| "Enter Sandman" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Metallica | ||||
| from the album Metallica | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | July 29, 1991[1] | |||
| Recorded | June 16, 1991 | |||
| Studio | One on One (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:31 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Composer(s) | ||||
| Lyricist(s) | James Hetfield | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Metallica singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Enter Sandman" on YouTube | ||||
"Enter Sandman" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the opening track and lead single from their self-titled fifth album, released in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist and guitarist Hetfield wrote the lyrics, which deal with the concept of a child's nightmares.
The single reached number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and achieved platinum certification for more than 1,000,000 copies shipped in the United States, spurring sales of over 30 million copies for Metallica and propelling Metallica to worldwide popularity. Acclaimed by critics, the song is featured in all of Metallica's live albums and DVDs released after 1991 and has been played live at award ceremonies and benefit concerts.
- ^ "Enter Sandman". Metallica.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ Divita, Joe (July 8, 2020). "The 12 Best Covers of Metallica's 'Enter Sandman'". Loudwire. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ Bryan Rolli (May 9, 2023). "The Best Metallica Song From Every Decade". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
This era would include plenty of baffling artistic decisions and PR snafus, but there's no denying the primal, hard-rock perfection of the Black Album's lead single.