Paramore Bring "Misery Business" Out of Retirement After Four Years

"[A]bout five minutes after I got cancelled for saying the word 'whore' in a song, all of TikTok decided that it was okay"

Photo: Stephen McGill

BY Megan LaPierrePublished Oct 3, 2022

My good Manic Panic people, Paramore's new era has begun — and "Misery Business" is included in their live show once again after retiring the hit from their seminal sophomore album RIOT! in 2018. (Side note: did I manifest this with my lede for their sixth LP announcement? I never meant to brag, but...)

Kicking off their North American tour in Bakersfield, CA, last night (October 2), the trio took their Sunday service from the top and brought back the controversial banger, which bandleader Hayley Williams penned when she was 17.

"Four years ago, we said we were gonna retire this song for a little while, and I guess technically we did," the vocalist said during last night's show. "But what we did not know was that just about five minutes after I got cancelled for saying the word 'whore' in a song, all of TikTok decided that it was okay. Make it make sense."

Back in 2018, Williams was accused of being "unfeminist" for the 2007 song's lyrics, which include the line, "Once a whore, you're nothing more / I'm sorry, that'll never change," targeting a former partner's ex-girlfriend. Prior to the decision to remove "Misery Business" from the setlist, it was a beloved part of Paramore's live show when they were known for inviting a fan up onstage to absolutely go off on the song's bombastic bridge — truly a wildest dream come true.

"I'm not gonna preach about it," Williams continued. "I'm just gonna say thank you for being nostalgic about this because this is one of the coolest moments of our show, and it's very nice to feel like there's a reason to bring it back that's positive."

"Misery Business" was the band's breakout single, peaking at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and becoming massively influential. It even garnered Williams and former bandmate Josh Farro a co-writing credit on Olivia Rodrigo's "good 4 u."

Paramore also made the live debut of their comeback single "This Is Why" — the title track to the follow-up to 2017's After Laughter, marking their first new music in five years — which you can watch fan footage of below, as well as the 2022 edition of Miz Biz.


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