Which Metallica song includes an intro melody adapted from Leonard Bernstein's “America”?
Answer
Don't Tread on Me
“Don't Tread on Me” includes an intro melody adapted from Leonard Bernstein's “America.”
Bernstein composed “America” for the musical West Side Story. Metallica used an interpolation of that melody at the beginning of “Don't Tread on Me,” creating a brief connection between a celebrated Broadway score and a heavy-metal album.
The song appears on The Black Album but was not issued as a commercial single. It was sent to rock radio promotionally after the album's release, which is why it is sometimes mistakenly counted among the record's five official singles.
The title “Don't Tread on Me” also connects the song to the imagery of the Gadsden flag and its coiled-snake design. That visual idea relates closely to the snake artwork associated with The Black Album.