At their Sunday show in Bakersfield, California, the emo-pop band played their breakout track “Misery Business” live for the first time since retiring the song in 2018.
Hayley Williams, the band’s lead singer at the time, declared they would not perform the song again “for a really long time” because of the negative reception they received from fans. Some people thought the song “Misery Business” was misogynistic because of a line that called another woman a “whore.”
Williams continued by saying that the statement was taken directly from a diary entry she had written when she was a teenager.
However, the band felt confident playing the song live again after years of fans defending the song and Williams reiterating her dedication to feminism.
Hayley Williams Responds to the “Misery Business” Scandal
The lead singer responded to the criticism with a Tumblr post in 2015, claiming that the song’s lyrics haven’t affected her much since it was written that year.
She elaborated that the song was not intended to be a “philosophical statement” about anything, therefore she no longer relates to it, and she recognized that it was written from a “really narrow-minded perspective.”
Williams continued by saying she isn’t embarrassed by her open diary as a famous musician since she is grateful for all that has helped her become a contented human being.
The latest show takes place only days after Hayley Williams confirmed her relationship with bandmate Taylor York, ending two years of rumors. The singer, however, declined to elaborate on their relationship.
Some listeners and critics have rethought the song’s message in the years following its first release as “Misery Business.”
Williams has said in different interviews that the song has been called “anti-feminist” despite the fact that the disparaging term is only used once and the song is about two young women competing for the attention of the same boy.
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Why Paramore Has Brought Back “Misery Business.”
Williams announced in 2018 that she will no longer be performing the song live.
The “Misery Business” by Paramore is open for business once more.
In 2018, lead singer Hayley Williams announced she would no longer perform the song live due to backlash over the song’s sexist lyrics; the band recently played the song for the first time since then.
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“Four years ago, we stated we were going to retire this song for a little while,” Williams revealed on Sunday, October 2 during a concert.
But what we didn’t know was that TikTok reversed its policy on the use of the word “whore” in songs within around five minutes of my cancellation for doing so. Add some logic, please.
