Misery Business was temporarily retired after frontwoman Hayley Williams faced backlash for lyrics many considered anti-feminist. However, Paramore brought it back into their live shows on Sunday by inviting one of their fans up onstage to sing the bridge with them.
This song’s tempo is 172 beats per minute; use our online Metronome to practice with this tempo.
Tempo
Misery Business by Paramore features a tempo of 173 beats per minute, making the song energetic and easy to dance to. Released on June 11, 2007, as track number four from their album Riot!, Misery Business does not contain explicit language that may not be appropriate for children to listen to.
Misery Business by Paramore is a viral song, and many fans have created remixes combining it with other tracks – one video overlays “Good 4 U” over Misery Business due to their similar chord progressions and diatonic melodies.
In 2018, the band received severe backlash due to an unfeminist lyric in their song. Hayley Williams announced that the song would be retired from live performances; however, in 2022, after some changes had been made in terms of lyrics,; during their show on Sunday, they invited one lucky fan onto stage with them and sang the bridge together – it was a genuinely heartwarming performance that revived one of their much-loved concert traditions!
Key
Misery Business by Paramore was released as track #4 from their 2007 album Riot! It is an energetic dance track without any offensive language or references.
This song is in F Major. Its modulation keys are Cm, A#m, and G#m; it can also be played using 10m, 8m, or 9d keys.
Paramore is known for staging their shows with an important signature feature – they will often pretend to leave and then come back out just long enough to play Misery Business as their final song, becoming part of their performance routine and giving their live shows their unique flair.
Lyrics
Misery Business was Paramore’s debut charting hit and is considered an iconic emo song. The empowering lyrics and female empowerment features of this emo tune have also had an immense effect on contemporary artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, who credits both Williams and Paramore ex-guitarist Josh Farro as sources for her hit single Good 4 U.
Paramore retired “Wishful Thinking” from their live setlist after receiving criticism that its lyrics were unfeminist. This weekend, however, Paramore brought back this beloved tune, reviving an old tradition whereby Williams would invite someone from the audience onstage with her to perform its bridge together.
Lyrically, both songs explore two distinct issues in love–Misery Business is about taking a lover from someone else, while Good 4 U is about grieving an ex. Yet regardless of these distinct topics, both songs feature upbeat and energetic tunes with catchy melodies and an emo sound that echoes through.
Learn to play this song on your guitar or ukulele using Yousician’s intuitive online learning platform, where you can connect to an expert teacher to masterpieces and riffs with precision and confidence. Its advanced technology listens in on what you play and provides instantaneous feedback on the accuracy and timing of performance.
Guitar Chords
Misery Business was released by Paramore in 2007 and quickly made them a mainstream hit. Its lyrics explore an intense love triangle, making it a staple concert practice – and Hayley Williams would often grab an audience member to join her while singing along to its rapid-fire lyrics and chorus onstage! Misery Business also inspired contemporary pop artists such as Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo.
After receiving criticism over its lyrics, viewed as unfeminist, Williams decided to retire in 2018. However, she brought it back this past weekend in Bakersfield, California – to great fanfare from fans in attendance who cheered wildly when Williams began performing it live! You can watch a clip of this performance in action below.
Misery Business is an easy song to learn on guitar. Know its chords and strumming pattern; eventually, you will become an expert! Listening to the original track frequently will help you master it faster and make concerts less daunting; don’t give up if your first attempts don’t turn out perfectly; with practice comes eventual mastery of any song!
