“My Friend of Misery” was built from Jason Newsted's main riff and was originally planned as an instrumental on Metallica's The Black Album.
Newsted had supplied the central musical idea, but the band eventually developed it into a vocal song. James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich received songwriting credits alongside Newsted, and the finished track became the album's 11th song.
The planned instrumental idea is significant because every previous Metallica album had included an instrumental track. The Black Album broke that pattern, but “My Friend of Misery” preserved some of the atmospheric and melodic qualities associated with the band's earlier instrumentals.
The song is often discussed as an important showcase for Newsted's contribution to the record. It should not be confused with “The Struggle Within,” the closing track, or “Through the Never,” which also includes Kirk Hammett among its songwriting credits.