The opening of Metallica's album track “Don't Tread on Me” interpolates the melody of “America.”
“America” was composed by Leonard Bernstein for the musical West Side Story. Metallica incorporated that recognizable melody into the song's introduction, creating a musical reference that sits alongside the track's patriotic imagery and title.
The connection is easy to miss because the interpolation appears in the introduction rather than as a full performance of the tune. “Don't Tread on Me” is the album's sixth track and was also issued to rock radio after the album's release, although it did not receive a commercial single release.
The song's title and snake imagery connect to the Gadsden flag, whose motto is “Don't Tread on Me.” The album artwork itself includes a coiled snake derived from that flag.