"Enter Sandman" evolved from a guitar riff that Hammett wrote, after being "inspired" by Soundgarden's 1989 album Louder Than Love. Ulrich's house in Berkeley, California, was used for this purpose. Metallica's songwriting at that time was done mainly by rhythm guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, after they gathered tapes of song ideas and concepts from the other members of the band, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Jason Newsted. "Enter Sandman" was the first song Metallica had written for their 1991 eponymous album. Problems playing this file? See media help. The whole song evolved from an early version of the main riff, written by guitarist Kirk Hammett. In this sample, the main riff of the song can be heard in the beginning followed by the verse and the pre-chorus. Sample of "Enter Sandman" from Metallica's 1991 album Metallica. 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. 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. Vocalist and rhythm guitarist Hetfield wrote the lyrics, which deal with the concept of a child's nightmares.
The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.
It is the opening track and lead single from their self-titled fifth album, released in 1991. " Enter Sandman" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica.