Elton John and Metallica might live on opposite ends of the rock ‘n’ roll spectrum by commercial genre standards, but they share a kindred musical spirit. During a 2021 appearance on the Howard Stern Show, the “Rocket Man” singer credited Metallica as writing one of the best songs of all time, an accolade that nearly moved frontman James Hetfield to tears.
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Both rock acts have covered one another’s music to stunning effect, proving that the rock ‘n’ roll realm is much more connected than boxed-in genres might lead a listener to believe.
Elton John Sings Praises Of This Metallica Power Ballad
In addition to their heavy rockers like “Enter Sandman” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” Metallica wrote several power ballads, including “One,” “Fade to Black,” and “Nothing Else Matters.” The band featured the last track on their 1992 eponymous album, and almost three decades later, Miley Cyrus collaborated with the band to create a new version of the song for the Metallica tribute album Blacklist. For the 2021 remake, Elton John joined, too. This led to a joint appearance by John, Metallica, and Cyrus on the Howard Stern Show, where John sang the praises of “Nothing Else Matters.”
“This is one of the best songs ever written to me,” John said. “It’s a song that never gets old, and playing on this track, I just couldn’t wait. The chord structure, the melodies, the time changes, it’s got drama written all over it. I thought it was a great idea to start with piano, I have to say. It was a no-brainer playing on this song. Metallica are probably, you know, the crème de la crème of those kinds of bands. You can’t really define them. Their songs aren’t just heavy metal. They’re beautiful songs. This is such a melodic song.”
“It’s f***ing great, actually,” he continued. John said that singing the song a cappella without Metallica’s signature guitars reveals a beautiful melody that’s almost like the folk classic “Greensleeves.” “When you’ve got a beautiful melody to play with, all the rest going on, it’s a juxtaposition of musical instruments. I found it really easy. It’s like a classical piece of music.”
Reactions To The Song Continue To Surprise The Band
When James Hetfield first wrote “Nothing Else Matters,” he wasn’t sure if he should show it to the band. He was afraid it was too sappy, too off-base from what Metallica songs were usually about. “These are songs about destroying things, head-banging, bleeding for the crowd,” Hetfield told Mojo in 2008 (via Louder Sound). “Whatever it is, as long as it wasn’t about chicks and fast cars, even though that’s what we liked. The song was about a girlfriend at the time. It turned out to be a pretty big song.” And indeed it was. Metallica’s power ballad peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts and at No. 6 on the U.K. Singles chart. It’s still one of their best-known and most popular songs.
Even so, people’s reactions to the song still catch the band off guard. When Elton John called “Nothing Else Matters” one of the “best songs ever written,” the Metallica vocalist and songwriter put his palm to his face, seemingly in disbelief that an artist of John’s magnitude would have such kind words to say about their music. Drummer Lars Ulrich confirmed as much, saying on the Howard Stern Show that if someone had told the band 40 years ago that they would be sitting next to Miley Cyrus, receiving compliments from Elton John, on Howard Stern’s radio show, “that would be the mind f***s of all mind f***s.”
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