But she’s neither skinny, nor little, she says of her inspiration for lead single ‘Skinny Little Bitch.’
By James Montgomery

Courtney Love

Photo: MTV News

The greatest thing (or, alternately, the saddest) about Hole‘s “Skinny Little Bitch” — the growling, guttural first single off their Nobody’s Daughter album — is that it could have been written yesterday. Or five years ago. Or, as Courtney Love puts it: “I could’ve written it tomorrow.”

That’s because, over the past few years, there’s been no shortage of skinny celebutantes parading through popular culture, and regretfully, the trend doesn’t show any signs of ebbing. Which is part of the reason Love (together with Hole guitarist Micko Larkin) wrote it in the first place. For better or worse, the subject matter appears to be timeless.

“It just felt zeitgeist. It just felt right,” Love laughed during an interview with MTV News. “There are so many skinny little bitches doing so many bad things. It was like, remember when Paris Hilton used to say ‘That’s hot?’ … It was just the right phrase for the right time.”

Not surprisingly, “Bitch” has already become a staple on modern rock radio, though that probably has as much to do with its sentiment as it does with its snarl &#8212 a buzz-saw wall of guitars, courtesy of Larkin, and Love’s unearthly wailing on the chorus. Quite frankly, though, it comes down to the current single itself. It’s a song that would have sounded equally at home on Hole’s 1999 album Celebrity Skin.

And while, in recent years, Love has feuded with more than her fair share of skinny little things, she maintains that the titular “Bitch” she’s screaming about doesn’t actually exist. Not yet, anyway.

“We haven’t found her yet,” Love said, with a laugh. “A lot of reviews have focused on whether the ‘Skinny Little Bitch’ is me, except I’ve only become skinny [in my 40s]. I only figured out how &#8212 when I’m stressed, instead of overeating, under-eating &#8212 in my 40s. And I’ve never been little. I’m 5’11″; there’s a lot of me. So I’m not really skinny, nor am I little. I might be a bitch though.”

What are your thoughts on the first single from the Hole album? Tell us in the comments!

Related Artists

• Hole
• Courtney Love