Megadeth isn't a band with many features in their discography. However, some of these rare collaborations are truly remarkable. And one of them brings a curious fact revealed recently in an interview with vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine for Metal Hammer : Elvis Presley 's daughter , Lisa Marie Presley , could have duetted with him on "A Tout le Monde".
In 1994, the band released their sixth studio album, the successful Youthanasia. And for a quartet that was gaining even more status as a giant of world metal with the success of previous albums, including Rust in Peace (1990) and Countdown to Extinction (1992), it was curious to have a ballad among hits like "Train of Consequences" and "Addicted to Chaos".
But it was planned. The album's producer, Max Norman, slowed the tempo of all the songs down to make them more palatable for radio play. At that time, radio airplay still held considerable weight in terms of physical record sales and media coverage. And the band's thrash metal and heavy, long hits weren't exactly ideal for prime-time FM radio play.
Regarding the choice of tempo for the album's production, Mustaine said: “When you listen to those songs, they're really slow. We're a metal band, you can't have everything at 120 BPM. Obviously, it's a good tempo for radio,” he explains.
Who did Megadeth choose for the duet on "A Tout le Monde"?
In the original version, recorded on Youthanasia , only Mustaine's vocals are featured. The song became a fundamental hit in the band's setlist and is much loved by fans. For this reason, Mustaine decided to re-record the song thirteen years later as a duet.
“A Tout le Monde (Set me free)” was included on the 2007 album United Abominations , featuring Cristina Scabbia , vocalist of Lacuna Coil.
“This song was never respected by the record label [Capitol], nor by anyone except me and the fans,” Mustaine told Metal Hammer in 2007. “Being one of my most beautiful songs, I thought it deserved a better chance before I retired,” Dave explained.
But Scabbia wasn't the first person Mustaine approached to participate in the new version of the song. He had considered several options, including Lisa Marie Presley. Lisa passed away in 2023 and was Elvis Presley's only daughter. She didn't have many vocal recordings as a singer, but her name was considered for this special appearance. Unfortunately, the supposed collaboration with Megadeth fell through at the last minute.
“She was literally getting on the plane,” Mustaine told Metal Hammer , adding enigmatically, “I felt embarrassed by it, but I already have a bad enough reputation, and so does she.” In another interview with Straight.com, the Megadeth vocalist explained, “We had to call and say, ‘Sorry, we changed our minds.’ I’d love to know what Lisa Marie Presley would have done.”
The exact reason for Presley's absence from "A Tout le Monde" was never revealed. Instead, Mustaine chose Cristina Scabbia as his duet partner, and once again, the new version of a celebrated classic was a great success. But how would it have sounded with Lisa Marie Presley? We can only imagine.
READ ALSO: Megadeth: Dave Mustaine reveals the band is starting work on a new album.
