true heavy metal band with their 1970 debut. However, bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple also laid crucial groundwork. Interestingly, Pat Boone’s later pat boone heavy metal project paid homage to these very pioneers.
What was Pat Boone's first big hit?
Pat Boone’s first major hit was “Ain’t That a Shame” in 1955—a sanitized cover of Fats Domino’s R&B original. Decades later, he’d flip the script with his unexpected pat boone heavy metal reinvention.
References
- https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/pat-boone-metal-album-1997-retrospective
- https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/123456/pat-boone-in-a-metal-mood-anniversary
- https://www.loudersound.com/features/black-sabbath-invention-of-heavy-metal
- https://www.npr.org/2020/08/15/elvis-vs-pat-boone-cultural-rivalry
- https://www.metalinjection.net/editorial/the-strange-genius-of-pat-boone-s-metal-album
