Which Metallica track interpolates the melody of America from West Side Story?

Metallica’s track Don’t Tread on Me interpolates the melody of America from West Side Story.

The connection appears in the song’s introductory passage. America was composed by Leonard Bernstein for the musical West Side Story, whose original Broadway production opened in 1957. Metallica incorporated the recognizable melodic idea into a short opening before the song’s main heavy-metal arrangement.

Don’t Tread on Me is the sixth track on Metallica’s 1991 album. Its title refers to the Gadsden flag motto and reflects the song’s patriotic imagery, while the musical quotation gives the opening a distinct theatrical flavor.

The song is sometimes mistaken for one of the album’s commercial singles because it received rock-radio airplay. It was promoted to radio but did not receive a commercial single release. The five commercial singles were different album tracks.