Jason Newsted wrote the main riff of Metallica’s “My Friend of Misery,” which was initially intended as an instrumental.
The song is one of the clearest examples of Newsted’s creative contribution to The Black Album. Metallica’s writing was mainly driven by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, but ideas from Kirk Hammett and Newsted also shaped individual songs and sections.
“My Friend of Misery” began with Newsted’s riff and was originally planned as an instrumental. The band eventually added vocals and lyrics, turning the idea into the album’s penultimate track before “The Struggle Within.”
The track also has historical significance because every previous Metallica studio album had included an instrumental. By adding vocals to Newsted’s composition, the band broke that established pattern on The Black Album. The song is therefore often discussed both as a bassist’s writing contribution and as a change in the group’s album structure.