“Enter Sandman” became Metallica’s first US Billboard Hot 100 top-20 hit from The Black Album.
The single peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 after being released on July 29, 1991. That result placed Metallica in a much broader pop-market conversation while preserving the heavy guitar sound that defined the band.
The song was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, and Lars Ulrich. Hetfield’s lyrics use the Sandman and bedtime prayer imagery to explore a child’s nightmares, giving the track an unsettling contrast between familiar childhood language and forceful instrumentation.
Other Black Album singles also charted successfully, including “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True.” “Enter Sandman,” however, was the first and highest-profile breakthrough on the US Hot 100, and its success helped drive the album’s extraordinary sales.