Which Metallica band member co-wrote “My Friend of Misery” on The Black Album?

Jason Newsted co-wrote “My Friend of Misery” on Metallica's The Black Album.

Newsted joined Metallica after the death of bassist Cliff Burton and played bass on the 1991 album. He developed the song's main riff, which was initially intended to become an instrumental. The final composition credited Newsted with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.

The track is notable because Newsted received relatively few songwriting credits during his Metallica tenure. His most visible writing contribution on this album was therefore easy to overlook, especially because Hetfield and Ulrich were the band's principal songwriting team.

Another common mix-up is confusing Newsted with Robert Trujillo, who became Metallica's bassist much later, in 2003. Cliff Burton had already died in 1986 and did not play on The Black Album. “My Friend of Misery” closes the record and preserves the instrumental idea through its prominent bass-led opening and atmospheric arrangement.