No. 135 - Judas Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” changed my life

Sean McNally was a three-year-old metalhead

Apr 03, 2026

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• 4 min read •

I’ve been a metalhead for as long as I can remember. One of my first memories of childhood was listening to “Electric Funeral” by Black Sabbath in the front passenger seat of my dad’s Corvette when I was probably two or three (it was the early ’80s, safety regulations certainly weren’t what they are today). I remember grasping the handle above the glove compartment and banging my head to “Paranoid” and my proud father smiling ear to ear. I still remember that feeling of excitement in my chest and electricity in my brain. That’s the drug I’ve been chasing for over 40 years now.

My parents were very young when they had me. They were 20 and were just a couple of kids raising me in Aurora, a suburb of Denver, Colorado. But it was because they were so young (and incredibly cool and liberal) that I was exposed to all the same stuff they liked and were still discovering as young adults. R-rated movies, hard rock and metal music, jokes and comedy specials that were very adult — anything short of actual porn wasn’t off-limits for me. They treated me like a little adult. My mom used to love saying, “We want to raise you to be an adult.” So, I took on the responsibility of discussing what I was seeing and hearing with them, and they made sure I was able to understand and process it (and that I wasn’t going to grow up to be some weirdo serial killer).

In my household there were a few bands and artists that absolutely stood above everyone else. First, it was the Beatles. My mom was a Beatles fanatic. She still is. My dad was into stuff that was a bit heavier; he loved Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and all the great rock bands of the 1970s. Growing up I was exposed to music from the ’50s all the way up through the modern stuff of the day. Music was a huge part of our family. The three of us always sang along in the car (poorly) and I really treasure those moments.

Being a very young (but surprisingly hip) little kid, I watched MTV the night it premiered with my parents. It was revolutionary. It literally changed my entire world overnight. Ozzy Osbourne liked to say that the first time he heard the Beatles, it was like he was living in a black and white world that suddenly turned to color. Nothing resonated with me more than that the first time I heard it said that way.

One summer day in August I was watching MTV, and I saw the band and heard the song that changed my life forever: Judas Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’.” The world didn’t just turn to color; it was full of raging guitars and soaring vocals too.

The video for “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” felt like it was specifically made for me. I couldn’t explain it then and I have trouble explaining it now. But it is, without a doubt, still my favorite song still to this day. It was strong, powerful, and so damned inspiring too. It spoke of taking advantage of your life, it told me to make the most of opportunities and to create opportunities for myself. For my three-year-old brain, this was like a lightning bolt hitting me square in the face. It was great music, but for me it was really about empowerment.

Seeing these guys in black, studded leather with lasers shooting off around them as they played this loud, aggressive, but still somehow hooky and digestible music with those incredible vocals from Rob Halford reshaped the entire world for me. I sat there in front of the massive TV in our den and was just stunned. This was EVERYTHING.

I went to my mom and said that I needed the tape… now. She giggled when I told her I wanted a Judas Priest record; I can only imagine what she was thinking in her head. The rule was that I needed to earn the money, so I “did chores,” which consisted of helping to put groceries away and cleaning my room. I was only three, so the tasks she made me do were simple, but she wanted to instill a life lesson.

Soon, my parents took me down the street to Budget Tapes & Records and we walked into what was a very familiar place for me. I can still remember the joy I had going in there. I looked at my mom and expected her to speak for me, but she looked at me and said, “You’re the one buying the tape, you need to ask for it.” This was a big moment for me. I looked the clerk right in the eye and said, “I’d like Screaming for Vengeance by Judas Priest, please.”

The guy was probably no older than 25, and his face lit up with the biggest grin. He walked me over to the wall with the tapes, pulled it out for me, and led me back to the register. I had a $10 bill in my pocket, and he reached over the counter to get it from me and to give me my change. I felt like an adult. I felt so accomplished. This is what the song was talking about!

We got in my mom’s baby blue 280ZX and I asked if we could listen to my tape. My parents couldn’t wipe the beaming smiles from their faces. Those first riffs from “The Hellion” filled the air as we made our drive back home, where I proceeded to listen to that tape (and especially “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”) for months and years to come. ◆

About Sean

Sean McNally is a progressive-minded guy living in Jacksonville, Florida and works in financial services. He’s been happily married for 21 years to his incredible and beautiful wife, Sherri. He likes music, movies, watching sports, collecting comic books, and cooking.

Instagram @ankhenaten91

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