“My Friend of Misery” was originally intended to be an instrumental on Metallica's album commonly called The Black Album.
Jason Newsted wrote the song's main riff and initially developed it as an instrumental idea. Earlier Metallica albums had included an instrumental, so the concept also connected with a pattern in the band's catalogue and with Newsted's interest in carrying forward part of Cliff Burton's musical legacy.
The piece eventually received lyrics and became the album's penultimate track. Its finished form combines a prominent bass-led foundation with guitars, drums, and James Hetfield's vocals, rather than appearing as a purely instrumental interlude.
Listeners sometimes confuse the song's origins with “The Struggle Within,” the album closer, because both appear near the end of the track list. The instrumental-origin story belongs specifically to “My Friend of Misery,” whose writing credit includes Hetfield, Ulrich, and Newsted.