Nothing Else Matters From Wikipedia

Nothing Else Matters" is a song by heavy metal band Metallica.


The song features on Metallica's 1991 Black Album which sold more than 15 million copies. After being released as a single in 1992, the song reached #11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart as well as top-ten positions on many European charts. It also featured as a playable track on the game Guitar Hero: Metallica. The song has been covered over forty times.

History

Singer and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield wrote this song while on the phone with his girlfriend at the time. 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 were also dedicated to his girlfriend, which talk about being "so close, no matter how far", indicating the bond they shared even when Hetfield was on tour. Initially, the song was not meant to go on the album, and Hetfield had written it for himself, but only after drummer Lars Ulrich heard it was it considered for the record.

The song has now become a staple in Metallica's live performances, and has been dedicated to their fans. When played live nowadays, the last verse is left out, ending the song with a heavily distorted guitar solo by Hetfield. 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 and on S&M.

Composition

Its intro is an E minor arpeggio beginning with the open low E followed by the open G, B and high E strings. It was first rumored, and then confirmed by Hetfield on Classic Albums: The Black Album DVD, that he started composing it while he was on the phone with his girlfriend and only had one free hand.

It is one of the few Metallica songs in which Hetfield, rather than Hammett, plays the guitar solo. Given that Hetfield recorded all rhythm and most harmony tracks on the band's first five albums, it is therefore the only Metallica song that does not feature Hammett's playing (excluding Cliff Burton's bass solo (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth). In response to a question asked by a fan in So What!, the magazine of Metallica's official fan club, Hetfield confirmed that he recorded every guitar track on the song.

Music video

The video premiered on MTV on February 26, 1992. 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 the Black Album. 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 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.

Alternate versions

Nothing Else Matters '99
"Nothing Else Matters '99 (Live)"

Single by Metallica
from the album S&M
B-side "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (S&M version)/"−Human"
Released 2000
Recorded April 21–22, 1999, at Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, California
Genre Rock
Length 6:47
Label Elektra
Writer(s) James Hetfield
Lars Ulrich
Producer Bob Rock
James Hetfield
Lars Ulrich
Michael Kamen

Metallica singles chronology

"Die, Die My Darling"
(1999) "Nothing Else Matters '99"
(2000) "No Leaf Clover"
(2000)

Music sample

Nothing Else Matters

For its appearance on S&M, its orchestration was arranged by Michael Kamen conducting the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. This live version is found on the S&M album. This version 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 January 4, 2000. This version was also played with guitars tuned to Eb.

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

Because of the song's popularity (and ease of play compared to Metallica's other material) it has been covered many times, by both artists within and outside the rock genre. Bands who have covered the song include:

Apocalyptica, a band that plays metal music using primarily 4 cellos (Inquisition Symphony)

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

Vienna Boys' Choir

Scott D. Davis

Iron Horse

Savatage

Joe Lynn Turner for the Metallic Attack: Metallica - The Ultimate Tribute tribute album

Gregorian (a troupe of Gregorian chanters)

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

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, which is the anthem for the Q-dance event Qlimax

Tose Proeski during his concerts

Rev Theory on their acoustic EP Acoustic Live from the Gibson Lounge

Canadian all-female singing group Aliqua on their self-titled album and also released a music video of them performing the song

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 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.

Track listing

UK/France

"Nothing Else Matters" (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich) - 6.30

U.S./UK/Australia/France/Germany/Japan

"Nothing Else Matters" (Hetfield, Ulrich) - 6.30

"Enter Sandman (Live)" (Hammett, Hetfield, Ulrich) - 5.26

"Enter Sandman" was recorded live on September 28, 1991 at Tushino Airfield, Moscow, Russia from the Monsters of Rock performance.

One Australian version included a t-shirt.

UK/Brazil/Germany/Mexico

"Nothing Else Matters" (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich) - 6.30

"Enter Sandman (Live)" (Kirk Hammett, Hetfield, Ulrich) - 5.26

"Harvester of Sorrow (Live)" (Hetfield, Ulrich) - 6.02

"Nothing Else Matters (Demo)" (Hetfield, Ulrich) - 5.52

"Enter Sandman" recorded live on September 28, 1991 at Tushino Air Field, Moscow, Russia

"Harvester of Sorrow" recorded live on September 11, 1991 at the Liebenau, Graz, Austria

Italy

"Nothing Else Matters" (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich) - 6.30

"Non me la danno mai" by Dario Vergassola

Jukebox promo with a song by an Italian artist on the B-side.

Live at Wembley Stadium

This single was named "Nothing Else Matters UK Tour Single" and was Released in Europe in 1992. It contained the three songs Metallica played at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert on April 20, 1992 at Wembley Stadium.

"Enter Sandman" (Hammett, Hetfield, Ulrich)

"Sad But True" (Hetfield, Ulrich)

"Nothing Else Matters" (Hetfield, Ulrich)

It was mixed the next day by Flemming Rasmussen and was one of the first pieces of Metallica Merchandise to feature James' "Scary Guy" logo.

Nothing Else Matters (Live) (Australia/Germany)

"Nothing Else Matters" (Hetfield, Ulrich) - 6.53

"For Whom the Bell Tolls" (Hetfield, Cliff Burton, Ulrich) - 4.53

"−Human" (Hetfield, Ulrich) - 4.19

"Nothing Else Matters (Video)"

All tracks are taken from S&M album

Nothing Else Matters (Live) (Germany)

"Nothing Else Matters" (Hetfield, Ulrich) - 6.53

"−Human" (Hetfield, Ulrich) - 4.19

All tracks are taken from S&M album

Chart performance

Country Position

Australia 8
Austria 6
Denmark 23
Finland 14
France 10
Netherlands 4
Germany (2010) 83
Norway 3
Sweden 12
Switzerland 5
United Kingdom 6
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 34
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 11

From Wikipedia