Which song from Metallica’s The Black Album was arranged with orchestration by Michael Kamen?

“Nothing Else Matters” from Metallica’s The Black Album features orchestral arrangements by Michael Kamen.

James Hetfield began writing the song while Metallica was on tour, initially treating it as a private piece rather than a song intended for the band. After Lars Ulrich heard it, the group developed it for the album. Its reflective lyrics and arpeggiated guitar opening made it a striking contrast with Metallica’s more aggressive material.

Kamen wrote the orchestral arrangements used on the recording. His work helped expand the song’s emotional scale without changing its core identity as a Metallica ballad. Hetfield played the guitar solo on the studio version, one of the relatively uncommon occasions when he handled that role instead of Kirk Hammett.

The song became the album’s third single in 1992 and has remained one of Metallica’s best-known compositions. Michael Kamen later became closely associated with the band’s orchestral collaboration on the S&M project, but that later concert album should not be confused with his original arrangement work here.