Which Metallica song supplied the main riff originally written by Jason Newsted for an instrumental idea?

“My Friend of Misery” uses the main riff Jason Newsted originally wrote for an instrumental idea.

Newsted brought the riff to the band during the writing of Metallica, but it was initially intended to become an instrumental. The song therefore represents one of the album’s clearest examples of a musical idea originating with the bassist rather than primarily with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.

The finished track became the penultimate song on the standard album sequence. Its dark, melodic opening and reflective lyrics fit the record’s broader movement away from straight-ahead thrash toward slower and more spacious arrangements.

The song is sometimes overlooked because the album’s biggest singles dominate public discussion. It is also easy to confuse Newsted’s contribution with a full songwriting credit for the entire track. The distinctive original riff came from Newsted, while the completed song involved the band’s wider songwriting process.