My friends, I think I owe it to myself to review a band I personally like. After countless reviews on the trashy
music our culture seems to enjoy so much, it’s time for a break. Enter Paramore. The rock/pop/emo band has the unique ability to be edgy and goth while remaining somewhat sane and…well…popular! For instance, one of their songs, “Ain’t it Fun,” remained on the Billboard Hot 100 for 24 weeks, peaking at the no. 10 position. Their 2007 album, “Riot!” thrust them into the spotlight. Off of that album, one song sticks out. “Misery Business” is a song in which Paramore nailed so many aspects of music making, but dropped the ball on others. Let’s scrutinize it.
The song opens with the melody of the chorus being played on what sounds like an old fashioned record player, then BAM. Zac Farro beats the living daylight out of his drums and you’re left quite rattled for a second. After a guitar intro, Hailey Williams starts singing:
“I'm in the business of misery
Let's take it from the top
She's got a body like an hourglass, it's ticking like a clock
It's a matter of time before we all run out
When I thought he was mine, she caught him by the mouth”
So first off, Williams is starting out with a story. A story about how she almost grasped love with her dream guy and how it was snatched from her by another woman (how terrible!) Honestly though, I’m impressed at the cleverness of these lyrics. Imagine if Williams sang something more like “I’m in the business of misery and I’m so very mad, she took my man and it made me so very very sad! It’s a matter of time before I get him back :(“ Even though I am admittedly biased towards Paramore, I think anyone would agree that at the very least the song starts off well both melodically and lyrically.
“I waited eight long months, she finally set him free
I told him I couldn't lie, he was the only one for me
Two weeks and we had caught on fire
She's got it out for me, but I wear the biggest smile”
Chronological storytelling is honestly quite refreshing. Vague references to “bedtime” and breakups will always take a backseat to a narrative story in my mind. For instance, in my last music review, I listened to Charlie Puth, and the lyrics to his song “Left and Right” go something like this:
“Ever since the d-day y-you went away (no, I don't know how)
How to erase your body from out my brain (what you gon' do now?)
Maybe I should just focus on me instead (but all I think about)
Are the nights we were tangled up in your bed.”
There’s literally no storyline at all! It’s literally the equivalent of a homeless man telling you he’s homeless and not sharing his life story. (That’s rare, hey?) Instead of the stupid “pity me because I don’t get to sleep with my girlfriend anymore” horse crap Puth sings about, Williams actually tells us what happened to her, she makes her story relatable. Her crush’s girlfriend finally broke up with him, “set him free,” and she took her shot. She finally has “vengeance” upon the girl that “stole” her love interest in the first place.
“Whoa, I never meant to brag
But I got him where I want him now
Whoa, it was never my intention to brag
To steal it all away from you now
But God, does it feel so good
'Cause I got him where I want him now
And if you could, then you know you would
'Cause God it just feels so
It just feels so good”
Ignoring, of course, the fact that bragging and stealing and revenge aren’t necessarily the most moral ideas ever, the chorus is…well…okay, but not great. A good melody certainly helps it out, but the lyrics are rather empty and just a tad repetitive. The part of the song that is repeated the most should have a bit more meaning, in my humble opinion. But that is not to say that the chorus of “Misery Business” isn’t miles above the choruses of most pop. I mean...the chorus to “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat is literally
“Can you kiss me more?
We're so young, boy
We ain't got nothin' to lose, oh, oh
It's just principle
Baby, hold me
'Cause I like the way you groove, oh, oh”
Songs could always, always be worse, folks.
“Second chances they don't ever matter, people never change
Once a whore, you're nothing more
I'm sorry, that'll never change
And about forgiveness, we're both supposed to have exchanged
I'm sorry, honey, but I passed it up, now look this way
Well, there's a million other girls who do it just like you
Looking as innocent as possible to get to who
They want and what they want, it's easy if you do it right
Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse”
Williams is now transitioning from story time to name calling. “OMG you’re SUCH a f(reaking) WHORE” sounds a bit immature to my ears, but this song borders on being emo…so what do I expect?
Now, skipping to the bridge, or just before the bridge, rather, we have what is in my opinion the best part of the song. The short, sweet, lower energy breakdown. Williams sings a bit more softly and the guitars quiet down. Then the song ramps up again into the same high energy banger we’ve been hearing all along. Williams sings the bridge, which doesn’t really have much to it.
“Misery Business” is a blend of storytelling, worthless repetitiveness, and name calling. The music itself blends in with the lyrics to produce the sensation of a fists-clenched, nails-on-the-chalkboard type rage. Perfect for angry teenagers.
LOID’S RATING: 4/5.
The storytelling and the music itself do it for me. “Misery Business” is enjoyable for those times when you’re bursting with energy of any kind. It makes you want to headbang and shout along with the lyrics. While certainly not my favorite song from Paramore, I believe it is a fair representation of them overall: A band that has gotten a lot right as well as a lot wrong.
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