Hear Paramore’s ‘Misery Business’ Reimagined as a Country Song

Paramore may have started as a scene band, but these days Hayley Williams resides near Nashville, the home of country music. So there's a good chance she might appreciate the recent efforts of YouTuber Alex Melton who has reimagined the song "Misery Business" with a country bend to it.

Setting up in his home studio, Melton alternates between guitars and rolls off the lyrics of the song with a bouncy delivery that glides along a slower yet steady beat with just that perfect amount of country twang.

In 2018, Williams revealed that Paramore had plans to remove "Misery Business" from their sets, revealing that some of the lyrics within the track no longer represents who she is now. "I haven’t related to it in a very long time. those words were written when I was 17… admittedly, from a very narrow-minded perspective," explained the singer, giving her take on the track that broke the band to a wider audience.

That said, the song holds a certain appreciation for Paramore fans over the years and Melton's performance gives it a different perspective as well as a fresh country-tinged arrangement. Plus, he also gave his version the decidedly "Heartland" title of "Missouri Business," having a little fun with the cover in the process.

Melton's version arrived on his YouTube account in early February and he's definitely shown a love of late '90s / early 2000s pop-punk and emo with some of his past and more recent performances, which include a Panic! at the Disco square dance cover and a variety of Blink-182 influenced takes on songs. Check out more of Melton's work here.

Alex Melton, "Missouri Business" (Paramore Country Cover)