James Hetfield played all guitar parts on the original studio recording of “Nothing Else Matters.”
The song is unusual in Metallica's catalog because Kirk Hammett does not appear on its original studio recording. Hetfield played the clean acoustic-style introduction and the other guitar parts heard on the album version. His performance helped give the track its intimate, personal character.
Hammett is still strongly associated with the song because he appears in its music video and plays it with the band in concert. That distinction between the studio recording and live performance is the source of a common misconception.
The recording also includes an orchestral arrangement by Michael Kamen, whose work added strings and increased the song's scale. The combination of Hetfield's guitars, the vocal melody, and the orchestra helped turn the track into a crossover ballad without separating it entirely from Metallica's identity.