Disney has released a new version of “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica — this one created in collaboration with Oscar nominated composer James Newton Howard (The Dark Knight, Michael Clayton, The Sixth Sense).
The reimagined version of the track appears in Jungle Cruise, the new movie based on the Disneyland/Disney World ride of the same name.
Speaking about the collaboration last year, drummer Lars Ulrich explained of how the song has been re-written:
“It’s kind of an interesting morph, because it’s kind of – and I don’t want to give too much of it away – but it’s a very unusual morph in that it’s kind of [composer James Newton Howard’s] arrangement of ‘Nothing Else Matters’ that we’re playing. We wrote the song, but he took the song and rearranged it to fit something specific in the film – and obviously, I’m not going to give any of that away – but we then kind of took on his version of it. I think that’s all that should be said.”
Regarding the origin of the joint effort, Ulrich said:
“It really goes back to [Disney production president] Sean Bailey, who is a lifelong rock fan, and is just all-around one of the greatest, most friendly, generous, warm, and embracing people you’ll find in the music business.
“I think he’s always been a Metallica fan, and we’ve gotten to know each other well. My wife and I are big Disney fans, so there’s a great friendship there, and he’s always looked for the right match where there was a way that Metallica could contribute to some project of theirs. This was the right fit, with Sean leading the calvary, and with James Newton Howard and his track record, and what he’s done.”
You can listen to the new iteration of “Nothing Else Matters” below.
Jungle Cruise is now in theaters and available for streaming via Disney+ Premier Access.
This is the second notable new version of the song released since June, after the cover by Miley Cyrus, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, and producer/guitarist Andrew Watt (Ozzy Osbourne, Post Malone).
“Nothing Else Matters” originally appeared on 1991’s Metallica, a.k.a. ‘The Black Album.’ The band will celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of that release with an expanded edition of the record on September 10.
That will be followed by The Metallica Blacklist — a collection of Black Album covers by other prominent musicians, such as the aforementioned Miley Cyrus cover — on October 1.
Learn more about both releases here.
Metallica’s current live itinerary is as follows:
9/24/21 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life at Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center [tickets]
9/26/21 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life at Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center [tickets]
10/8/21 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock at Discovery Park [tickets]
10/10/21 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock at Discovery Park [tickets]
11/4/21 – Hollywood, FL — Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino [tickets]
11/12/21 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville at the Daytona International Speedway [tickets]
11/14/21 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville at the Daytona International Speedway [tickets]
12/17/21 — San Francisco, CA — Chase Center [fan club only]
12/19/21 — San Francisco, CA — Chase Center [fan club only]
6/15/22 – Copenhell – Copenhagen, Denmark [tickets]
6/17/22 – Firenze Rocks – Florence, Italy [tickets]
6/19/22 – Prague Rocks – Prague, Czech Republic [tickets]
6/22/22 – Rock Werchter – Werchter, Belgium [tickets]
7/1/22 – Mad Cool – Madrid, Spain [tickets]
7/6/22 – NOS Alive – Lisbon, Portugal [tickets]