10 Hidden Details You Never Noticed In Metallica Tracks
8. No Kirk Hammett On "Nothing Else Matters"
Outside of "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth", "Nothing Else Matters" is the only Metallica song that can be found on a full studio album without the involvement of long-time shredder Kirk Hammett. Instead, James Hetfield is both rhythm and lead guitarist in the version that ultimately made it onto The Black Album (1991), despite Hammett fulfilling the latter role for the song in every live performance since.
The reason why Hammett doesn't shred out the song on record is actually rather simple. Initially, James Hetfield wrote it (in spite of it being accredited to both him and Lars Ulrich in the album liner notes) as a love letter to his then-girlfriend. The iconic beginning (which consists of plucking the open strings of an E-minor chord) were even first thought of one day by Hetfield as he was on the phone with her, hence their simplicity.
Hetfield initially wanted to keep the song personal and leave it off The Black Album. It wasn't until Ulrich managed to convince him late in the recording process that "Nothing Else Matters" finally made it onto tape. Due to the quick schedule the song had as a result, Hetfield didn't have the time to teach Hammett how to play it in the studio and thus played the entire thing himself.
However, by the time the first tour for The Black Album rolled around, Kirk had mastered the track and the virtuoso due of he and Hetfield were able to realise the song in full form, night in, night out.