An orchestra was added to Metallica's “Nothing Else Matters” on The Black Album.
The orchestral arrangement expanded the song beyond the band's usual heavy-metal instrumentation and helped give it a sweeping, emotionally open sound. Producer Bob Rock pushed for additional instruments during the sessions, including the orchestra heard on “Nothing Else Matters.”
James Hetfield originally wrote the song as a private piece while touring, and its intimate guitar-and-vocal foundation made it unusual within Metallica's catalog. The finished version retained that personal core while adding orchestral color, making it one of the album's most accessible and widely recognized songs.
The track is sometimes described loosely as using “strings,” but the credited musical addition is an orchestra rather than merely a string quartet. The album also includes cellos on “The Unforgiven,” another example of Rock encouraging instrumentation not normally associated with the band's earlier metal sound.