Skinny Little Bitch
Encyclopedia
"Skinny Little Bitch" is the fourteenth single from alternative rock
group Hole
. It is their first single in ten years and lead single from fourth studio album Nobody's Daughter
. The single also marks the first release by Hole not to feature founding member Eric Erlandson
. The song was premiered on New York
radio station WRXP on March 3, 2010, released to US radio on March 9, 2010 and released digitally on March 16, 2010. During the first week of radio release, the song became the most added on alternative radio and the second most added on active rock in the United States.
as,
on 19 February and 21 February 2010 respectively. On February 24, it was played alongside "Samantha" at the NME Awards
at London's 02 Academy Brixton. The song was heard on an episode of Warehouse 13
.
Talking about the music video, Love stated, "there will be a stunning video for SLB as long as the only model that you will all fall in love w that the band needs does it!." She later revealed the model to be Sasha Pivovarova
, chosen because "shes the only look that can convey what the SLB goes through a lot of self torture."
However, Love has since stated that Mert and Marcus
will direct the music video provided that Mercury
greenlights the project, while also stating again that Sasha Pivovarova will take on the role of the "Skinny Little Bitch."
On 7 April 2010, Hole's official YouTube channel released a multicamera mix of Hole's performance of "Skinny Little Bitch" at the SXSW music festival. The performance is overdubbed with the single version of the song. Less than three weeks later, on 27 April, Hole released "the least expensive Courtney Love video ever", directed by Casey Neistat. It features Love singing "Skinny Little Bitch" while getting a tattoo and is less than two minutes in length.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
group Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
. It is their first single in ten years and lead single from fourth studio album Nobody's Daughter
Nobody's Daughter
Nobody's Daughter is the fourth studio album by alternative rock band Hole, released worldwide on April 27, 2010 through Mercury Records. The album was originally conceived by Hole frontwoman Courtney Love as a solo project titled How Dirty Girls Get Clean, following her poorly-received solo debut...
. The single also marks the first release by Hole not to feature founding member Eric Erlandson
Eric Erlandson
Eric Erlandson is an American musician known as the co-founder, former songwriter and lead guitarist of alternative rock band Hole.-Early life and career:...
. The song was premiered on New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
radio station WRXP on March 3, 2010, released to US radio on March 9, 2010 and released digitally on March 16, 2010. During the first week of radio release, the song became the most added on alternative radio and the second most added on active rock in the United States.
Critical reception
The track was described by NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
as,
"a balls-out, low-down dirty rock song, and as fine a signature tune for the new Hole as you could imagine. Tapping the same lyrical vein as 'Samantha', it's The Stooges fronted by a Joan Jett re-imagined as the Bride Of Frankenstein. And it’s the sound of Courtney having fun."
Track listing and formats
- Digital single
- Skinny Little Bitch - 3:09
- 10" limited edition white vinyl
- Skinny Little Bitch - 3:09
- Codine - 3:57
- European promo CD
- Skinny Little Bitch (clean version) - 3:11
- Skinny Little Bitch (explicit version) - 3:11
Musicians and personnel
- Courtney LoveCourtney LoveCourtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
- vocals - Micko LarkinMicko LarkinMichael Joseph "Micko" Larkin is an English musician of Irish background, most notable as the lead guitarist of the indie rock band Larrikin Love and more recently, Hole.-Early life and career :...
- guitars, additional producer - Shawn Dailey - bass
- Stu FisherStu FisherStuart "Stu" Fisher is an English musician, notable for being the current drummer of alternative rock band Hole. Prior to becoming a member of Hole, Fisher was also the drummer of English psychedelic rock band Ozric Tentacles and also Fingermonster...
- drums - Jack Irons - additional drums
- Michael BeinhornMichael BeinhornMichael Beinhorn is an American musician and record producer.Beinhorn started his professional career as a musician, playing keyboards in Bill Laswell's Material during the 1980s...
- producer - Owen Lewis - assistant producer
- Karl Egsieker - engineer
- Nico Essig - additional engineer
- Tom Syrowski - additional engineer
- John O'Mahoney - mixer
Promotion
"Skinny Little Bitch" was debuted live during Hole's reunion show at London's O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on 17 February 2010. It was also played during two other European dates at Milan's Magazzini Generali, and Amsterdam's ParadisoParadiso (Amsterdam)
Paradiso is an iconic rock music venue and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.-History:It is housed in a converted former church building that dates from the nineteenth century and that was used until 1965 as the meeting hall for a liberal Dutch religious group known as the "Vrije...
on 19 February and 21 February 2010 respectively. On February 24, it was played alongside "Samantha" at the NME Awards
NME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....
at London's 02 Academy Brixton. The song was heard on an episode of Warehouse 13
Warehouse 13
Warehouse 13 is an American fantasy television series that premiered on July 7, 2009 on the Syfy network.Executive-produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins, the dramatic comedy from Universal Media Studios has been described as borrowing much from 1980s television series Friday the 13th: The...
.
Music video
Love has commissioned Michael Mouris to create an animation using the song "Skinny Little Bitch." Examples of his work can be found here.Talking about the music video, Love stated, "there will be a stunning video for SLB as long as the only model that you will all fall in love w that the band needs does it!." She later revealed the model to be Sasha Pivovarova
Sasha Pivovarova
Sasha Pivovarova is a Russian model. She is perhaps best known for her consecutive 6-season run with Prada.-Modeling career:As an art history student at the Russian University for the Humanities, Pivovarova never dreamed of becoming a model until friend and photographer Igor Vishnyakov took photos...
, chosen because "shes the only look that can convey what the SLB goes through a lot of self torture."
However, Love has since stated that Mert and Marcus
Mert and Marcus
Mert and Marcus are Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, fashion photographers. Their work and style is heavily influenced and shaped by the photography of Guy Bourdin and also the use of digital manipulation of which they have pioneered the use...
will direct the music video provided that Mercury
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
greenlights the project, while also stating again that Sasha Pivovarova will take on the role of the "Skinny Little Bitch."
On 7 April 2010, Hole's official YouTube channel released a multicamera mix of Hole's performance of "Skinny Little Bitch" at the SXSW music festival. The performance is overdubbed with the single version of the song. Less than three weeks later, on 27 April, Hole released "the least expensive Courtney Love video ever", directed by Casey Neistat. It features Love singing "Skinny Little Bitch" while getting a tattoo and is less than two minutes in length.
Chart positions
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Alternative Songs | 19 |
| Billboard Rock Songs Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... |
29 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 12 March 2010 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| Belgium | 15 March 2010 | |
| Czech Republic | ||
| Denmark | ||
| Finland | ||
| Italy | ||
| Canada | 16 March 2010 | |
| Greece | ||
| Spain | ||
| Sweden | ||
| United States | ||
| Australia | 19 March 2010 | |
| Switzerland | ||
| New Zealand | 22 March 2010 | |
| Austria | 23 March 2010 | |
| Germany | ||
| Japan | 24 March 2010 | |
| United States | 13 April 2010 | Vinyl Gramophone record A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove... |
| Portugal | 15 April 2010 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| France | 19 April 2010 | |
| United Kingdom | 26 April 2010 | |