Enter Sandman

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"Enter Sandman"
Song
B-side"Stone Cold Crazy" / "Enter Sandman" (Demo) / "Holier Than Thou" (Work in Progress)

"Enter Sandman" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica, appearing as both the opening track and the lead single from their eponymous 1991 album Metallica. The song was produced by Bob Rock, and the music was written by Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, and James Hetfield. Hetfield also wrote the lyrics, which deal with nightmares.

The song achieved gold status for more than 500,000 copies shipped in the US, in part due to the fact that the album in which it is featured on sold over 15 million copies and helped propel Metallica to worldwide popularity. Acclaimed by critics, the song is featured in all of Metallica's live albums and DVDs released after 1991 and has been played live at award ceremonies and benefit concerts.

Writing and recording

"Enter Sandman" was the first song Metallica wrote for their self-titled album, Metallica released in 1991.[1] Metallica's songwriting method began with lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Jason Newsted submitting tapes with ideas for songs to rhythm guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, who would then combine them with their own and write songs in Ulrich's house in Berkeley, California.[1] "Enter Sandman" evolved from a guitar riff Hammett wrote.[1] Originally, the riff had two bars, until Ulrich suggested that the first bar should be played three times.[1] The song was quickly finished,[2] but Hetfield did not come up with vocal melodies and lyrics for a long time and the song was among the last to have lyrics.[1] The lyrics featured in the song are not the original: Hetfield felt "Enter Sandman" sounded "catchy and kind of commercial" and to counteract, he wrote lyrics about "destroy[ing] the perfect family; a huge horrible secret in a family" that included references to crib death.[3][4] Ulrich and producer Bob Rock told him they felt he could write better lyrics. It was the first time in the history of Metallica anyone suggested that to him.[3] According to Ulrich, even before the song had lyrics, it became the "foundation, the guide to the whole record".[1] Template:Sound sample box align left

"Enter Sandman"'s original main riff
Sample of "Enter Sandman"'s main riff as it was originally written by Kirk Hammett and before Lars Ulrich suggested to repeat the first part. This sample was taken from the DVD documentary, Classic Albums: Metallica - The Black Album.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Template:Sample box end An instrumental demo was recorded on 13 September 1990.[5] The album Metallica was recorded in Los Angeles, between October 1990 and June 1991. Ulrich, Hetfield and Rock did also a week of recording in Vancouver, Canada at the end of April and beginning of May 1991. Being the first album with Bob Rock producing, it was recorded differently than previous Metallica albums: Rock suggested the band members should record while playing together in studio instead of separately.[6] "Enter Sandman" had what Hetfield described as a "wall of guitars": three equal rhythm guitar tracks played by himself to create a "wall of sound".[2] According to engineer Randy Staub, "close to 50" takes of the drums were recorded, because Ulrich did not record the song in its entirety; instead recording each section of the song separately.[7] Because it was difficult to get the "intensity" the band wanted in one take, the numerous takes were then selected and edited together.[6] The producing team spent much time and used between 40 and 50 microphones for the drums with different combinations to get the sound out of each part of the room.[7] The same techniques were used to record guitars.[7] The bass guitar frequencies gained importance with Rock: Newsted stated that before him, Metallica's sound was "very guitar oriented" and that "when he [Rock] came into the picture, bass frequencies also came into the picture".[8] Being the first single, "Enter Sandman" was the first song to be mixed.[6] It took roughly 10 days because the band and Bob Rock had to create "the sound" for the entire album while mixing the song.[6]

Music and lyrics

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"Enter Sandman"
Sample of "Enter Sandman" from Metallica's 1991 album Metallica. In this sample, the main riff of the song can be heard in the beginning followed by the verse and the pre-chorus. The whole song evolved from the main riff, written by guitarist Kirk Hammett.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Template:Sample box end After releasing a musically complex album in ...And Justice for All,[9] Metallica wanted to write simpler songs for their self-titled album,[1] therefore "Enter Sandman" is a departure from their previous works.[10] It is, as Lars Ulrich has stated, a "one-riff song": all sections derive from main riff that Kirk Hammett wrote.[1]

"Enter Sandman" is 5:32 long, slightly above the average song length in the album and moves at 128 beats per minute.[11] The song begins with a clean guitar intro similar to the main riff. The drums come in playing the tom-toms heavily and a guitar plays an E chord with a wah-wah pedal on. Then, distortion guitars come in a buildup intro to the main riff that starts 56 seconds into the song. The main riff utilizes variations of the E/B♭ tritone, often referred to as the "devil's interval" in medieval church music.[12] The song then follows a common structure, with a verse, a pre-chorus, and a chorus being played twice. On the chorus and pre-chorus, the song modulates a whole tone up to F#.[13] After the second chorus, Hammett plays a guitar solo over the song main riff, the pre-chorus and chorus riffs. Hammett uses a wah-wah pedal and a wide range of scales, starting with E minor pentatonic and moving into E's dorian mode, B minor, F# minor and E minor.[13] After the solo, the breakdown starts, where the clean guitar intro and the drums are heard together with an adult teaching a child the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep bedtime prayer. After building again to a chorus, the song starts to fade out while the band plays the same riffs of the buildup intro in reverse order.[11]

Lyrically, the song has been said to be about "nightmares and all that come with them" by Chris True of All Music Guide.[10] Tim Grierson of Blender magazine says the lyrics "juxtapose childhood bedtime rituals and nightmarish imagery".[4] The title is a reference to the sandman, a folklore character that makes children sleep.[14]

"Enter Sandman"'s main riff has been defined as "sinister" by P. J. Howorth in The Wah Wah book,[13] and All Music Guide reviewer Chris True has complimented the breakdown that "brilliantly utilizes that “now I lay me down to sleep” bedtime prayer in such a way to add to the scary movie aspect of the song".[10] Robert Palmer of Rolling Stone magazine says it is "possibly the first metal lullaby" and Andrew Blackie of PopMatters mentioned the song's "sludgy riffs and James Hetfield’s twisted lullaby lyric" while reviewing The Videos 1989-2004.[15][16] For Tim Grierson of Blender magazine, "Enter Sandman" has a "thick bottom end and propulsive riff".[4]

Release and reception

Initially, "Holier Than Thou" was slated to be the opening track and first single from Metallica.[1] In the documentary A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica, Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield are seen discussing the issue with Bob Rock who says that the album has "five or six songs that are going to be classics", not only with the fans but in the radio and that "the first song that should come out is 'Holier Than Thou'".[17] According to Rock, Ulrich was the only band member that felt, even before recording, that "Enter Sandman" was the ideal song to be the first single.[6] Ulrich has said that there was a "big argument" in which he explained his point of view to the rest of the band.[1] "Enter Sandman" eventually became the opening track and first single of the album.

The single was released on 2 August 1991,[18] 11 days before the release of Metallica.[19] The album was a commercial success that debuted at #1 on US charts,[19] and sold over 15 million copies worldwide,[20] leading to "Enter Sandman" becoming "one of the most recognizable songs of all time (…) worldwide", according to All Music Guide reviewer Chris True.[10] The single peaked at #16 on the US Hot 100 chart and at #5 on the UK Singles Chart. On 30 September 1991, it became Metallica's second single to achieve Gold status in the United States, for the shipment of more than 500,000 copies.[21] Apart from the nominations the album in its entirety received, the song was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1992 in the Best Rock Song category.[22] Rolling Stone magazine listed the song in the 399th place on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list and VH1 placed it at 22nd in their list of the "40 Greatest Metal Songs".[23][24] Blender magazine included the song in their "The Greatest Songs Ever!" series of articles and placed it at 65th place in their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[4][25] Q magazine listed it at 81st in their list of "The 100 Songs That Changed The World".[26] The song's riff was elected by Total Guitar magazine readers as the fifth greatest ever.[27]

"Enter Sandman" was acclaimed by critics: Chris True from All Music Guide declares it "one of Metallica’s best moments" and a "burst of stadium level metal that, once away from the buildup intro, never lets up".[10] In the All Music Guide review of Metallica, Steve Huey described it as one of the best songs, with "crushing, stripped-down grooves".[28] For Rolling Stone magazine writer Robert Palmer, it "tell[s] the tale" of the album's "detail and dynamic, (…) song structures and impact of individual tracks".[15] For Sid Smith from BBC, the ("psycho-dramatic") song's "terse motifs served notice that things were changing" with Metallica's new album.[29]

Music video

"Enter Sandman" was the second music video Metallica released, but the first from their self-titled album. Recorded on 3 July 1991 in Los Angeles, it premiered on 30 July 1991, two weeks before the release of the album.[19] The video was the first of six Metallica music videos directed by Wayne Isham.[30] The plot of the music video directly relates to the theme of the song and combines shots of the band playing with images of a child having nightmares and of an old man.[16] The child dreams he is drowning, falling from the top of a building and being chased by a truck, then falling from a mountain while escaping it. During the part of the song in which the child recites a prayer, the child is seen praying while being watched by the old man. The music video won the award for Best Hard Rock Video in the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards and was nominated in the Best Cinematography and Best Editing categories.[22] Andrew Blackie of PopMatters has said the video's "narrative suits the sludgy riffs and James Hetfield’s twisted lullaby lyric".[16]

Appearances and covers

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"Enter Sandman" (played by Apocalyptica)
Sample of "Enter Sandman" from Apocalyptica's 1996 debut album Plays Metallica by Four Cellos. At that time, Apocalyptica consisted of four cellists. All the songs on the album are instrumental covers of Metallica songs arranged and played on cellos.[31]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Template:Sample box end "Enter Sandman" has been played in almost every Metallica live performance since its release. Metallica released live versions of the song in the videos Live Shit: Binge & Purge, Cunning Stunts, and S&M where the band played with the San Francisco Symphony led by maestro Michael Kamen. The song is discussed in the videos A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica and Classic Albums: Metallica - The Black Album and its video is available in The Videos 1989-2004. Metallica has played it live in award ceremonies and benefit concerts, such as the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards,[32] Grammy Awards of 1992,[22] The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert,[33] and Live Earth.[34] BBC apologized to Metallica fans after receiving 413 complaints having cut their set on Live Earth before "Enter Sandman" on its UK terrestrial broadcast.[35][36]

In the tours after the release of Load, Metallica staged an accident at indoor shows while playing the song. A light tower would come crushing down with electrical wires sparking and a crew member would run through the stage on fire, among other stunts.[37][38] The scene can be seen in the live video Cunning Stunts.

"Enter Sandman" has been covered by many artists, including Motörhead, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Richard Cheese, Pat Boone, and Apocalyptica.[39] Motörhead's cover version of the song was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2000 for "Best Metal Performance", but lost to Black Sabbath's "Iron Man".[40] The song has been used as entrance music in sports, including baseball, college football, and wrestling, as it is the entrance music for New York Mets closer Billy Wagner, New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, the Virginia Tech Hokies football team and pro wrestler The Sandman.[41][42][43] It is also a playable song in the video game Rock Band.[44]

It made headlines during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, after it became known that uncooperative prisoners were exposed to the song for extended periods by American interrogators. The intention was to "break a prisoner's resistance (…) playing music that was culturally offensive to them", according to the United States Psychological Operations.[45]

Credits and personnel

Formats and track listing

US single
  1. "Enter Sandman" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett)
  2. "Stone Cold Crazy" (Mercury, May, Taylor, Deacon)
UK 12" single
  1. "Enter Sandman" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett)
  2. "Stone Cold Crazy" (Mercury, May, Taylor, Deacon)
  3. "Holier Than Thou" (Work in Progress) (Hetfield, Ulrich)
  4. "Enter Sandman" (Demo) (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett)
UK single
  1. "Enter Sandman" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett)
  2. "Stone Cold Crazy" (Mercury, May, Taylor, Deacon)
  3. "Enter Sandman" (Demo) (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett)

Chart positions

Chart (1991) Peak
position
Norwegian Singles Chart 1[46]
UK Singles Chart 5[47]
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 10[46]
Swiss Singles Chart 11[46]
Swedish Singles Chart 14[46]
US Hot 100 16[48]
US Mainstream Rock 10[48]
Chart (2006) Peak
position
US Digital Songs 55[48]

Accolades

All information adapted from AcclaimedMusic.net.[49]

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Blender U.S. Standout Tracks from the 500 CDs You Must Own 2003 *
Blender U.S. The Greatest Songs Ever, One Song Added Every Other Month *
Blender U.S. Top 500 Songs of the 80s-00s 2005 #65
The Boston Phoenix U.S. The 90 Best Songs of the 90s 1999 *
Dagens Nyheter Sweden The 48 Best Rock Songs 1998 #32
Eye Weekly Canada Singles of the Year 1991 #3
Kerrang! U.K. 100 Greatest Singles of All Time 2002 #4
Life U.S. 40 Years of Rock & Roll, 5 Songs for Each Year 1952-91 1995 *
Dave Marsh U.S. Postscript (102 Songs) to The Heart of Rock & Soul 1998 *
Melody Maker UK Singles of the Year 1991 #10
Q UK 100 Songs That Changed the World 2003 #81
Q UK The 1001 Best Songs Ever 2003 #55
Q UK The 1010 Songs You Must Own 2004 *
Q UK The Ultimate Music Collection 2005 *
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame U.S. 500 Songs That Shaped Rock *
Rock de Lux Spain Songs of the Year 1991 #50
Rolling Stone U.S. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 2004 #399
Spex Germany Singles of the Year 1991 #31
VH1 U.S. The 100 Greatest Songs from the Past 25 Years 2003 #88
The Village Voice U.S. Singles of the Year 1991 #5

(*) designates unordered lists.

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lars Ulrich (2001). Classic Albums: Metallica - The Black Album (DVD). Eagle Rock Entertainment.
  2. ^ a b James Hetfield (2001). Classic Albums: Metallica - The Black Album (DVD). Eagle Rock Entertainment.
  3. ^ a b James Hetfield (2004). When Metallica Ruled the World Extras - "James On Writing "Enter Sandman" Lyrics" (TV Documentary). VH1. {{cite AV media}}: External link in |title= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d Grierson, Tim (2006). "The Greatest Songs Ever! Enter Sandman". Blender. Retrieved 2007-09-10. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "Metallica - Timeline - 1990". Metallica. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  6. ^ a b c d e Bob Rock (2001). Classic Albums: Metallica - The Black Album (DVD). Eagle Rock Entertainment.
  7. ^ a b c Randy Staub (2001). Classic Albums: Metallica - The Black Album (DVD). Eagle Rock Entertainment.
  8. ^ Jason Newsted (2001). Classic Albums: Metallica - The Black Album (DVD). Eagle Rock Entertainment.
  9. ^ Huey, Steve. "...And Justice for All - Review". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
  10. ^ a b c d e True, Chris. "Enter Sandman Song Review". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  11. ^ a b Metallica - Black (Play it like it is - Guitar Tabulature Book). Cherry Lane Music. 1991. pp. pp. 5–12. ISBN 0895246759. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Rooksby, Rikki (2001). Inside Classic Rock Tracks. Backbeat. pp. p. 132. ISBN 0-87930-654-8. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ a b c Howorth, P. J. (1994). The Wah Wah book. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. pp. 42–45. ISBN 0711952590. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Sandman - definition". MSN Encarta. Retrieved 2007-11-23.
  15. ^ a b Palmer, Robert. "Metallica - Metallica - Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-08-29. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ a b c Blackie, Andrew (2007-01-12). "Metallica - The Videos 1989-2004 - Review". PopMatters. Retrieved 2007-09-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Bob Rock (1992). A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica (DVD). Elektra Entertainment. {{cite AV media}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Enter Sandman: Metallica". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
  19. ^ a b c "Metallica - Timeline - 1991". Metallica. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
  20. ^ "Metallica History Part 2". Metallica. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  21. ^ "RIAA Gold and Platinum Searchable Database". RIAA. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
  22. ^ a b c "Metallica - Timeline - 1992". Metallica. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
  23. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-08-27. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ "40 Greatest Metal Songs". VH1. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  25. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 51-100". Blender. 2005. Retrieved 2007-09-10. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ "The 100 Songs That Changed The World". Q. Retrieved 2007-09-10. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ "Guns N' Roses top rock riff poll". BBC News. 2004-05-02. Retrieved 2007-08-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ Huey, Steve. "Metallica - Review". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
  29. ^ Smith, Sid (2007-06-21). "Metallica, Metallica - Review". BBC. Retrieved 2007-09-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ The Videos 1989-2004 liner notes.
  31. ^ "Plays Metallica by Four Cellos". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
  32. ^ "Video Music Awards - Past VMAs - 1991". MTV. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
  33. ^ "Singles - Live at Wembley". Chapter Inc. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  34. ^ "Metallica's 'Live Earth' Setlist Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 2007-07-07. Retrieved 2007-08-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ "Metallica Fans Complain To BBC About Band's Abbreviated 'Live Earth' Performance". Blabbermouth.net. 2007-07-09. Retrieved 2007-08-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "BBC Apologizes To Metallica Fans". Blabbermouth.net. 2007-07-16. Retrieved 2007-08-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ "Doug Adams, Owner, Pyrotek Special Effects Inc". LiveDesignOnline.com. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
  38. ^ Berlinger, Joe (2005). Metallica: This Monster Lives. Robson Books. p. 28. ISBN 1-86105-880-2. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ "Enter Sandman". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  40. ^ "42nd Annual Grammy Awards nominations". CNN. 2000-02-23. Retrieved 2007-09-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ Feinsand, Mark (2006-04-04). "Notes: Mo puts 'Sandman' debate to rest". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2007-08-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. ^ "WWE Fails To Work Out Deal With Metallica To Have 'Sandman' Music Included On DVD". Blabbermouth.net. 2005-07-09. Retrieved 2007-07-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  43. ^ Himmelsbach, Adam (2007-09-02). "At Virginia Tech, a Step Toward Normalcy". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-09-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  44. ^ "Rock Band video game includes Sandman". Metallica. 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2007-08-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  45. ^ "Sesame Street breaks Iraqi POWs". BBC News. 2003-05-20. Retrieved 2007-08-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  46. ^ a b c d "Enter Sandman Charts information". SwissCharts.com. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
  47. ^ "UK Top 40 Hit Database". EveryHit.com. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
  48. ^ a b c "Metallica - Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
  49. ^ "Enter Sandman". acclaimedmusic.net. Retrieved 2007-08-26.

External links

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