Songoftheday 5/4/18 - So close no matter how far couldn't be much more from the heart, forever trusting who we are...

"Nothing Else Matters" - Metallica
from the album Metallica (1991)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #34 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 3

Today's song of the day comes from speed-metal superstars Metallica, whose self-titled album which broke them through with mainstream radio had already scored two top-40 pop hits in America with "Enter Sandman" and "The Unforgiven". Third single from what would become one of the biggest-selling albums of all time would be another slower number, "Nothing Else Matters". Written by lead singer/guitarist James Hetfield, the song takes the usual theme of relationship on the road and puts in in a darker place sonically...

"Nothing Else Matters" became the third top-40 pop hit in America from Metallica in May of 1992. The song also climbed to #11 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock radio chart. Internationally, the single did much better, reaching the top ten in Ireland (#3), the Netherlands (#4), Spain (#5), Switzerland (#5), Belgium (#5), the UK (#6), Austria (#6), Italy (#7), Australia (#8), Germany (#9), and France (#10).

Two more singles were released from the album, with the more uptempo "Wherever I May Roam" reaching #82 (also #25 rock) on the pop chart followed by "Sad But True" at #98 (#15 on the rock chart). Both of these also overperformed overseas, with the former going to #1 in Finland, #2 in Norway, #10 in France, and #25 in the UK, and the latter hitting #1 in Finland, #5 in Norway, and #20 in the UK.

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Here's the band live in 1993 on the tour behind the album...

In 1999, with the release of their symphonic collaboration S&M, Metallica teamed up with the San Francisco Orchestra, and "Nothing Else Matters" was a highlight. It was released as a single again, and climbed to #1 in Belgium, #2 in Germany, #4 in Switzerland, #5 in the Netherlands, and #6 in Austria...

British singer Lucie Silvas covered the song in 2005 in the same tone as the orchestral take, and ended up hitting the top-40 in the Netherlands (#13) and Germany (#38)...