If you were to assume metal band Megadeth and Elvis Presley had absolutely nothing in common, except for maybe a very frayed connecting thread between early rock and its evolution into heavier subgenres, we wouldn’t blame you (and would probably agree). However, in 2007, the Presley legacy and the band behind “Symphony of Destruction” and “Tornado Of Souls” became closer than ever.
But as some of the unlikeliest timelines in rock are wont to do, their connection fell apart at the very last minute, mid-boarding at the airport.
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Megadeth Almost Collaborated With This Famous Presley
Megadeth was enjoying the peak of their mid-1990s fame when they released their English and French track, “À tout le monde” on their 1994 album Youthanasia. Thirteen years later, the band revisited the track for their 2007 album, United Abominations. They changed the title slightly to “À Tout le Monde (Set Me Free)” and changed the arrangement to be a duet between frontman Dave Mustaine and a female singer. Therein lies the surprising connection between Megadeth and the Presley family. For a brief moment, Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, was going to be the featured duet partner on the track’s reboot.
But in a matter of minutes, the potential collaboration fell apart. “She was literally getting on the plane,” Mustaine told Metal Hammer in 2007. “I felt awkward about it. But I’ve got a bad enough reputation and so has she.” He didn’t clarify what, exactly, he meant by that comment, although both he and Presley had a very public battle with substance abuse over the years. Mustaine pivoted back to the song itself, saying the record company never respected the song, “Only myself and the fans. Being one of my most beautiful songs, I thought it deserved a better chance before I went into retirement.”
However Presley’s involvement (or lack thereof) related to Mustaine’s desire to give “À Tout le Monde (Set Me Free)” the best chance of success, the frontman said, “We had to call and say, ‘Sorry, we changed our minds. I would have loved to have heard what Lisa Marie Presley would have done,” Mustaine said in an interview with Straight.com.
The Collaboration Would Have Come At A High Career Point
A musical partnership between Lisa Marie Presley and Megadeth might not have seemed like the most obvious choice in the mid-2000s, but it did make sense from a business perspective. Lisa Marie Presley released a successful debut album in 2003, peaking at No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart with her freshman release, To Whom It May Concern. Her follow-up, Now What, reached another successful No. 9 spot on the chart. Both of those albums alone would have been enough momentum to make her a reasonable choice for Megadeth’s 2007 remake of “À Tout le Monde (Set Me Free)” for United Abominations.
In the end, the gig went to Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil’s frontwoman, Cristina Scabbia. “Cristina is the best of all the female singers around at the moment,” Mustaine told Metal Hammer in 2007. “I hope it helps her band’s career.”
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