King Nothing
| "King Nothing" | |||||||||||||
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| Single by Metallica | |||||||||||||
| from the album Load | |||||||||||||
| B-side | "Ain't My Bitch (live) | ||||||||||||
| Released | January 6, 1997[1] | ||||||||||||
| Format | CD single, Cassette | ||||||||||||
| Recorded | May 1995 - February 1996 at The Plant Studios, in Sausalito, California | ||||||||||||
| Genre | Heavy metal | ||||||||||||
| Length | 5:28 | ||||||||||||
| Label | Elektra | ||||||||||||
| Writer(s) |
James Hetfield Lars Ulrich Kirk Hammett | ||||||||||||
| Producer(s) |
Bob Rock James Hetfield Lars Ulrich | ||||||||||||
| Metallica singles chronology | |||||||||||||
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"King Nothing" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica from their 1996 album Load.
The song King Nothing, written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett, circles around the theme of "be careful what you wish for." The song starts on a bass riff which develops into the main riff of the song. A single of "King Nothing" was released in the United States. It included a live version of the song "Ain't My Bitch", which is also on the album Load. A music video also accompanied the song. The guitars and bass are both tuned to Eb.
At the end of the song, the words "Off to never-never land" can be heard. This is a nod to one of Metallica's most famous songs, "Enter Sandman", which also features these words. The song also features a similar structure.
"King Nothing" was featured as background music in the ninth episode of the second season of The Sopranos, "From Where to Eternity", in a scene in which Tony Soprano is speaking with Paulie Gualtieri in the Bada Bing strip club.
On the U.S. charts, the song reached number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100, while peaking at number six on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Demo
The demo of "King Nothing" was called "Load" (hence the title of the album on which it is featured) and was recorded in Lars Ulrich's home studio 'Dungeon' by James Hetfield and Ulrich on November 30, 1994. The official music video for "King Nothing," directed by Matt Mahurin, was filmed in Park City, UT in December 1996.
Track listing
- Canada & US Single
- "King Nothing" - 5:28
- "Ain't My Bitch (Live)" - 6:00
- US Promo Single
- "King Nothing (Edited Version)" - 4:59
- "King Nothing (Full Version)" - 5:28
References
- ↑ "King Nothing". Release date. Metallica.com. Retrieved June 17, 2013.