James Hetfield's reaction is just fucking priceless.

No matter who you are, or how famous, having Elton John say you’ve written one of the best songs he’s ever heard, it stops you in your tracks.

Seeing James Hetfield tear up made me teared up too. It was a HUGE complement for him, and might be out of his entire life, coming from Sir Elton himself. Even Freddie Mercury would agree if he's alive.

You can FEEL the sheer impact of those words as you watch the emotion written all over James's and Lars's faces

Wow Hetfield’s emotions there, what a moment. Proud Metallica fan here.

And to think that James never wanted the other guys to hear it cause it was to personal for him . We're all glad you shared it with the world . We love ya

If Elton John says your song is one of the best ever, then by damn your song is one of the best ever. When Jame's hand went up to his face, the shocked look of flattery AND humility was priceless.

Seeing Lars show some actual emotional maturity and being able to relate how James is feeling and acknowledging it in the moment and then being able to speak for James (as he was left speechless after such an amazing compliment) , is the real winner here.

James' face says it all. He was holding back tears. To get that kind of compliment from Elton John, one of the most talented and respected musicians ever, it has to be absolutely mind-blowing for him.

Wow... What's going on in that brain of James when Elton says those words was definitely something beyond anything I can comprehend, his reaction is so beautiful

A million people have told Hetfield they love his songs but it’s a world of difference when a musical icon and one of the best song writers says it and you can see that in his reaction. James likely views Elton on another level musically and was stunned by his praise. It doesn’t matter what genre of music you’re into, musicians have a lot of respect for Elton John.

Nothing Else Matters is a masterpiece, an Opus. Yes, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. "Couldn't be much more from the heart."

James almost crying, even now after all his success he's still humble.

Seeing James tear up is like seeing your Dad cry, it just breaks you.

Wow... seeing James Hetfield tear up, and being complimented by the one and only Sir Elton John, makes my heart feel warm! This is seriously one of the best moments ever!

It was really wholesome seeing Hetfield tearing up and so humbled by Elton John, one of the greatest songwriters ever saying something he wrote was one of the greatest songs ever written.

James looks sincerely blown away by Elton's complimentary opinion of his song.

If Elton John says your song is one of the greatest ever written, that is better than any music award you can win. It is just sheer fact, let's face it Elton John knows what a good song is.

james emotion when Elton is giving them compliements is impressive, when Metallica have been considered the "best" or one of the for such a long time, impressive to see him show this type of emotion

Watching James come to the realization that Elton John is blowing him up with compliments is some of the most wholesome shit I have ever seen. He is genuinely taking to heart what Elton has to say about him, the band, and their song-crafting ability.

Kirk deserved some recognition there, let's be honest. Maybe not 40 years exactly, but 38 is a substantial amount of time. Thank you for keeping the band together, Kirk. You're the silent hero

I love how James teared up a bit when Elton called it one of the best songs ever written

James is trying with every fiber of his being to hold it together and not fall to pieces or geek out and it is so wholesome

Lars touching James' shoulder will always be one of the most metal things I've ever seen

Seriously seeing James face when Elton John says those words really blew him away and touched his heart. Such an amazing moment for James and the band.

Love how James reacts when Elton compliments his work, almost like he just saw Steve from Blues Clues checking in after 20 years!

Omg that made me tear up too! Sir Elton John is rock royalty. When he gives a compliment he means it! Well done and deserved.

I saw Elton put on a 3 HR concert about 6 years ago, he's freaking amazing. He's talented with a huge heart.

James actually wiped away a tear. Elton praised metallica and you could see how much it meant to James.

Lars knew James was getting cut up and chimed in on his behalf.. that’s a true friend

Kudos also to Sir Elton John not only for recognizing Metallica for their accomplishments but for his contributions to the music world 🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽

Listening to Elton praise Metallica this way brought tears to my eyes, I really don't know if there is any award a band could ever receive that would be better than those words!

James has been through a personal, battling personal demons, countless hours of rehab etc etc. so for him to be sitting on that chair listening to sir Elton give high praise like that was clearly everything to him!

I love James Hetfield. Such a beautiful artist. His humility is great.

From fanboying to starstruck to speechless after hearing Elton's compliment... James's reaction is gold, and the compliment is more than well deserved!

I love how Elton is just a lover of the art of music and how he lifts up the other masters of the craft. To see James become overwhelmed when Elton complemented him was just wonderful.

James reaction when Elton says “This is one of the best songs ever written” is Priceless!!

James' reaction is everything. Of all accolades, Metallica never gets recognized enough for how beautiful & immacutely written those classic albums are.

This is how musicians should be with each other. Gracious!

Always loved Elton's down to earth character he always swears when explaing something he is passionate about just as most common folk do haha

One of my dreams is meet James, shake his hand and say: Thank you for inspire me to be a better person with your music.

James is such a humble human. His reaction to Elton is priceless. Well earned. Metallica is the reason I started playing music, James in specific, he's the rifflord

Looking at Papa Het being completely blown away by that compliment. Beautiful to see. I saw Metallica a few days ago and during nothing else matters I choked up. It’s the most beautiful song James Hetfield has ever written hands down. Bravo 👏👏👏👏👏👏

James is just shook by that. Its nice to see some humility and gratitude from a person on his level

the way james reacted is everything to me. I love all of these people

When he says "this is one of the best songs ever written" James is speechless.... 👍🏼

Props to Howard, getting this all together for us to witness! Beautiful seeing this recognition, this warmed my heart!

Probably the best compliment in music history. Love you, Elton.

Kirk, being a silent hero, nods when Elton speaks about how difficult it is to keep a band together, all the more for forty years. What a goup of individuals! What a band!

"Kudos to Metallica, they are one of the greatest bands of all time" - Elton John

What a compliment from Elton John, it deeply touch James, thanks to all these greats artists 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Seeing James react to Elton John praising his song is amazing! Tears of joy, shock, and humility.

Bro, James’ face palm of disbelief made my heart explode LOL.

Lars is so sweet to James I love it. They’ve been through so much together they’re closer than family

Metallica as big as they are and as long as they've been around they were utterly shocked to hear that from Elton John. Just see the look of just pure disbelief that James has on his face he just had his mind blown.

Amazing!!!! James' reaction...so pure, so humble, so genuine, so beautiful.

James was clearly speechless and so emotional. Lars grasped it and talked representing James. What a emotional connection. True bromance.

Pretty crazy when a legend tears up when being praised by another legend.

Wow...What a tremendous honor for James Hetfield and Metallica to be complimented by Elton John about the song "Nothing Else Matters!" My favorite song by Metallica!!! I got teary-eyed myself!!!❤️

Even I found “Enter the Sandman” melodic! I’ve seen other rock stars sing this song and they can’t do the same vocals as Hetfield. Great that Howard Stern captured this wonderful moment in music.

James' face says it all. Who doesn't love METALLICA??!! They're an American treasure, an institution. My first head-banging Metallica concert was the Cotton Bowl in 1988; Monsters of Rock. There were about 60,000 of my friends there and it got rowdy. I had headaches for days.

All of us metal heads will always appreciate Elton John’s music. Huge inspiration to a lot of bands

I don’t think I’ve ever seen James Hetfield tear up before, ‘til I saw this clip, the way he places his hand on his forehead hearing Elton John praising their song tells you how much those words meant for him

Wow! Great interview Howard, you captured a very special moment. ♥️

James called Candle In the Wind by Elton one of his favorite songs of all time about ten years ago. So it really means much to him to hear accomplishment from so respectful songwriter.

0:56 Love James' reaction. You can really tell how he feels hearing one of the greatest performers ever say his song is one of the best!

Everything about this is so wholesome. Seeing legends such as Metallica expressing such humility is cool to watch.

You can tell James was genuinely touched by what Elton said

I started listening to Elton John and Metallica before I started to speak. They were my first favourite artists. This is amazing

A mind-blowing moment, especially for James. Look at him…Holding back the tears! God Bless Metallica and God Bless Elton John.

That moved me to tears to hear Elton john say that, and he really meant that, truly from his heart. Wow, one of the top artist ever saying that! Wow blown away! Love metallica! Quality men, quality rock!!

One of my best college memories from 45 years ago was helping set up the stage for Elton John. It was a great micro lessen in the entertainment business. At 6:00 a.m., five tractor trailers sat ready to be unloaded. At 3:00 p.m., I said there is no way we get this done by 8:00. At 8:01, the audience heard Elton's first piano chord. It was really something to witness up close.

So proud of James. After the past few years. Hes here looking healthy as ever. You can see it on his face. Just how much it means to him.

This is why I’m still a Metallica fan!!! I took my son when he was young, into the pit … every Metallica member gave my son something..Lars walked over and gave him his drum stick 🙏🏼 Kudos to Sir Elton and Miley too 🤘🏽

“One of the best songs ever written, to me”… Just watching James’ reaction tells a whole lot!

Being the frontman in the most successful metal band in the world and still tearing up when Elton John compliments you on a song, written 30 years ago. It goes to show how untouched by fame James is nowadays.

That moment when you are complimented by music royalty... Priceless.

Seeing Metallica’s reaction to Elton John ‘s recognition is so touching and says so good about the band.

Can be summed up quite simply. "Real recognizes Real" While Elton might not be in my preferred genre, I grew up listening to him and it's amazing how good he is. And for him to say that about something you wrote and created had to be a crazy feeling!

Wow he brought James to tears! What a compliment by a legend

This has to be one of the most genuine, emotional moments I have ever seen on the Howard Stern show. Look at James' face. This is cool as hell. I can't say anything else. Makes me emotional just to watch it.

A real gentleman. No ego Salute you Elton. & Salute you Metallica.

To see Metallica starstruck is really something. To see James emotional because THE Elton John said he wrote one of the greatest songs of all time is SO great as a long time fan. Metallica has been a major influence on me musically and in life, so to see them getting the recognition they richly deserve, and from one of the legends of popular music no doubt, is a real thrill. LONG LIVE METALLICA!

After Elton complimented his track, James reacts emotionally and almost breaks out in tears of gratitude and appreciation for the encouragement and affirmation. Go James! Words of encouragement are much needed and appreciated by our musicians. And they cost nothing.

What profoundly kind words coming from one of the greatest musicians of our time...so cool.

Way to go, Elton! Kudos to everyone here--Elton, Metallica and Miley! All are great, smart, talented folks!!!

Wow I had goosebumbs while Elton John praised Metallica that much. Even more when you see how much it means to James. ❤️

I read an article a long time ago about James's favorite songs and was shocked that two of them are by Elton John. To have one of your songwriting heroes give your song the ultimate compliment must be a life changing moment.

Love Elton, love Metallica. One of the great things about rock is the immense diversity within the genre, from rockabilly, to soft rock to punk, to thrash metal, I love it all.

Absolutely beautiful. Everything about this clip. Love him. Love them. Love everyone in this clip.

Later that night Kirk : hey Elton, you should add wah effect on those piano

James’ Reaction mean a lot to us.!

Elton John is such a legend; not just a musician, but as a human being overall.

Kudos to the band, especially James, for holding it together as well as they did. What a moment that must have been for them.

Wow, so many deep emotions in this. James reaction to Eltons praise and the way Lars comforts James and connects to his feelings is so great.

Here I am, almost 40, still looking at these guys with teenagers’ eyes. They will always be my heroes. God bless Metallica.

That was one of the coolest moments I've ever witnessed. James' body language was priceless. What a fu@#$%^ HONOR!

I’ve always thought that Nothing Else Matters is one of the most beautiful love songs ever and just a powerful songs about life..

One of the things I hate the most is how one part of a fandom thinks that a band is 'only' about the type of music they are making, and nothing else. The plain fact is, all successful musicians are successful because their musical tastes branch out into other areas. Just listen to any famous artist when asked 'who their inspirations were'... you'll see heavy metal musicians paying tribute to The Beatles, or Joni Mitchell, or The Temptations. Kids buy their albums, and dress like they do without realizing that these bands they idolize, grew up idolizing many different forms of music themselves. It's beautiful to see both sides.... Elton getting fired up about the musicianship of a metal band, and tears coming to the eyes of Metallica at being appreciated by such a legend. Music really is transpositional. You can take a song, and recreate it into a different style or genre quite easily. No song is 'only' a rock song, and no artist is 'only' a metal artist. They are creative people who have a wide spectrum of musical interests.

James’ reaction is just amazing, any Metallica fan that knows where he came from knows that that is probably a huge moment for him (and good for him, he wrote a damn good song 30 years ago and for people to still complement on him for it is a major accomplishment [especially from artists bigger than metallica])