On what date was Metallica's “The Unforgiven” released as a Black Album single?

Metallica released “The Unforgiven” as a Black Album single on October 28, 1991. It was the album's second single, following “Enter Sandman.”

The song is notable for reversing the usual power-ballad arrangement. Its verses are heavy and distorted, while the chorus is softer and more melodic. This contrast gave Metallica a different kind of ballad from earlier songs such as “Fade to Black,” “Welcome Home (Sanitarium),” and “One.”

James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and Lars Ulrich are credited as composers, with Hetfield credited as lyricist. Hammett later described his guitar solo as a last-minute performance after earlier ideas failed to work, giving the recorded solo a spontaneous quality.

The song's theme concerns an individual struggling against control and subjugation. It later inspired two sequels: “The Unforgiven II” on Reload and “The Unforgiven III” on Death Magnetic. The original remains one of the album's most recognizable songs.