Miserable at Best

"Miserable at Best" was written by Jason Lancaster, Derek Sanders, Jeremy Lenzo, Alex Garcia, Jake Bundrick and Brooks Betts, while production was handled by Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount. The "piano-driven" track runs at 72 BPM and is in the key of D major. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, by Alfred Music Publishing, vocalist Derek Sanders' range in the song spans from the notes F♯2 – D4. One of the band's more personal songs, it is one of a few songs that specifically name people. In an interview with Staten Island Advance, Sanders stated, "sometimes I wonder if that's too personal, to actually go and say the name of the person, but I think all in all, I don't regret it, you know, I think it's good that way." In March 2019, a vinyl edition of "Jamie All Over" was released, with "Miserable at Best" serving as the B-side. ==Critical reception==

MTV described the song as, "a gut-wrenching break-up ballad with no punches pulled" and compared the song and music video to Counting Crows's 1996 song, "A Long December". Alternative Press ranked the song at number one on their "10 Best Mayday Parade Songs", writing, "'Mayday Parade Ballads' could be an entire listicle unto itself, and this heartfelt epic is the one that cemented the band's reputation [...] It's Mayday Parade at their swoonworthy best." ==Music video==

The music video for "Miserable at Best" was released on January 9, 2009, and was directed by Mark Staubach. According to Staubach, he wanted to make a video that is relatable to everyone and to capture the emotions and feelings within the video. Sanders also added, "We all agreed we wanted to make a video that expressed our feelings and lyrics visually. The song is pretty heart-wrenching and we wanted to portray that feeling of heartbreak and a loss." Because Lancaster had already departed the band at the time of the video's making, he does not appear in it, with drummer Jake Bundrick lipsyncing over his vocals instead. ==Track listing==

Credits for "Miserable at Best" adapted from album's liner notes. Mayday Parade • Derek Sanders – lead vocals, piano Additional musicians • Jason Lancaster – co-lead vocals Production • Zack Odom – producer • Kenneth Mount – producer • Mark Needham – mixing • Steve Hall – mastering ==Certifications==