Which Metallica song shares its title with an Ernest Hemingway novel?

The Metallica song that shares its title with an Ernest Hemingway novel is “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” The song appears on Metallica’s 1984 album Ride the Lightning.

Hemingway’s novel For Whom the Bell Tolls was published in 1940 and is set during the Spanish Civil War. Its title comes from a meditation by the English poet John Donne, whose famous passage argues that no person exists entirely alone. Metallica’s song draws on the novel’s war imagery rather than adapting its full plot.

The track is especially notable for its opening bass passage, written and performed by Cliff Burton. The part is heavily distorted and sounds like a lead instrument, which often causes listeners to mistake it for a guitar. Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield then enter with the song’s massive, deliberate riff.

It is easy to confuse this title with Metallica songs such as “Fade to Black” or “Creeping Death,” but neither refers to a Hemingway work. “For Whom the Bell Tolls” is both a literary title and one of Ride the Lightning’s signature tracks.