I Miss The Misery

Album: The Strange Case Of... (2012)
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Songfacts®:

  • For some people, a relationship that is too perfect becomes monotonous. Here, Lzzy Hale longs for the negative aspects of a past union; not the guy himself, but the way he treated her.

    I miss the late nights, don't miss you at all
    I like the kick in the face
    And the things you do to me
    I love the way that it hurts
    I don't miss you, I miss the misery


    The imperfections made it much more exciting.
  • Lzzy Hale wrote "I Miss The Misery" with Scott Stevens and Christine Connolly. Hale's songwriting buddy Stevens has collaborated with her on many Halestorm tracks down the years, including "Apocalyptic," "Amen," and "Back From The Dead."

    Connolly is the ex-wife of Theory of the Deadman frontman Tyler Connolly. She's worked with him on several of the band's songs, including "Bad Girlfriend" and "History Of Violence."
  • Hale, Stevens and Connolly wrote the song during a difficult period for the frontwoman and her Halestorm drummer brother Arejay Hale. While the band was recording in LA, their parents were going through a divorce back home in Pennsylvania.

    "I remember having a conversation with my mom about my dad. They had been together for so long, the basis for their relationship was arguments and fights and disagreements," Lzzy recalled to Metal Hammer. "That turned into, I don't miss you, I actually miss the misery. I thought that was hilarious. I think it was my way of turning something that was negative into something positive."
  • The song also had a personal significance for Lzzy; it was her way of coping with her break from a previous toxic relationship. "A guy cheated on me a couple of times and I swore I'd never go back," she remembered. "There was that pull to go back and I never did, but I remember that feeling. It's almost like you're being a masochist in some way, it's comfortable to live in those feelings."
  • The song begins with a powerful scream from Lzzy: "OOOOOOH! I miss the misery!" highlighting the band's main feature, Lzzy's powerful vocals.

    Starting the song with Lzzy's banshee scream was a spontaneous decision made by the band and producer Howard Benson (Motörhead, Sepultura, My Chemical Romance). Initially, they had intended to begin the song with the riff, but instead they chose to feature my vocals upfront. It turned out to be a great move, as it became her signature style.
  • Halestorm released "I Miss the Misery" as the second single from The Strange Case Of…. It reached #2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and has since become a fan favorite and one of the quartet's most enduring songs.

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