“Nothing Else Matters” is the Metallica song whose studio recording features James Hetfield playing the guitar solo instead of Kirk Hammett.
The song began with Hetfield’s guitar part and became one of the few Metallica recordings in which he performs the solo. Hammett does not play on the studio recording, although he later learned the song and performed it with the band on tour.
“Nothing Else Matters” was released on April 20, 1992, as the third single from The Black Album. Its orchestral arrangement was written by composer Michael Kamen, adding a broad, cinematic dimension to the band’s power ballad.
The song is sometimes assumed to be a typical Hammett-led solo because he is Metallica’s lead guitarist. The studio credits make this track an important exception in the band’s catalog.