"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.[4] The track runs at 72 BPM and is in the key of D major. Vocalist Derek Sanders' range in the song spans from the notes F♯2 – D4.[5]
One of the band's more personal songs, it is one of a few songs that specifically name people.[6] 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."[6] It is about "the emotional journey that a person goes through when they breakup with a loved one."[7] In March 2019, a vinyl edition of "Jamie All Over" was released, with "Miserable at Best" serving as the B-side.[8]
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".[9]Alternative Press called the track a, "piano-driven anthem."[10]
Music video
The music video for "Miserable at Best" was released on January 9, 2009, and was directed by Mark Staubach.[11][9] According to Staubach, he wanted to make a video that is relatable to everyone and to capture the emotions and feelings within the video.[7] 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."[7]
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.