In the introduction to the Live at Massey Hall version, Young explains that he originally intended to perform the song on the Johnny Cash Show but his appearance was canceled. By the time he was rescheduled to appear in February 1971, he decided that the song was "too old" and would perform something else instead (he eventually did two other brand new songs, "The Needle and the Damage Done" and "Journey Through the Past").[1][5]
"Bad Fog of Loneliness" has much in common with much of what Young was writing at the time. The riff in the introduction is reminiscent of that of "The Needle and the Damage Done", and the change from 4/4 to 3/4 time in the bridge is similar to what he does in "Words (Between the Lines of Age)".[6]