Which Metallica album song uses an eight-bar phrase from “America” in its instrumental introduction?
Answer
Don't Tread on Me
“Don’t Tread on Me” uses an eight-bar phrase from “America” in its instrumental introduction.
“America” was composed by Leonard Bernstein for the musical West Side Story. Metallica incorporated the recognizable phrase into the opening of the song on The Black Album, creating an unusual connection between a heavy-metal record and a celebrated Broadway and film musical.
The song’s title refers to the motto on the Gadsden flag, which features a coiled rattlesnake. That same snake imagery appears on The Black Album’s cover, linking the track’s historical symbolism to the record’s visual design. The lyrics also reference ideas associated with the American Revolutionary era.
“Don’t Tread on Me” was released as a promotional single on August 29, 1991, but it was not one of the album’s five commercial singles. It was also not performed live until Metallica’s European tour celebrating the album’s 20th anniversary in 2012, making its later concert appearances a notable part of the song’s history.