Miss Murder

"Miss Murder"
Single by AFI
from the album Decemberunderground
Released	April 3, 2006 (Radio) April 24, 2006 (United Kingdom) July 29, 2006 (Australia)
Format	CD
Recorded	2005
Genre	Post-hardcore
Length	3:26
Label	Interscope
Writer(s)	Havok, Puget, Carson, Burgan
Producer	Jerry Finn
AFI singles chronology
"Silver and Cold" (2003) "Miss Murder" (2006) "Love Like Winter" (2006)

"Miss Murder" is a song by American rock band AFI. It was released on April 3, 2006 as the lead single from their seventh studio album Decemberunderground. It was initially scheduled to premiere on LIVE 105 on April 13, 2006, however, it was released early due to overwhelming fan reaction. It was released in the United Kingdom and Australia on April 24 and July 29, 2006. It was written by Davey Havok and produced by Jerry Finn.

Musically, "Miss Murder" is an alternative rock song that has elements of pop music and pop punk, using guitars, drums and synthesizers in its instrumentation. It also has contributing vocals from The Despair Faction, AFI's fansite. The song received favorable from music critics, who complimented its musicianship.^[1][2] It is the band's most commercially successful single to date, reaching number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Alternative Songs chart. Internationally, the song was a moderate success, charting within the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany. It won in the category Best Rock Song at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards.^[3] An accompanying music video was directed by Marc Webb (who has previously directed videos for AFI) and premiered on television shortly after the single's release.

"Miss Murder" is a playable track on the video games Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero On Tour Modern Hits.^[4] It is also downloadable content for the video game Rock Band and the iPhone application Tap Tap Revenge.^[5]

Music video

A music video directed by Marc Webb for the song premiered on television shortly after the track's release.

The music video opens with vocalist Davey Havok finding a note, possibly written by Miss Murder. The note features the three black rabbits symbol featured on the cover of Decemberunderground. Havok appears at his desk singing the song, while the band members are shown performing the song in a large room. Havok then appears on a balcony, rallying a chanting crowd below, and unfolds large posters of the band members themselves. During the bridge of the song, black rabbits surround Havok's desk. After he looks down the balcony, the crowd has disappeared and instead sees Miss Murder staring back at him. He returns to his desk where Miss Murder approaches. She places her hand on his shoulder, then he shuts his eyes, implying his death. The video ends with the black rabbit watching the murder.

An extended version of the music video was released afterward, featuring extra footage at the beginning of the video while the introductory track of Decemberunderground, "Prelude 12/21" is playing. It features Miss Murder writing a note, then consuming the note, which appears in Havok's mouth. The band is shown performing the track as well.

Track listings

UK / AU single

1. "Miss Murder" (Edit) – 3:24
2. "Don't Change" (INXS cover) – 3:16
3. "Silver and Cold" (Live Acoustic) – 4:07
4. "Miss Murder" (Music video)

7" vinyl picture disc

1. "Miss Murder" – 3:20
2. "Don't Change" (INXS cover) – 3:16

10" vinyl picture disc

1. "Miss Murder" – 3:20
2. "Rabbits are Roadkill on Route 37" – 3:51

Official versions

• "Miss Murder" (Album version) - 3:27
• "Miss Murder" (Edit) - 3:18

Charts

Chart (2006)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	24[6]
U.S. Billboard Pop Songs	28[7]
U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs	1[8]
U.S. Billboard Rock Songs	13[9]
UK Singles Chart	44[10]
ARIA Singles	14[11]
German Singles Charts	93[12]

References

1. ^ http://music.ign.com/articles/711/711277p1.html
2. ^ http://www.nme.com/reviews/afi/7950
3. ^ "MTV Video Music Award". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/winners-by-category.jhtml. Retrieved September 23, 2010. 
4. ^ http://hub.guitarhero.com/song/177
5. ^ http://www.rockband.com/songs/missmurder
6. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/song/afi/miss-murder/8041008
7. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/song/afi/miss-murder/8041008
8. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/song/afi/miss-murder/8041008
9. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/song/afi/miss-murder/8041008
10. ^ http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_A.HTM
11. ^ http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=AFI&titel=Miss+Murder&cat=s
12. ^ http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Afi/?type=single

External links

• "Miss Murder" - Short Version on YouTube
• "Miss Murder" - Director's Cut on YouTube

Preceded by "Steady, As She Goes" by The Raconteurs

Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number-one single August 5, 2006

Succeeded by "Animal I Have Become" by Three Days Grace