The intro to which song on Metallica’s 1991 album interpolates Leonard Bernstein’s “America”?

The intro to “Don’t Tread on Me” on Metallica’s 1991 album interpolates Leonard Bernstein’s “America.”

“America” was composed by Bernstein for the musical West Side Story. Metallica used a recognizable fragment of its melody at the beginning of “Don’t Tread on Me,” creating a musical reference that connects the song to an earlier work of American popular theater.

The song’s title and lyrics also draw on the imagery of the Gadsden flag, whose motto is “Don’t Tread on Me.” That same coiled-snake imagery appears on the Black Album cover, although it is rendered subtly against the dark background.

The reference is easy to miss because the song quickly moves into Metallica’s heavy arrangement. It is also different from a conventional cover version: Metallica did not record the complete Bernstein song. The album’s liner and reference material describe the opening as an interpolation of the melody associated with West Side Story.