Michael Kamen supplied the orchestral arrangement for “Nothing Else Matters” on Metallica’s 1991 album, commonly called The Black Album. The song is a ballad written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.
Kamen’s arrangement expanded the song beyond its guitar-based foundation by adding orchestral color. The London Symphony Orchestra performed the orchestral parts, while Kamen is credited with arranging them. Randy Staub also contributed tambourine to the recording.
A common mix-up is to credit Kirk Hammett as a player on the studio recording because he is Metallica’s lead guitarist and appears in the music video. Hammett does not play on the album recording of “Nothing Else Matters,” although he later performed the song live with the band. The track became one of Metallica’s most recognizable songs and a major international single.