After Metallica re-released the album Load (1996) in a deluxe remastered version, James Hetfield (vocalist), Lars Ulrich (drummer) and Kirk Hammett (guitarist) revealed details about the behind-the-scenes production of the album. During an appearance on a special produced by Q Prime and MX2 Media [via Loudwire], the band's frontman said that one of the songs on the album was composed as a direct response to "Enter Sandman," one of the group's biggest hits.
“'King Nothing' was kind of a response to 'Sandman,' actually. And, obviously, at the end of the song, there's that line 'off to never, neverland,' a direct reference,” revealed Hetfield. The vocalist stated that, after noticing the strong connection fans had with “Enter Sandman,” the band decided to make a song following a similar atmosphere:
“I think we were trying to keep up with the fact that 'Sandman' was an incredible song, that people really connected with it. So, it made sense to write a song in that same tempo, in that same mood, with that same feel.”
James Hetfield discusses the influence of Chris Cornell and Soundgarden on Metallica's songwriting.
's compositions Soundgarden, which served as inspiration for Metallica. Furthermore, he highlighted the powerful voice of the late Chris Cornell.
“What we learned from Soundgarden, about a different way of composing, was to play a riff throughout the entire song and let the vocalist ride over it. But for that to work, you need a really good singer (laughs), like Chris [Cornell]. That was something very, very interesting for us. 'King Nothing' makes sense in that context, because it was one of the first songs we did right after the Black Album, and it really is a tribute to 'Sandman'.”
READ ALSO: Dave Mustaine on Metallica: “I wrote many of the songs that made them famous”
