Symphony of Destruction

Mustaine wrote the song, which tells of an ordinary citizen who runs a country while a phantom government governs the public. He said the idea came from a Time Life magazine commercial and the film The Manchurian Candidate, and that he put the Pied Piper in the chorus. He has also said the first lines came on the back of a sushi receipt, after a headache while driving in Toluca Lake. It opens with an orchestra tuning and a snatch of Mozart's Requiem.

The video was directed by Wayne Isham and was first shown on MTV without concern, but the assassination of a political candidate in it was then cut as too harsh. The single reached 15 in the UK, 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 29 on the Mainstream Rock chart, and was certified platinum in the United States in 2022.

Live and covers

It has been played at nearly all Megadeth concerts. A chant of "Megadeth, Megadeth, aguante Megadeth" between the opening riffs began in Argentina in 1994. Trent Reznor and Chris Vrenna produced an industrial "Gristle Mix" for some versions of the single. Arch Enemy covered it for a Kerrang! compilation, Nightwish played it live, and 3 Doors Down performed it nearly 70 times.