Metallica's “My Friend of Misery” was originally planned as an instrumental before vocals were added.
Jason Newsted wrote the song's main riff, and the track began as an instrumental idea. It continued a pattern from Metallica's earlier albums, each of which had included an instrumental composition.
The finished song appears as track 11 on the standard album and lasts 6 minutes and 49 seconds. James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich share the songwriting credit with Newsted, while Hetfield wrote the lyrics.
The instrumental concept is easy to miss because the released version is a fully developed vocal song. Newsted's role is also notable: although Hetfield and Ulrich wrote most of the band's material during this period, Newsted contributed the central riff and helped shape the track.