Stone Dead Forever: Motorhead’s Deepest Bomber Cut
Stone Dead Forever is the five minute deep cut that opens side two of Motorhead’s 1979 album Bomber.
Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clarke, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor wrote it together as a group composition.
It never charted as a single, but it has become one of the most discussed tracks from the band’s Bronze Records years.
Here is the true story behind the song, the album that carried it, and the trivia that still confuses fans today.
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📋 Table of Contents [+]
⚡ Key Takeaways
- Stone Dead Forever is track six on Motorhead’s third studio album Bomber, released 12 October 1979 on Bronze Records.
- Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clarke, and Phil Taylor wrote the song together as a full band composition.
- The track runs nearly five minutes, one of the longest cuts on the Bomber album.
- Producer Jimmy Miller, known for his work with the Rolling Stones, produced the Bomber sessions in the summer of 1979.
- Metallica has performed the song live on occasion as a tribute to Lemmy Kilmister and Motorhead.
What Is Stone Dead Forever About?
The song is a slow burning, riff heavy track built around Fast Eddie Clarke’s guitar work and Lemmy’s rough spoken delivery.
It leans into Motorhead’s darker, grinding side rather than the flat out speed of tracks like Overkill.
Where the title track Bomber roars past in under four minutes, this one stretches out and lets the riff breathe.
Lemmy rarely explained his lyrics in detail, and the band treated the track as a mood piece more than a story.
Who Wrote This Bomber Deep Cut?
Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clarke, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor wrote the track together as Motorhead’s classic three piece lineup.
Lemmy handled bass and lead vocals, Clarke built the central riff on guitar, and Taylor drove the rhythm underneath it.
All three members share the songwriting credit, a common arrangement for the band’s Bronze era material.
The song fits the same rough, unpolished energy that defined Motorhead’s writing sessions between 1978 and 1979.
Where Does It Appear on Bomber?
Stone Dead Forever is track six on Bomber, opening side two of the original vinyl release.
Bomber was Motorhead’s third studio album, following the 1977 debut and Overkill earlier the same year.
The album reached number 12 on the UK Albums Chart after its release on 12 October 1979 through Bronze Records.
Joe Petagno designed the album’s Snaggletooth artwork, which later became Motorhead’s permanent band logo.
Where Was It Recorded?
Motorhead recorded the track between 7 July and 31 August 1979 at Roundhouse and Olympic Studios in London.
Jimmy Miller produced the sessions, the same producer who shaped classic Rolling Stones albums like Exile on Main St.
Miller pushed the band toward a heavier, more layered guitar sound than the raw thrash of Overkill.
The Bomber sessions were tight, with the whole album written and recorded in under two months.
Why Do Fans Still Talk About This Track?
Fans still bring up Stone Dead Forever because it shows a heavier, more patient side of the classic Motorhead lineup.
The track rewards listeners who want more than three minutes of pure speed from the band’s early catalogue.
Deep cut collectors often name it among the most underrated songs on Bomber.
Overkill, released just months earlier in 1979, shows how quickly the band shifted moods between albums.
The band’s Louie Louie single, released the year before, first introduced Motorhead to national television audiences.
Has Metallica Ever Covered Stone Dead Forever?
Metallica has performed Stone Dead Forever live on occasion as a tribute to Motorhead, according to Songfacts.
Lars Ulrich has spoken publicly about Motorhead’s influence on Metallica’s early sound.
Lemmy stayed close friends with Metallica until his death in December 2015.
The tribute connection reflects how deeply the band’s Bronze era material shaped a generation of thrash metal players.
Stone Dead Forever vs Stone Deaf Forever: What Is the Difference?
Stone Dead Forever is the song, while Stone Deaf Forever is a separate five disc Motorhead box set released in 2003.
The 2003 box set collects studio albums and rarities from the band’s Bronze Records years, and its title is a pun on the song.
In 1997, Receiver Records also issued a CD drawing on the same back catalogue under the song’s own title, according to Discogs.
Fans searching for the box set often land on the song instead, since the two titles differ by a single letter.
People Also Ask
What album is Stone Dead Forever from?
Stone Dead Forever is track six on Motorhead’s third studio album Bomber, released on 12 October 1979 through Bronze Records, opening side two of the original vinyl pressing.
The album reached number 12 on the UK Albums Chart shortly after release.
Who wrote Stone Dead Forever?
Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clarke, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor wrote it together as a full band composition during the Bomber sessions in the summer of 1979.
All three members of Motorhead’s classic three piece lineup share the songwriting credit.
How long is Stone Dead Forever?
The song runs nearly five minutes, one of the longest tracks on the Bomber album alongside the closing title song.
Its extended length sets it apart from the shorter, faster songs that dominate most of Motorhead’s late 1970s catalogue.
Who produced Stone Dead Forever?
Jimmy Miller produced it as part of the full Bomber album sessions, recorded at Roundhouse and Olympic Studios in London between July and August 1979.
Miller was best known for producing several classic Rolling Stones albums earlier in the 1970s.
Is Stone Dead Forever the same as Stone Deaf Forever?
No, Stone Dead Forever is the 1979 Bomber album track, while Stone Deaf Forever is a separate five disc Motorhead box set released in 2003 collecting the band’s Bronze Records years.
The similar titles are a deliberate pun, not the same release.
Listen to the Song and Shop Motorhead Albums
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Bomber
1979, 50th Anniversary Edition
Home to this track and the title song.
A bridge between Overkill and Ace of Spades.
Overkill
1979
The album released just months before Bomber.
Twin bass drums and pure speed from the classic lineup.
Ace of Spades
1980, 50th Anniversary 2 CD Edition
The album that followed Bomber a year later.
Motorhead’s defining anthem and biggest hit.
No Sleep ’til Hammersmith
1981, 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
The live album that captures the classic lineup at full force.
Hit number 1 on the UK Albums Chart in 1981.
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The track remains a deep cut worth seeking out for anyone who only knows Motorhead through Ace of Spades.
Forty-seven years after Bomber’s release, Stone Dead Forever still rewards fans willing to dig past the singles.
Last updated: July 14, 2026