Which song on Metallica’s 1991 album was originally conceived as an instrumental?

“My Friend of Misery” was originally conceived as an instrumental on Metallica’s 1991 album, commonly called The Black Album.

The song grew from an idea by bassist Jason Newsted. An instrumental had appeared on each of Metallica’s previous studio albums, and Newsted initially developed “My Friend of Misery” with that tradition in mind. The track was eventually expanded into a vocal song for the album.

Its final arrangement combines a prominent bass-centered opening with heavy guitar sections and lyrics about isolation, frustration, and a troubled relationship with the world. The completed version appears as the album’s penultimate track.

Listeners sometimes associate the song only with its finished vocal arrangement, so its instrumental origin is easy to overlook. Newsted’s contribution is also notable because Metallica’s main songwriting partnership at the time was generally James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.