“Nothing Else Matters” is the Metallica song from The Black Album that features orchestral parts added after Bob Rock suggested an orchestra.
The song began as a more personal piece written by James Hetfield while he was on tour. Its emotional tone and clean guitar opening differed from the band's usual aggressive attack, and Hetfield initially regarded it as too personal for a Metallica release. The band eventually developed it into one of the album's defining tracks.
Producer Bob Rock encouraged the addition of orchestral color, expanding the song's scale without removing its intimate core. The arrangement helped turn the track into a power ballad while preserving its melodic guitar writing and restrained vocal delivery.
“Nothing Else Matters” was released as the album's third commercial single on April 20, 1992. It reached number six in the United Kingdom and Ireland and became one of Metallica's most widely recognized songs. Kirk Hammett does not play on the studio recording, although he appears in the music video and performs the song live with the band.