Feel the Pain

Written by Dinosaur Jr. frontman J Mascis, "Feel the Pain" was recorded for the band's 1994 album Without a Sound. The track originated from a riff that Mascis had written while on tour; he recalled the song's creation in an interview, saying:

{{quote|I had a riff for it. It might have been on that Jesus and Mary Chain tour, on the tour bus or van; I don't think we had a bus. I think it was in England. I was singing, "I feel the pain of everyone," when I was playing the riff. Then a friend, John Brattin, who was with me, said, "and then I feel nothing." And he let me keep the line.{{cite web |last=Grow |first=Kory |title=J Mascis on the Nineties, Nirvana, and Dinosaur Jr.'s Forgotten Masterpiece |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/j-mascis-interview-dinosaur-jr-reissues-886036/ |publisher=Rolling Stone |accessdate=10 October 2019}}}}

When interviewed by Billboard, Dinosaur Jr. producer and mixer John Agnello explained that he attempted to achieve a "dry" sound on "Feel the Pain," saying, "That song is bone dry, except for a little plate reverb on the vocals. Because it is so dry, it jumps out more. I think you reap the benefits of sounding good on music television when you do that."{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wAsEAAAAMBAJ|title=Billboard|last= |first= |date=26 August 1995|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.}} The song opens with the sound of a cork being popped.

In addition to its release on Without a Sound, "Feel the Pain" was released as a single in 1994. The B-side was Without a Sound album track "Get Out of This." The song was a moderate hit for the band, reaching number 25 in the UK and number 4 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks.{{cite web |title=Dinosaur Jr. |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/25434/dinosaur-jr/ |publisher=Official Charts |accessdate=10 October 2019}}

"Feel the Pain" was accompanied by a music video that saw success on music television upon its release. The video, directed by Spike Jonze, featured Mascis and bassist Mike Johnson playing golf in the streets of New York City.{{cite web |last=Costa |first=Emily |title=Emily Recommends: "Feel the Pain" by Dinosaur Jr. |url=https://medium.com/memoir-mixtapes/emily-recommends-feel-the-pain-by-dinosaur-jr-317fb1d806f5 |publisher=Medium |accessdate=10 October 2019}}{{cite web |last=Duffy |first=Mike |title=Learn How to Play 'Feel the Pain' by Dinosaur Jr. |url=https://www.fender.com/articles/how-to/learn-how-to-play-feel-the-pain-by-dinosaur-jr |publisher=Fender |accessdate=10 October 2019}} Mascis later claimed the video was intended to be more violent but had been edited to be more MTV-friendly. J Mascis attributed the song's success to the song's video, explaining, "Right around when 'Feel the Pain' came out, it was on MTV, which was still happening then. If you had a video on, suddenly you were way bigger than you had been. So yeah, you could definitely tell. It was cool at the time. We weren't huge but we'd gotten a bit bigger."

"Feel the Pain" has since seen positive reception from music critics. Matt Diehl of Rolling Stone wrote that the song "demonstrates how Dinosaur Jr at their best can make three chords played at deafening volume sound as stirring as Leonard Cohen."{{cite web |last=Diehl |first=Matt |title=Without a Sound |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/without-a-sound-184979/ |publisher=Rolling Stone |accessdate=10 October 2019}} Despite criticizing Without a Sound as a whole, "Feel the Pain" was one of the two songs (the other being "I Don't Think So") that music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt was a success.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/without-a-sound-mw0000626034|title=Without a Sound - Dinosaur Jr. {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|website=AllMusic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404102627/https://www.allmusic.com/album/without-a-sound-mw0000626034|archive-date=4 April 2019|access-date=28 November 2018}} Emily Costa of Medium called it a "a song I'd always loved" and praised the song's "insane guitar performance," while Mike Duffy of Fender called the song "an indie-pop dream" and "one of the era's essential anthems." Nick Soulsby of PopMatters wrote that the song "pulls the classic Mascis trick of effervescent guitar work that lures the listener in with promise of fun, only to be greeted with lyrics overwhelmed by regret and uncertainty."{{cite web |last=Soulsby |first=Nick |title=Dinosaur Jr.'s 'Without a Sound Deserves' - and Gets - a Fresh Listen with Cherry Red's Reissue |url=https://www.popmatters.com/dinosaur-jr-without-a-sound-2640575317.html |publisher=PopMatters |accessdate=10 October 2019}} Timothy and Elizabeth Bracy of Stereogum called the song "infectious."{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1113172/dinosaur-jr-albums-from-worst-to-best/franchises/counting-down/attachment/without-a-sound-a/|title=Dinosaur Jr. Albums From Worst To Best|last=Bracy|first=Timothy|last2=Bracy|first2=Elizabeth|date=3 August 2012|publisher=Stereogum|accessdate=10 October 2019}}

The song is featured in the films Houseguest and Young Adult. The song is a playable track in Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour as well as a downloadable track for Rocksmith 2014. The video was later featured on Beavis and Butt-Head.{{cite web |title=#TBT Beavis and Butt-Head watch the video for "Feel The Pain," released in 1994 and directed by Spike Jonze. |url=https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurJr/posts/tbt-beavis-and-butt-head-watch-the-video-for-feel-the-pain-released-in-1994-and-/10155359562955702/ |website=Facebook |publisher=Dinosaur Jr. |accessdate=13 October 2019}} The song was also featured in the second episode of Dexter: New Blood, "Storm of Fuck."

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Category:1994 singles

Category:Dinosaur Jr. songs

Category:Songs written by J Mascis

Category:1994 songs

Category:Sire Records singles

Category:Blanco y Negro Records singles

Category:Music videos directed by Spike Jonze