In a new tweet, Machine Gun Kelly addressed the negative feedback on his 2020 cover of Paramore’s ‘Misery Business.’
A user on the platform responded to a question about the worst covers by adding MGK’s version. The singer saw it and replied with a comment:
“You’re so right! Wtf was I thinking having fun jamming and showing appreciation to a band I grew up loving – just awful.”
The user shared a brief video from his performance and wrote in their criticism:
“Monotone delivery, couldn’t hit the notes, flat production, flipped the genders so now lyrics don’t make any sense – just awful.”
MGK Released It With Some Guests
Kelly had been busy during quarantine, covering songs and appearing on shows. In Paramore’s ‘Misery Business,’ he teamed up with Travis Barker, Omer Fedi, and Steve ‘Baze’ Basil for a full cover. They released a live video of them playing the song from their separate locations.
In the video, MGK played a pink guitar with ‘I’m Selling Tickets To My Downfall’ written on it. It was a part of Kelly’s Lockdown Sessions, where he also rocked out to Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit.’
Hayley Williams Is Not A Fan Of The Track
Still, in 2020, Paramore’s Hayley Williams repeated her dislike for the song. She had previously criticized its lyrics, ‘Once a whore, you’re nothing more / I’m sorry, that will never change,’ in a 2015 blog post. The singer stated:
“I haven’t related to it in a very long time. Those word were written when I was 17… admittedly, from a very narrow-minded perspective. It wasn’t really meant to be this big philosophical statement about anything. It was quite literally a page in my diary about a singular moment I experienced as a high schooler. …and that’s the funny part about growing up in a band with any degree of success. People still have my diary. The past and the present. All the good and bad and embarrassing of it!”
In 2018, Hayley announced that Paramore would stop playing ‘Misery Business’ for a long time due to its controversial lyrics. She sang it again in 2022 at Coachella with Billie Eilish and during their Fall 2022 Tour but skipped the controversial line.
You can see Kelly’s tweet below.
you’re so right! wtf was i thinking having fun jamming and showing appreciation to a band i grew up loving – just awful.
— mgk (@machinegunkelly) May 22, 2024