James Hetfield wrote the lyrics and sang lead vocals on Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.”
The song appears on Metallica’s 1991 album, commonly called The Black Album. Hetfield developed the music and lyrics from an idea that began while he was on the phone during touring. The song’s personal subject matter and clean, arpeggiated guitar opening made it notably different from many of Metallica’s earlier compositions.
Hetfield is Metallica’s lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, and he shares the band’s songwriting credits with drummer Lars Ulrich. “Nothing Else Matters” is credited to Hetfield and Ulrich, but Hetfield performed the lead vocal and wrote the words. Kirk Hammett was the band’s lead guitarist, while Jason Newsted was the bassist during the album’s release period.
The song became one of Metallica’s best-known recordings and was issued as a single in 1992. Its orchestral associations are sometimes linked to later live and recorded arrangements, but the original Black Album track is a Metallica performance led vocally by Hetfield.