Metallica revealed in an interview with SiriusXM last Wednesday, the 12th, how the iconic riff of " Enter Sandman " came about. The group was on Howard Stern promoting their recently released album 72 Seasons (2023).
When asked about the band's creative process, James Hetfield used the song's riff as an example to explain: “It definitely all starts with the riff. For me, as a vocalist, I try to insert things where the guitar isn't. You simplify the riff, then the vocals have their place to do various things” (via Tenho Mais Discos Que Amigos! ).
Kirk Hammett came up with the idea for the classic song at 3 AM. The guitarist then took the composition to Lars Ulrich , who suggested some adjustments. "Three repetitions and then a tail – then you have a viable riff," said the drummer.
Hetfield added: “Lars doesn’t know how to play guitar, and he arranges things. He’ll say, ‘Hey, can’t you do something in another key?’ And then it’s like, ‘I wouldn’t do that,’ and it will be a challenge. So, there’s a lot of pressure from each other.”
“Fortunately, with this bunch of guys here, when we get into a songwriting situation, we leave our egos out of it,” Ulrich replied. “There’s this freedom because there’s trust, and when there’s trust there’s love. Then we all know that we can give suggestions on each other’s compositions and that it won’t affect the band’s relationship. And that’s great.”
Recently, "Enter Sandman," the opening track from the album of the same name , reached 1 billion streams .
Check out the excerpt from the interview below:
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