There has always been a strong link between the pioneering MOTÖRHEAD and mighty METALLICA. A unique bond of friendship between the two has stood over the decades, with METALLICA even playing Lemmy's 50th birthday party in 1995. In turn, MOTÖRHEAD have paid homage to some of METALLICA's finest compositions, even winning a Grammy Award for their cover of "Whiplash" in 2004. However, their cover of one of the most iconic hard rock classics of all time, "Enter Sandman", has been largely overlooked until now. Originally recorded for an ECW wrestling compilation in 1998 (which was also nominated for a Grammy),the song has been unavailable outside said CD — until now.
In a new animated video for MOTÖRHEAD's version of "Enter Sandman", take a horrifying nocturnal journey through the nightmares of a child who is haunted by the evil sandman in his dreams, and is ultimately saved by the powers of the inimitable MOTÖRHEAD "Warpig". The clip was produced by Mulberry Creative.
The song, which is being rereleased to celebrate the annual "Motörhead Day" (try singing "The 8th of May" to the tune of Ace Of Spades and you're there), comes from a new digital EP. The new Enter Sandman digital EP also includes Motörhead's 2006 rerecording of R.A.M.O.N.E.S, which first appeared as a bonus track on the Kiss Of Death album, 15 years after the original appeared on the band's ninth album 1916.
The EP is completed by three more covers: a live version of Bob Seger's Rosalie, taken from the upcoming Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival 2007 album, plus a studio recording of the Sex Pistols' God Save The Queen (originally released as a single in 2000) and a live version of Hawkwind's Silver Machine, taken from the 2021 Record Store Day collection The Löst Tapes Vol. 1 (Live In Madrid 1995).
MOTÖRHEAD's "Enter Sandman" is also available on all streaming platforms now, including Dolby Atmos on Apple Music and 360 Spatial Audio on Amazon. There's also an exclusive, limited-edition seven-inch single with etched Warpig B-side with exclusive merch and bundles, available in the official MOTÖRHEAD store while stocks last.
METALLICA paid tribute to MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy on its 2016 album "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", which came out less than a year after the iconic rocker's death. "[It's] a song called 'Murder One', which was the name of [Lemmy's] amplifier, his favorite amp on stage," METALLICA frontman James Hetfield told the 95.5 KLOS radio station. "And I loved being murdered every night by that thing, man. He was just such an icon, such an inspiration to us as a band. There's certainly no way we'd be around if there was no MOTÖRHEAD. And, you know, to see your idol, your immortal one, actually be mortal, it hit us pretty hard. So I felt, lyrically, it makes sense to acknowledge him and how much he's meant in our lives."
MOTÖRHEAD won the "Best Metal Performance" Grammy in 2005 for its cover version of the METALLICA song "Whiplash".At a 1995 gig at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, members of METALLICA celebrated Lemmy's 50th birthday by taking the stage as a wigged tribute band dubbed the LEMMYS.
In a 2011 interview with Metal Insider, Lemmy said: "You can't top METALLICA. They're really a fucking excellent band. I'm delighted that they said that I was one of their influences. Like, they have all of their influences, and you can't hear the influences in them, which is great. They've become their own people, and that's great. I like them a lot. I've spent a lot of time with those boys."