Michael Kamen wrote the orchestral arrangements for “Nothing Else Matters” on Metallica's The Black Album.
Kamen was an award-winning composer and arranger whose work crossed rock, classical, and film music. For Metallica's studio recording, his arrangement expanded the song's intimate guitar-based writing with orchestral color, helping give the power ballad its broad, dramatic scale.
The song was written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, while Hetfield supplied the lyrics. Kirk Hammett does not play on the studio recording, making the track unusual within Metallica's catalog; Hetfield performs the guitar solo instead. The London Symphony Orchestra also appears in the recording credits.
“Nothing Else Matters” was released as the album's third single in April 1992. It became one of Metallica's best-known songs, reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart and placing in the top ten in several European countries.