Which Metallica song on The Black Album interpolates “America” from West Side Story?
Answer
Don't Tread on Me
Metallica's “Don't Tread on Me” interpolates “America” from the musical West Side Story.
The song's instrumental introduction uses an eight-bar phrase from “America,” which was composed by Leonard Bernstein for West Side Story. The reference is easy to miss because it appears as a brief musical quotation rather than a full cover or featured performance.
“Don't Tread on Me” also connects to the Gadsden flag, whose coiled-snake design appears on The Black Album's cover. The song's title comes from the flag's famous motto and links the track to American Revolutionary imagery.
The track was written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, with Hetfield writing the lyrics. It was issued as a promotional single in 1991 but was not one of the album's five commercial singles.