Which Metallica song uses a melody from Leonard Bernstein’s “America” in its intro?

“Don’t Tread on Me” uses a melody from Leonard Bernstein’s “America” in its intro.

Bernstein composed “America” for the musical West Side Story. On Metallica’s album, the opening of “Don’t Tread on Me” incorporates that melody before the song moves into its heavy-metal arrangement. The connection is easy to miss because the familiar material appears briefly and is surrounded by a very different musical setting.

The song’s title also connects the album to American imagery. The coiled snake on the cover is derived from the Gadsden flag, whose traditional motto is “Don’t Tread on Me.” The cover’s snake and the song title therefore reinforce one another.

“Don’t Tread on Me” was sent to rock radio after the album’s release but was not issued as a commercial single. That distinguishes it from the five official commercial singles: “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True.”