29-05-2025
Metallica's Career-Defining Single Leaps Into A New Peak Position
Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' hits a new peak at No. 3 on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart, more ... More than 30 years after its release from the band's 1991 self-titled album. MADRID, SPAIN - JULY 14: James Hetfield of Metallica performs on stage at Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano on July 14, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Javier Bragado/Redferns)
For more than 30 years, Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' has remained a staple in the hard rock world. The group is one of the most popular and successful acts in the genre, and the single — taken from its self-titled 1991 album — is a standout in one of the most valuable catalogs in rock history.
As the tune nears its thirty-fifth birthday, it not only continues to appear on multiple Billboard charts, but it also climbs to a new peak on one of them.
This week, 'Enter Sandman' bolts from No. 12 to No. 3 on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart, leaping nearly 10 spaces. That No. 3 spot now marks the all-time high for 'Enter Sandman' on Billboard's ranking of the most-streamed hard rock cuts in the U.S.
After an incredible 260 weeks — exactly five years — on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs list, 'Enter Sandman' hits its highest peak yet. It stands as Metallica's longest-running success on the tally, as the track has spent more time on the streaming-only tally than all other charting wins from the band combined.
Just one other single by Metallica has risen to an even loftier position on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart. 'Master of Puppets' reached the summit when it debuted at No. 1 in July 2022. It spent a total of six weeks cumulatively running the show.
Metallica has sent five tunes to the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart – a surprisingly small sum for a band so popular – and three of them have cracked the top 10. In addition to 'Master of Puppets' and 'Enter Sandman,' 'Lux Æterna' debuted and peaked at No. 7 in December 2022.
Only two tracks are keeping Metallica from securing another No. 1 on the tally — and both are by the same act. Sleep Token appears at Nos. 1 and 2 this week with 'Caramel' and 'Emergence,' respectively. Both compositions have already led the Hard Rock Streaming Songs ranking in the past.
As 'Enter Sandman' climbs on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs tally, it dips on two other Billboard charts this frame. The track slides from No. 1 to No. 4 on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales list and falls from No. 3 to No. 14 on the slightly broader Rock Digital Song Sales chart.
