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"Nothing Else Matters" is a ballad by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the third single from their self-titled fifth studio album, Metallica. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart as well as top-ten positions on many European charts. "Nothing Else Matters" was featured as a playable track in the music video game Guitar Hero: Metallica. The song has been covered over forty times.
History [edit]
Singer and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield wrote the song (credited to Hetfield/Ulrich[citation needed]) while he was on the phone with his then girlfriend. Since he held the phone with one hand, he plucked the four open strings of a standard E-minor chord with the other, which eventually made up the first two bars of the song. The lyrics, which talk about being "so close, no matter how far", were also dedicated to his girlfriend, indicating the bond they shared even when Hetfield was on tour. Initially, the song was not meant to be released, as Hetfield had written it for himself, but after drummer Lars Ulrich heard it, it was considered for the album.[citation needed]
Composition [edit]
Its intro is an E minor arpeggio beginning with the open low E followed by the open G, B and high E strings.
It is one of the few Metallica songs in which Hetfield, not Kirk Hammett, plays the guitar solo[citation needed]. Given that Hetfield recorded all rhythm and most harmony tracks on the band's first five albums and that Hammett has stated he didn't learn how to play the song until they were well into the tour for the album, Hammett does not play on the studio recording, making it one of two songs in the whole Metallica repertoire, along with Cliff Burton's "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth", in which he does not appear[citation needed].
Music video [edit]
The music video premiered on MTV on February 26, 1992[citation needed]. It was directed by Adam Dubin, it consists of parts of the A year and a half... video tape which was shot during the recordings of Metallica.[citation needed] One of them shows Hetfield playing the 12 string during one of the choruses. MTV will not air the video during daytime hours anymore because it features nudity in the form of pin-up posters and Playboy centerfords that are taped up in the studio. It also has a picture of Kip Winger which Lars Ulrich is seen throwing darts at. On the band's 2006 music video compilation DVD, the posters are censored, as was done with the nudity featured in the music videos for "Turn the Page" and "Whiskey in the Jar".
The song has now become a staple in Metallica's live performances, and has been dedicated to their fans. When played live nowadays, Hammett does the first part of the intro, and Hetfield joins in for the second, to then sing and play it alone until after the first chorus, when the whole band kicks in. Also, the last verse is left out, ending the song with the heavily distorted guitar solo by Hetfield, and usually fading into "Enter Sandman". A live version on which this can be heard can be found on the CD/DVD Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México. Other live recordings can be found on Live Shit: Binge & Purge, on S&M, Cunning Stunts DVD as well as the DVD/Blu-ray The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria.
Alternative versions [edit]
Nothing Else Matters '99 [edit]
For its appearance on S&M, its orchestration was arranged by Michael Kamen conducting the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. This live version is featured on the album S&M. It was also released as the single "Nothing Else Matters '99", which included the b-sides "-Human", and the S&M version of "For Whom the Bell Tolls", on November 22, 1999.[1] This version was also played with guitars tuned to Eb.
"Elevator Version" [edit]
There is also an acoustic remix of "Nothing Else Matters" that is called the "elevator version" with no electric guitars (replaced by acoustic guitars, even for the solo), Kamen's orchestrations, and Hetfield's voice only; it appears as the b-side to "Sad but True".
Covers [edit]
Because of the song's popularity it has been covered many times, by both artists within and outside the rock genre. Bands who have covered the song include:
- Acid Drinkers for Fishdick Zwei - The Dick Is Rising Again tribute albums.
- Aliqua, a contemporary all-female choral act from Vancouver, Canada, on their self-titled album; they also released a music video of them performing the song.
- Angels of Venice as an instrumental harp solo (with backing instruments inc. cello) on their album Music for Harp.
- Apocalyptica, a band that plays metal music using primarily 4 cellos (Inquisition Symphony).
- Apoptygma Berzerk.
- String Quartet, in their Tribute to Metallica, a version quite similar to that of Apocalyptica but with more classical elements in it.
- Die Krupps for The Blackest Album tribute albums.
- David Garrett.
- Declan Galbraith on his album You and Me.
- Doro Pesch covered the song for the Metallica - A Tribute to the Black Album, which was released in Germany in the Special Edition of the Metal Hammer August * 2011.[2]
- Eden Classical/Crossover duo Eden (Libby Johnstone & Lucy Campbell) recorded a classical/rock version with the RSNO in Italian in 2013 for their forthcoming album, "Duette".
- Vienna Boys' Choir.
- Scott D. Davis.
- Iron Horse.
- Joe Lynn Turner for the Metallic Attack: Metallica - The Ultimate Tribute tribute album.
- Gregorian (a troupe of Gregorian chanters).
- Lissie (a folk-rock singer-songwriter).
- Lucie Silvas (a British pop singer-songwriter).
- LMP on their album A Century of Song.
- Bif Naked on the Superbeautifulmonster album.
- The Angels of Venice.
- Staind on MTV Icon.
- Erik Hassle on his Pieces (Deluxe Edition) album.
- Apoptygma Berzerk for the "Paranoia" single.
- Jon Oliva, Bob Balch (of Fu Manchu), Lemmy, and Gregg Bissonette for Metallica Assault: A Tribute to Metallica.
- Solarisis - Overload 2: Tribute to Metallica.
- Marco Masini (Italian singer-songwriter) as "E Chi Se Ne Frega" (moderately vulgar Italian for "Who cares"), for the album Uscita Di Sicurezza. (Marco Masini's version only covers the music. The lyrics for "E chi se ne frega" are not the Italian translation of Metallica's song.)
- Bugotak band from Novosibirsk released a Buryat language version with some Buryat instruments.
- The Dutch DJ DJ Zany & MC DV8 created a hardstyle version of the song.
- Tose Proeski during his concerts and on his album So Ljubav Ot Tose.
- Rev Theory on their acoustic EP Acoustic Live from the Gibson Lounge.
- Jaanus performed that in Estonian Idol ("Eesti Otsib Superstaari").
- In 2004, the season 2 Australian Idol winner Casey Donovan performed this song live on the Final 5 Up Close And Personal show and the live track was included as the b-side to her first single "Listen With Your Heart".
- In 2006, by Peter Cmorik, the winner of Season 2 Slovensko hľadá SuperStar show based on Pop Idol.
- In 2009, the song was also performed on Australian Idol by eventual winner Stan Walker on the Final 11 rock theme night.
- In 2009 by the a cappella group Club for Five featuring Johanna Kurkela on the album You're the Voice.
- Punk band The Vibrators.
- Shakira covered the song for her 2010 and 2011 tour, "The Sun Comes Out", and performed it for the first time on September 15 in Montreal, where the tour kicked off.
- Lissie covered the song during her Live Lounge session on the Radio 2 show 'Saturday Session' hosted by Dermot O'Leary in the UK. The song is on Disc 2 of the double CD release "Dermot O'Leary Saturday Sessions: 2CD".
- The song was covered as an instrumental for the album Buddha Lounge: Renditions of Metallica - * The Black Lounge along with ten other Metallica covers.
- Ed Alleyne-Johnson performed an electric violin cover on the album "Arpeggio".
- The Siege of Fort Wraganock covered this song in late 2011 using entirely different instrumentals and soul influenced vocals.[3]
- Godsmack covered the song on their 2012 album Live and Inspired.
- Macy Gray covered the song on her 2012 album Covered.
- In 2012 Diogo Piçarra covered this song in the final of the show "Ídolos Portugal" and he won it.
Track listing [edit]
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| 1. |
"Nothing Else Matters" |
6:30 |
| 2. |
"Enter Sandman" (Live) |
5:26 |
| 3. |
"Harvester of Sorrow" (Live) |
6:02 |
| 4. |
"Nothing Else Matters" (Demo) |
5:52 |
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| 1. |
"Enter Sandman" |
5:39 |
| 2. |
"Sad but True" |
5:30 |
| 3. |
"Nothing Else Matters" |
6:17 |
- Nothing Else Matters '99
- "Nothing Else Matters (Live)" - 6:47
- "For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live)" - 4:52
- "- Human (Live)" - 4:19
- "Nothing Else Matters (Video)"
Charts and certifications [edit]
Peak positions [edit]
Certifications [edit]
Personnel [edit]
Lucie Silvas version [edit]
"Nothing Else Matters" is a special Europe-only single by British singer-songwriter Lucie Silvas. It was released in exactly the same way as "Don't Look Back", with the same b-sides and artwork.
Tracklisting [edit]
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| 1. |
"Nothing Else Matters" (Edit) |
Hetfield, Ulrich |
3:07 |
| 2. |
"Twisting The Chain" (Acoustic) |
Silvas, Charlie Russell, Kearns, Peden |
3:55 |
| 3. |
"Better Love Next Time" (Demo) |
Tzuke, Kearns |
3:40 |
| 4. |
"Nothing Else Matters" (Video) |
Hetfield, Ulrich |
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Charts [edit]
References [edit]
External links [edit]
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