Which Metallica song began with Jason Newsted's main riff intended for an instrumental?

“My Friend of Misery” began with Jason Newsted's main riff, which was originally intended for an instrumental.

The song appears as a later track on Metallica's 1991 album. Newsted brought the central musical idea to the writing process, and the band developed it into a vocal song rather than using it as the instrumental that had first been imagined. Its darker, reflective character gives the album a different mood from the more direct attack of “Enter Sandman” or “Sad but True.”

The track is also significant because Metallica had included an instrumental on each of its previous studio albums. “My Friend of Misery” was initially connected to that tradition, but the finished record did not contain a fully instrumental track. Its lyrics and vocal arrangement made it part of the album's broader thematic and sonic flow.

The song is sometimes mistakenly credited only to James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich because they handled much of Metallica's songwriting. Newsted's riff contribution is specifically documented in the album's background, making this a distinct example of his creative role in the band.