Misery (Soul Asylum song) explained

Misery
Cover:	Misery SA CD Single.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Soul Asylum
Album:	Let Your Dim Light Shine
B-Side:	"Hope" "Fearless Leader" "You'll Live for Now" "Summer of Drugs"
Genre:	Alternative rock^[1]
Length:	4:24
Label:	Columbia
Producer:	Butch Vig, Soul Asylum
Prev Title:	Summer of Drugs
Prev Year:	1994
Next Title:	Just Like Anyone
Next Year:	1995

"Misery" is a song by Minneapolis rock band Soul Asylum, released as the lead single from their seventh studio album, Let Your Dim Light Shine (1995). The track was serviced to US alternative radio in May 1995 and was later issued as a commercial single. "Misery" reached number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and number three in Canada.

Music video

The music video for "Misery", directed by Matt Mahurin, features footage of the band performing onstage intercut with shots of a record plant pressing copies of the "Misery" CD single itself.

Track listings

US 7-inch, CD, and cassette single^{[2] [3] [4]}

1. "Misery"
2. "Hope"

US and Canadian maxi-CD single^[5]

1. "Misery" – 4:24
2. "Hope" – 2:06
3. "Fearless Leader" – 5:28
4. "You'll Live for Now" – 3:12
5. "Summer of Drugs" – 4:06

Australian CD and cassette single^{[6] [7]}

1. "Misery" (edit)
2. "String of Pearls"
3. "Misery"

UK 7-inch and cassette single; European CD single^{[8] [9] [10]}

1. "Misery"
2. "String of Pearls"

UK CD single^[11]

1. "Misery"
2. "String of Pearls"
3. "Hope"
4. "I Did My Best"

European maxi-CD single^[12]

1. "Misery"
2. "String of Pearls"
3. "Caged Rat"
4. "I Did My Best"

Japanese CD single^[13]

1. "Misery" (edit)
2. "Summer of Drugs"
3. "Misery" (live version)

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Misery"!Chart (1995)!Peak
position

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Misery"!Chart (1995)!Position

Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[14]	16
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)^[15]	3
US Billboard Hot 100^[16]	99

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
United States	May 15, 1995	Alternative radio	Columbia	^[17]
	1995
United Kingdom	July 3, 1995			^[18]
Japan	August 19, 1995	CD	Sony	^[19]

See also

• Number one modern rock hits of 1995
• List of RPM Rock/Alternative number-one singles (Canada)

Notes and References

1. News: The 95 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1995. Spin. August 6, 2015 . September 18, 2020. 3.
2. Misery. Soul Asylum. 1995. US 7-inch single vinyl disc. Columbia Records. 38 77959.
3. Misery. Soul Asylum. 1995. US CD single liner notes. Columbia Records. 38K 77959.
4. Misery. Soul Asylum. 1995. US cassette single sleeve. Columbia Records. 38T 77959.
5. Misery. Soul Asylum. 1995. US & Canadian maxi-CD single disc notes. Columbia Records. 44K 77960.
6. Misery. Soul Asylum. 1995. Australian CD single liner notes. Columbia Records. 662060 2.
7. Misery. Soul Asylum. 1995. Australian cassette single sleeve. Columbia Records. 662060 8.
8. Misery. Soul Asylum. 1995. UK 7-inch single sleeve. Columbia Records. 662109 7.
9. Misery. Soul Asylum. 1995. UK cassette single sleeve. Columbia Records. 662109 4.
10. Misery. Soul Asylum. 1995. European CD single liner notes. Columbia Records. COL 661499 1.
11. Misery. Soul Asylum. 1995. UK CD single liner notes. Columbia Records. 662109 2.
12. Misery. Soul Asylum. 1995. European maxi-CD single liner notes. Columbia Records. COL 661499 2.
13. Misery. Soul Asylum. 1995. Japanese CD single liner notes. Sony Music Entertainment Japan. SRCS-7717.
14. RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1995. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. May 7, 2023.
15. RPM Top 50 Alternative Tracks of 1995. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. May 7, 2023.
16. Web site: Billboard Top 100 – 1995 . August 27, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090815124541/http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1995 . August 15, 2009 .
17. New Music for May. Radio & Records. 1092. 70. 28 April 1995.
18. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 31. July 1, 1995.
19. Web site: ミザリー ソウル・アサイラム. Misery Soul Asylum. Oricon. ja. February 25, 2024.