Which song on Metallica’s 1991 album began with a main riff written by bassist Jason Newsted?

“My Friend of Misery” began with a main riff written by bassist Jason Newsted.

Newsted originally developed the idea for an instrumental, continuing a pattern in which earlier Metallica albums had included instrumental pieces. The idea was later expanded into a vocal song for Metallica’s 1991 album, with writing credits shared by Newsted, James Hetfield, and Lars Ulrich.

The track is notable because Metallica’s writing process at the time was centered mainly on Hetfield and Ulrich, even though ideas from Kirk Hammett and Newsted also contributed to the album. Newsted’s involvement in this song is therefore an important part of the record’s internal history.

The song appears late in the album’s sequence and has a more atmospheric, reflective character than the opening tracks. Its origin is sometimes confused with “Nothing Else Matters,” which was written by Hetfield and Ulrich and began as a private composition by Hetfield.