Synopsis

Soul Asylum perform "Misery" on a dark, strobe-lit stage while a parallel industrial process unfolds inside a compact disc plant. Workers prepare, package, and move copies of the "Misery" single along the production line, turning the song's imagery of factories and manufactured unhappiness into a literal visual concept. The performance footage and factory images are intercut throughout, giving the video a stark, mechanical feel that matches the track's restless alternative-rock energy.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was released in 1995 to promote "Misery," the lead single from Soul Asylum's album *Let Your Dim Light Shine*.

• Its central visual idea is unusually self-referential: the factory footage shows the manufacture of the "Misery" CD single itself.

• The video's industrial imagery echoes the song's repeated references to building a factory, making misery, and producing a cure for a disease the company created.

• "Misery" became one of Soul Asylum's major post-"Runaway Train" successes, reaching No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

• The performance lineup visible in the video includes drummer Sterling Campbell and keyboard player Joey Huffman, who were part of the band's touring and recording setup during this period.