Which Metallica song features Jason Newsted’s main riff originally intended for an instrumental?

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

Newsted had ideas for an instrumental because every previous Metallica studio album had included one. His main riff became the foundation of “My Friend of Misery,” but the finished song received vocals and lyrics instead of remaining an instrumental composition.

The track appears near the end of the standard album sequence, following “Of Wolf and Man” and preceding “The Struggle Within.” Its prominent bass-centered opening is particularly notable because the album gave Newsted a clearer audible role than ...And Justice for All, whose final mix famously placed much less emphasis on bass.

The song’s inclusion also illustrates how songwriting credits and musical ideas were distributed within the band. James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich wrote most of Metallica’s material, but members such as Newsted and Kirk Hammett contributed important riffs and concepts to the 1991 record.