Under the Blade by Twisted Sister

Album: Under the Blade (1979)

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A glint of steel, a flash of light
You know you're not going home tonight

Ominous stuff, which according to the song's writer, lead singer Dee Snider, is about the fear that comes from being on the operating table. He got the idea when guitarist Eddie Ojeda needed surgery, and was afraid of going "Under the Blade."

Said Snider: "It was about the fear of operations. I think people imagine being helpless on a table, the bright light in their face, the blade coming down on them, and being totally afraid that they may wake up, who knows, dead, handicapped. There is a certain fear of hospitals. That is what, in my imagination, what I see the hospitals like."
One of the earliest Twisted Sister tunes, they released it as a single with "I'll Never Grow Up, Now!" on their independent label Twisted Sister Records (their first single release). In 1982 it was used as the title track to their first album.
In 1985, the newly founded Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) accused Twisted Sister of promoting rape, bondage, and sadomasochism in this song. Dee Snider took a stand against their agenda at a Senate hearing, pointing out that the lyrics to this song have absolutely nothing to do with any of the aforementioned offenses, and that the "Washington Wives" who comprised the group were projecting their fantasies into their interpretation.

Snider testified that Tipper Gore of the PMRC wrote an article that he read in a Long Island newspaper claiming the lyrics encouraged "sadomasochism, bondage, and rape." Said Snider: "The lyrics she quoted have absolutely nothing to do with these topics. On the contrary, the words in question are about surgery and the fear that it instills in people."

He added, "That the writer could misquote me is curious, since we make it a point to print all our lyrics on the inner sleeve of every album. As the creator of 'Under the Blade,' I can say categorically that the only sadomasochism, bondage, and rape in this song is in the mind of Ms. Gore."

This was not the Twisted Sister song that landed on the PMRC "Filthy 15" list; that honor went to "We're Not Gonna Take It," which was cited for violence.

Comments: 4

Dan Gillespy from Courtenay BcA very good intense metal classic.
Fursuiter Chloe from Belvidere, IlI’ll turn this into a rp on instagram and start adding to the second person story until someone asks to participate and I’ll tell them about what happen’s in the roleplay
Robbie from Elizabethtown, KyActually Twisted Sister's "Under The Blade" album was released by the now defunct Secret Records in 1982 in the UK only and featured one track previously recorded but unreleased in 1979 entitled "I'll Never Grow Up Now!" Atlantic records re-released this album in 1985 to compensate for the commercial failure of their "Come Out And Play" album.
Adam from Marion, Ilif it's about surgery, then why the lyric, "You're cornered in the alley way, you know you're all alone"? indeed this is the only line that hints it might be about murder, and perhaps this lyric might be hinting that the guitarist was afraid of being murdered during surgery, but the thing about songs is that they can be about one thing, but another line in the song can lead people to think something completely different, especially since most heavy metal fans i know only hear about one line in each song either, and it's usually the first line, which in this case, is "A glint of steel, a flash of light", this could lead anyone to think of anything

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