Jason Newsted originally intended “My Friend of Misery” to showcase bass on Metallica's The Black Album.
Newsted wrote the song's main riff, and the piece began as an instrumental idea. Its origin is important because it was meant to continue a pattern from Metallica's earlier albums: each previous studio album had included an instrumental track.
The finished recording became a vocal song rather than a bass-led instrumental. Even so, the bass-origin story remains part of the track's history and highlights Newsted's musical role within the band.
Listeners sometimes assume that every major Metallica riff came from James Hetfield or Kirk Hammett. Those members supplied many of the band's best-known guitar parts, but Newsted's contribution to “My Friend of Misery” demonstrates that the bassist also brought significant compositional ideas to the Black Album sessions.