Which Metallica song on The Black Album is a ballad built around an orchestral arrangement?

“Nothing Else Matters” is the Metallica song on The Black Album built around a ballad structure and orchestral arrangement.

James Hetfield wrote the song while on tour, initially treating it as a private piece rather than a typical Metallica composition. Its lyrics focus on emotional closeness and trust, while its clean guitar opening contrasts with the heavier material surrounding it on the album.

The finished recording includes orchestral parts arranged by Michael Kamen. The added strings give the song a broader, cinematic scale without replacing the band’s guitars, bass, drums, and vocals. This combination helped it reach listeners well beyond Metallica’s traditional metal audience.

“Nothing Else Matters” was released as a single in 1992 and became one of the band’s best-known songs. It is often mislabeled as a purely acoustic track, but the studio recording develops into a full rock ballad with electric instruments and orchestra.