Baseball related songs: “Enter Sandman” by Metallica
In Baseball related songs, we pay attention to “Enter Sandman” performed by Metallica. The song itself has nothing to do with baseball but it became an instant classic at Yankee Stadium when Mariano Rivera used it as walkup song.
“Enter Sandman” is a song about a little kid and his fears and nightmares. He/she is afraid of monsters underneath his/her bed and in his/her closet. The title is a reference to the sandman, a character from Western folklore who makes children sleep
The song was written for Metallica’s fifth album, named Metallica. It was called the black album by the fans because the cover of the album was all black.
The single was released on July 30, 1991, two weeks before the release of Metallica. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in the United States and nine other countries, and sold over 22 million copies worldwide, allowing “Enter Sandman” to become one of the most recognizable songs of all time in rock. The reached its highest spot at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. On September 30, 1991, it became Metallica’s second single to achieve gold status in the United States, as it sold more than 500,000 copies. In addition to the nominations received by the album as a whole, the song was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 34th Grammy Awards in 1992, ultimately losing to “The Soul Cages” by Sting. It was also voted Song of the Year in Metal Edge’s 1991 Readers Choice Awards.
As the song sounded more commercial than we were used to, so to counterbalance the sound, James Hetfield, the rhythm guitarist and songwriter of the group, wrote lyrics about “destroy[ing] the perfect family; a huge horrible secret in a family” that included references to crib death.
The song became baseball-related when Mariano Rivera, the Yankees’ closer, chose the song as his walkup song from the bullpen in Yankee Stadium. It is not completely clear if Rivera got the nickname because of the song or that he got it because he put the opponent’s offense to sleep, metaphorically speaking. But Rivera actually didn’t care what was played when he entered the field but was kind of pushed by Michael Luzzi, who worked with the Yankees at the time. That hard rock songs work pretty well as walkup songs, was proven by Trevor Hoffmann, who used Hells Bells, performed by AC/DC, as his walkup song. When the Yankees saw the reaction of Padres fans in the 1998 World Series, they thought they needed a song like that for Rivera too. First they had played “Paradise City” and “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns ‘n Roses but the reception wasn’t all that great. Only when they started to play “Enter Sandman” , the fans in Yankee Stadium went crazy.
The lyrics of “Enter Sandman” are as follows:
Say your prayers little one
Don’t forget, my son
To include everyone
Tuck you in, warm within
Keep you free from sin
‘Till the sandman he comes
Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight
Exit, light
Enter, night
Take my hand
We’re off to never-never land
Something’s wrong, shut the light
Heavy thoughts tonight
And they aren’t of Snow White
Dreams of war, dreams of liars
Dreams of dragon’s fire
And of things that will bite
Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight
Exit, light
Enter, night
Take my hand
We’re off to never-never land
Now I lay me down to sleep
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I die before I wake
If I die before I wake
I pray the lord my soul to take
I pray the lord my soul to take
Hush little baby, don’t say a word
And never mind that noise you heard
It’s just the beasts under your bed
In your closet, in your head
Exit, light
Enter, night
Grain of sand
Exit, light
Enter, night
Take my hand
We’re off to never-never land
Yeah!
We’re off to never-never land
Take my hand
We’re off to never-never land
Take my hand