Misery (Maroon 5 song)

Background and writing

The song was written by Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, and Sam Farrar. It addresses the narrator's difficulty as a relationship deteriorates. Levine described it as being about the desperation of wanting someone badly while facing difficulty, a theme he often explores. He noted that writing about relationships serves as therapy.

Critical reception

Bill Lamb from About.com gave the single five out of five stars, calling it "pop perfection" and crediting producer Robert John 'Mutt' Lange. MTV Buzzworthy described it as "pretty classic Maroon 5" with a "buoyant, poppy affair that has a dark underbelly." AOL Radio called it a "falsetto-pleading, yet upbeat, keyboard-popping track" with a chorus similar to "This Love." Rolling Stone reviewers termed it a "funk-rock singalong" that might be hard to distinguish from other Maroon 5 songs.

Music video

The video, directed by Joseph Kahn, was filmed in May 2010. Levine stated it focuses on violence rather than sex, with the female lead assaulting her significant other. It stars Russian model Anne Vyalitsyna, Levine's girlfriend at the time. Band members appear as bystanders who become casualties of the violence.

The video premiered on July 1, 2010, on MTV and VH1. A UK version, released on August 11, 2010, was co-directed by Kahn with Don Tyler handling animation; it censored much of the violence with cartoon graphics and added shots of the band. Levine noted that Kahn's treatment turned the typical sexual energy of a music video "on its ass" by making the woman the domineering one trying to kill him. He mentioned that stuntmen dressed as band members, with one wearing Jesse Carmichael's small Converse and skinny jeans.

Levine performed many stunts himself and felt physically beat up by the end. Robbie Daw from Idolator called Kahn a "visual maestro." MTV Buzzworthy reviewed the video positively, saying Levine and Vyalitsyna make a love-hate relationship look sexy.

Live performances

Maroon 5 first performed "Misery" on July 1, 2010, at the Empire Hotel in New York City for the Vevo Summer Sets concert series. The next day they played it on The Today Show at Rockefeller Plaza. In September 2010, they performed at Scala nightclub in London for BBC Radio 2 in Concert and at Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples for Coca-Cola Live @ MTV. That month they also appeared on Live from Studio Five, Late Show with David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. On November 8, 2010, they played the song at the AT&T Store in The Fillmore, San Francisco for a Windows Phone 7 launch. A Live @ Home performance occurred in December 2010. The song was included in the Palm Trees & Power Lines Tour and the Hands All Over Tour.