Tanya Groff

English 1201

Professor Adrienne Cassel

12 February, 2022

“Sleep with one eye open gripping your pillow tight” “Exit light, Enter night”.(Metallica)

We will now travel down the road of one’s experience with anxiety and how this can be

manifested into nightmares as exhibited in the following song, Enter Sandman. In the following

the differences and similarities between the song Enter Sandman sung by both bands Metallica

and Weezer as well as the videos to go with Enter Sandman produced by both bands will be

discussed. Metallica released Enter Sandman in 1991. Weezer released Enter Sandman in 2021.

Both bands' versions of the song attempt to tell the audience, if you say your prayers at night,

you will be protected from the Sandman while you sleep and be taken to Neverland. Neverland,

known as the place Peter Pan lives where you never have to grow up, where things are all fun

and games. Both versions of Metallica and Weezer's Enter Sandman song invoke a sense of

emotional distress by showcasing when a person falls asleep their anxiety can manifest through

their dreams turning them into nightmares.

In Metallica’s version of Enter Sandman the setting changes throughout the video. The

video starts with a boy in his bed on a road where the video also ends. He then is shown in his

bed located in his bedroom. He begins to dream, taking him into a different realm. We see part

of his body is in the water towards the beginning of the video, almost as if he is drowning.

Towards the middle to the end of the video the boy is running away from something that is

chasing him down a road though we don't see what this is. It appears the video is implying this
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could be the sandman as he is shown through the video as well. The sandman isn’t depicted as a

nice magical creature as he was first intended to be as taught through historial childhood

literature. He instead is shown as more of an evil character, an old man who looks scary, pale

with many wrinkles. The video ends picturing the sandman with the boy back on his bed located

on the road but now a truck is coming towards him. He ends up running from the truck rolling

down a hill landing back in his bed in his bedroom. The video ends picturing the sandman

seeming like he has conquered this boy’s mind with terrifying thoughts.

Throughout the video, the band is shown playing their song on the stage. The band is fierce

in their movements. The lead singer has a gruff, intense, somewhat scary voice. There is a lot of

movement from the band, especially the lead singer. There is some light but also darkness.

Metallica's version of this song is considered heavy metal rock in roll which was popular in the

80's into the early 90's. It appears in this video, the song is meant to speak to a child or the child

in all of us, since the child appears to be the main character in the video.

In Weezer's version of Enter Sandman, there is no reference to a boy. The video is abstract in

nature taking one through what seems to be a never ending portal, almost as if to be followed.

There are lots of images of fire, skeletons and doorways to possibly different dimensions. At

one point the viewer is taken through a forest where there are hanging ghosts. There is reference

to a Sandman as well, a man's face appears along with a big creepy hand. In the end of the

video, a display of red fragments is shown. We never see the band playing their music. This

rendition of the song is rock & roll but doesn't seem to be as intense as a heavy metal band

entails. The lead singer’s voice isn’t as gruff and scary as the original version. It appears in this

video, the song is meant to speak to all as they fall asleep at night, entering into a dreamlike

state.
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The song begins with the son’s father telling him to say his prayers before going to bed for the

night. “Say your prayers, little one, Don't forget, my son, To include everyone, I tuck you in,

warm within, Keep you free from sin, Till the Sandman he comes” (Metallica) It appears that

this prayer is meant for a protection measure from the evils, the sandman, that can lurk at night

through our dreams or so called nightmares. Towards the middle of the song, it seems this source

of protection has not worked, the sandman appears in both videos. “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.” (Metallica) The boy’s anxiety has taken

over his mind and he is trying to run from it.

Both of the videos produced for this song, Enter Sandman evoke a sense of urgency,

attempting to move away from someone or something which is coming after them. In Metallic’s

version, it is a boy who is running from the nightmare he is experiencing, possibly the sandman.

His mind allows him to move away back to his safe space, his bedroom. The boy could be

pulling from his faith taught by his father seeking protection. “Now I lay me down to sleep, I

pray the lord, my soul to keep, if I die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take.” Towards

the end of the video a truck is shown chasing him, looking as if he eventually runs him over but

then the boy ends up back in his bed in his bedroom. His mind allows him to move away back to

his safe space, his bedroom. In Weezer’s version, it appears throughout the whole video that

someone is running through a maze though we never see a person, just a constant moving

forward motion all the way till the end. At the end we see red speckles, this possibly portraying

one mind trying to recap one’s dream or nightmare, trying to understand and put all the pieces

together to make sense of what is being felt.

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In conclusion, both of these videos portray very similar feelings, bringing about an emotional

response, with pathos being presented to the reader. Both songs have a rock in roll feel though

Meticalla’s version seems to be a bit on the heavy metal side. Both versions of the video

promote a sense of anxiety that then brings on a nightmare type state of mind. In the Metallica

version, the boy could be pulling from his faith taught by his father seeking protection. His mind

allows him to move away back to his safe space, his bedroom. “Now I lay me down to sleep, I

pray the lord, my soul to keep, if I die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take.” We can

relate at one point or another to this song as we have all experienced a nightmare at some point

awaiting to be awoken to a different reality.

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Works Cited:

Hetfield, James, et al. “Enter Sandman.” Vertigo. 1991

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD-E-LDc384

Weezer. “‘Enter Sandman.’” The Metallica Blacklist. 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riLJwQ9PqKM