Which song opens Metallica's 1991 self-titled album, The Black Album?

Enter Sandman opens Metallica's 1991 self-titled album, commonly known as The Black Album.

Its opening position gives the record an immediate, recognizable start: a clean guitar figure builds into a heavy central riff before the full band enters. The track was also the album's lead single, making it both the first song listeners heard on the record and its main introduction to radio audiences.

The song's subject is childhood fear and nightmares. James Hetfield wrote the lyrics, while the music was credited to Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett. It was the first song written for the album but the last to receive completed lyrics.

The next track is Sad but True, followed by Holier Than Thou. This sequence is sometimes mixed up with the singles list, but Enter Sandman is specifically the album's opening track.