Song · Soul Asylum
“Misery” by Soul Asylum
From the album Let Your Dim Light Shine (1995)
“Misery” by Soul Asylum appears on 17 radio countdowns from 11 stations between 1995 and 2023. It was first released in 1995 on the album Let Your Dim Light Shine. Its best result is #30 on the Radio & Records Top 95 Songs of 1995. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #62 alternative song of 1995 and #2,916 alternative song of all time.
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"Misery" led the way for Let Your Dim Light Shine, the seventh album by Minneapolis band Soul Asylum, going to American alternative radio in May 1995 as its lead single. Dave Pirner wrote it and sings it with Dan Murphy, and he's busy all over the track: guitar next to Murphy, organ alongside Joey Huffman, even trumpet. Karl Mueller's bass and Sterling Campbell's drums hold it to a rolling, midtempo trudge, and Butch Vig co-produced with the band, with Andy Wallace mixing, so it comes out big and glossy with the ache intact.
It went all the way to number one on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. Matt Mahurin's video cuts between the band onstage and a pressing plant churning out copies of the "Misery" CD single itself.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 85 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1995 | 107 |
| 1995 | 50 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1995 | 91 |
| 1995 | 61 | Q101 Chicago, IL | Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1995 | 101 |
| 1995 | 60 | WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD | WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1995 | 100 |
| 1995 | 60 | 103.1 The Buzz West Palm Beach, FL | The Buzz Top 103 Alternative Songs of '95 | 103 |
| 1995 | 30 | Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) | Radio & Records Top 95 Songs of 1995 | 95 |
| 1995 | 79 | WDRE Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA | WDRE Top 103.9 Songs of 1995 | 104 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1363 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 1363 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 1365 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2002 | 1364 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2002 | 1716 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 1350 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2004 | 1350 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 1350 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
| 2021 | 612 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s | 908 |
| 2023 | 340 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s | 893 |
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