Misery

"Misery" is a song by English rock band Creeper. Written by the group's lead vocalist Will Gould and guitarist and backing vocalist Ian Miles, it was produced by Neil Kennedy and featured on the band's 2016 third extended play (EP) The Stranger. A reworked version of the song was later featured on the band's full-length debut Eternity, in Your Arms and released as a music video, and a third mix of the track was issued as a single with a new video on 9 June 2017. Composition and lyrics Creeper frontman Will Gould has revealed that "Misery" was "a very hard song to write and sing". Crediting American indie rock band The Sidekicks for their song "1940's Fighter Jet" as inspiration, the vocalist explained that he wrote the song with guitarist and backing vocalist Ian Miles by "play[ing] around a load and end[ing] up putting together a song that sounded nothing like the one that sparked the idea". Speaking about the lyrics in particular, Gould noted that "The lyrical content was some of the most upsetting to write for me. After it was complete though, I felt a release, almost a weight lifted". Stereoboard.com's Alec Chillingworth described "Misery" as "an anthem, a singalong arena filler and an ode to its namesake". Promotion and release "Misery" was initially released on the band's third EP The Stranger on 19 February 2016. According to Remfry Dedman of The Independent, the song became "an instant favourite" among fans, with crowds at the band's live shows often singing back the track's refrain of "Misery never goes out of style" in a way that "was beginning to make them feel uncomfortable". Speaking about the phenomenon, Gould commented that "I was really concerned that our tag line was becoming 'misery never goes out of style' ... I felt like that wasn’t the message I wanted to send out and have people take away with them." According to set list aggregation website Setlist.fm, as of 2022, "Misery" is the band's most-performed song at live shows. The song was later reworked and featured on the band's debut full-length studio album Eternity, in Your Arms in March 2017, as "the only track to make it from [the band's] past through to their present". Speaking about their decision to release "Misery" again, Gould explained that it was done in order to extend the life of the song and allow the band to continue playing it live, due to the worry that "the EPs will get lost in time".