“My Friend of Misery” was originally intended to be an instrumental before lyrics were added during The Black Album sessions.
Jason Newsted wrote the song's main bass riff and initially conceived it as a possible instrumental. It would have continued a tradition from earlier Metallica albums, each of which included an instrumental piece such as “The Call of Ktulu,” “Orion,” or “To Live Is to Die.”
Producer Bob Rock encouraged the band to add vocals, believing a lyric-based song would connect more strongly with listeners. James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich helped shape the finished composition, and the track became the album's penultimate song.
The song is sometimes described as solely Newsted's composition, but the official writing credits also include Hetfield and Ulrich. Newsted's distinctive contribution was the central bass idea that began the track's development.