Synopsis

In a bleak, snow-covered wilderness, a solitary figure calling himself King Nothing wanders through the landscape, repeatedly discarding one crude crown before finding another. Metallica perform amid the dark forest, bonfires, and falling snow as the king's search for status becomes an endless cycle. By the conclusion, the wasteland is littered with discarded crowns, while countless figures resembling him gather around, suggesting that the pursuit of power and recognition has produced only more empty rulers.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in Salt Lake City, Utah, in December 1996, with the winter setting becoming one of its defining visual features.

• It premiered on television on January 7, 1997.

• "King Nothing" was the fourth single released from Metallica's 1996 album "Load."

• The song was written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett.

• The repeated crown imagery closely reflects the song's central idea: ambition, fame, and material success ultimately leave the seeker with nothing of lasting value.

• The song's closing reference to "Never-Never Land" connects it to "Enter Sandman," which appeared on Metallica's previous album.

• "King Nothing" reached No. 6 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

• The track later appeared in the HBO series "The Sopranos."