"Bitch", also known as "Bitch (Nothing in Between)", is a song by American singer-songwriter

Meredith Brooks Meredith Ann Brooks (born June 12, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A member of the Oregon music scene, she received international acclaim with her solo album '' Blurring the Edges'' (1997) and its single, "Bitch", which r ...

and co-written with

Shelly Peiken Shelly Meg Peiken is an American songwriter who is best known for co-writing the US No. 1 hits " What a Girl Wants" and " Come On Over Baby" by Christina Aguilera the US No. 2 hit " Bitch" by Meredith Brooks, " Almost Doesn't Count" by Brandy, ...

. It was released in March 1997 by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

as the lead single from Brooks' second album, ''

Blurring the Edges ''Blurring the Edges'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Meredith Brooks. It was released on May 6, 1997, by Capitol Records. Following the release of her self-titled debut studio album (1986) and her departure from the sho ...

'' (1997). The song was produced by punk notable

Geza X Geza Gedeon (born September 28, 1952), professionally known as Geza X, is an American producer. He was a personality in the Los Angeles punk scene in the late 1970s. He is now a producer. Early life and career Gedeon was born in Indiana and mov ...

. In the United States, the song steadily rose on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, eventually peaking at number two for four weeks. The song also peaked at number two in Australia and Canada and reached number six in the United Kingdom. In

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

, at the

APRA Music Awards of 1998 The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 1998 (generally known as APRA Awards (Australia), APRA Awards) are a series of awards held in May 1998. The APRA Music Awards were presented by Australasian Performing Right Association (AP ...

, it won the award for Most Performed Foreign Work. The song ranked at number 79 on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s", and was nominated for

Best Female Rock Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for works (songs or albums) conta ...

and

Best Rock Song The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre. Honors in several ...

at the

40th Annual Grammy Awards The 40th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1998, at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Performers * Will Smith – Men In Black/ Gettin' Jiggy Wit It * R. K ...

Writing and inspiration

"Bitch" was written by Brooks and

. The song originated from feelings of frustration that Peiken felt in regards to her stalling music career. These feelings of frustration inspired the song's opening lyrics—"I hate the world today"—which resulted in Peiken conceptualizing a song titled "Bitch". Peiken reached out to Brooks to collaborate on the song, commenting: " rookshad a lot of spunk, and I knew she could relate to this idea." Brooks claimed that she was additionally inspired to write the song after reading the writings of

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of Carl Jung publications, over 20 books, illustrator, and corr ...

. The song was written in a single day in a spare bedroom of Peiken's home in

Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles Laurel Canyon is a mountainous neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills region of the Santa Monica Mountains, within the Hollywood Hills West, Los Angeles, Hollywood Hills West district of Los Angeles, California. The main thoroughfare of Laurel C ...

. In an interview with ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', Brooks described the song as being about self-acceptance, referring to the word "

bitch Bitch may refer to: * Bitch (slang), a vulgar derogatory term used primarily referring to women, but is often directed towards men as well * A female dog or other canine Bitch or bitches may also refer to: Arts and media Film and television ...

" as a

term of endearment A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address or describe a person, animal or inanimate object for which the speaker feels love or affection. Terms of endearment are used for a variety of reasons, such as parents addressing their ch ...

. Brooks intended to reclaim the word, removing the pejorative connotations surrounding it. She further explained the meaning of the song:

I'm not "an angry young girl"—or whatever the phrase of the moment is—but I'm human. It's not to excuse ranting and raving, but I don't think there's anything wrong with having "a mood". I don't think we all need to keep the mask on all the time.

was initially hesitant to release "Bitch" as the lead single from ''

'' (1997) due to the song's explicit lyrical content. The label's vice president of artists and repertoire, Perry Watts-Russell, and producer

both expressed their concerns about the song's lyrics potentially having a negative impact on its commercial performance. Peiken explained that the record label considered censoring the song, although she and Brooks convinced the label to release the song to

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

with the lyrics intact. Following the release and subsequent success of the song, Brooks commented that she believed "Bitch" achieved its intended purpose of being a "celebration of Everywoman's multiple psyches."

Composition

According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by

Alfred Publishing Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

, the song is written in the key of

A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

and is set in

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

of common time with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 92

beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...

. Brooks' vocal range spans two octaves, from E₃ to C₅.

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

cited "Bitch" as an " Alanis clone", critiquing the "semi-profane lyrics to the caterwauling chorus". Other music critics similarly compared the song to that of singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, with ''Billboard'', ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'', and the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' all making note of the musical similarities between Morissette's work at the time in comparison with "Bitch".

Record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

deliberately sought a hit single that sounded like Morissette's songs, yet he was fired soon afterward even when "Bitch" achieved major success, due to conflicts with Brooks' record label.

David Fricke David Fricke (born ) is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 ye ...

from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' remarked its "the notice-me snap".

Chart performance

In the United States, "Bitch" debuted at number 57 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for the issue dated April 26, 1997. The song spent a total of 35 weeks on the chart, peaking at number two for the issue dated July 12, 1997.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Bitch" was directed by Paul Andressen in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The video features Brooks on guitar while performing the song on a shimmering floral background. Throughout the course of the song, several objects typically associated with women are shown floating around the singer.

Live performances

The song was performed as part of Brooks' opening set on

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

Bridges to Babylon Tour The Bridges to Babylon Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the Rolling Stones. Staged in support of their album '' Bridges to Babylon'', the tour visited stadiums from 1997 to 1998. It grossed over $274 million, becoming the second-highest-g ...

. Brooks left the stage early after the audience began

booing Booing is an act of publicly showing displeasure for someone or something, such as an entertainer or an athlete, by loudly yelling "Boo!" and sustaining the "oo" sound by holding it out. It may be accompanied by hand gestures such as the thumb ...

and throwing bottles, batteries, and coins at her. In response, Brooks cited the crowd's behavior as

misogynistic Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practis ...

and illustrative of the dangers of

mob mentality Herd mentality is the tendency for people’s behavior or beliefs to conform to those of the group they belong to. The concept of herd mentality has been studied and analyzed from different perspectives, including biology, psychology and sociolo ...

Legacy

In 2017, ''

'' ranked "Bitch" number 50 in their list of "The 100 Greatest Pop Songs of 1997", writing, "You undoubtedly remember the thing for its cathartic chorus, in which Meredith Brooks declares herself to be the spectrum of all things feminine and human — though only one of them was memorable to enough to risk getting censored on top 40 radio. Still, when you listen next, pay attention to the underrated verses; Brooks grinning and teasing her way through a relationship that attempts in vain to pigeonhole her personality (''Yesterday I cried/ You must've been relieved to see the softer side'')." In 2022,

Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is a key musician in popularizing pop-punk music, as she paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early 2000s. List of awa ...

cited "Bitch" as the one song she wishes she could have written; she further expressed interest in covering the song.

Track listings and formats

* US CD single and cassette # "Bitch" – 4:13 # "Down by the River" – 4:15 * US maxi-CD single # "Bitch" (album version) – 4:13 # "Bitch" (untied version) – 3:56 # "Bitch" (Transistor mix) – 4:07 # "Bitch" (

Tee A tee is a stand used in sport to support and elevate a stationary ball prior to striking with a foot, club, or bat. Tees are used extensively in golf, tee-ball, baseball, American football, and rugby. Etymology The word tee is derived from t ...

's In-House mix) – 6:13 # "Down by the River" – 4:15 * UK CD and Australian maxi-CD single # "Bitch" (edit) – 3:58 # "Bitch" (Transistor mix) – 4:07 # "Bitch" (Madgroove mix) – 3:45 # "Bitch" (E-Team Funky Bitch edit) – 3:05 * UK 7-inch vinyl # "Bitch" (edit) – 3:58 # "Bitch" (Madgroove mix) – 3:45 * European and French CD single # "Bitch" (edit) – 4:12 # "Bitch" (Transistor mix) – 4:07 * European maxi-CD single # "Bitch" (edit) – 3:58 # "Bitch" (untied version) – 3:56 # "Bitch" (Todd Terry's Inhouse mix) – 6:13 # "Down by the River" – 4:15 * Japanese CD single # "Bitch" – 4:13 # "Down by the River" – 4:14 # "Bitch" (Transistor mix) – 4:07

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel are adapted from ''Blurring the Edges'' album booklet. Studios * Recorded at City Lab Sound Design (Hollywood, California) * Mixed at

Sunset Sound Factory The Sound Factory (also known as Sunset Sound Factory) is a recording studio in Los Angeles, California. The Sound Factory was built in the 1960s on Selma Avenue in Hollywood. At the time, it served as the home of Moonglow Records and the Moon ...

(Hollywood, California) * Mastered at Gateway Mastering (

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

, US) Personnel * Meredith Brooks – writing, vocals, background vocals, guitars * Shelly Peiken – writing * Paul Bushnell – bass * David Ricketts – keyboards *

Josh Freese Joshua Ryan Freese (born December 25, 1972) is an American drummer. A member of punk rock band the Vandals since 1989, Freese has also been a member of new wave band Devo since 1996. He was previously a member of hard rock band Guns N' Roses ...

– drums *

– drum loop programming,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

* Jim Ebert – mixing, engineering *

Bob Ludwig Robert Carl Ludwig (born December 11, 1944), is a retired American mastering engineer. He mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists, including Led Zeppeli ...

– mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Covers and parodies

In 2000, Australian comedian Chris Franklin released a parody of the song titled "Bloke" with the lyrics changed to reflect the stereotypical Australian male lifestyle. The song peaked at number one on the Australian

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. American comedy music group Raymond and Scum parodied the song as "Blair Witch", a parody about the film ''

The Blair Witch Project ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a 1999 American psychological horror film written, directed, and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. One of the most successful independent films of all time, it is a " found footage" pseudo-docume ...

'' (1999).

Kim Gordon Kim Althea Gordon (born April 28, 1953) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known as the bassist, guitarist, and vocalist of alternative rock band Sonic Youth. Born in Rochester, New York, she was raised in Los Angeles, Califor ...

of the band

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...

has stated that their song "Female Mechanic Now on Duty" was inspired by "Bitch". "It's worth mentioning," says Kim, "that the song, 'Female Mechanic on Duty' was inspired by 'Bitch' by that famous Lilith-type female singer, Meredith Brooks. It's an answer song." In 2016,

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

gave a spoken word performance of the song during her '' Britney: Piece of Me''

concert residency A concert residency (also known as musical residency or simply residency) is a series of concerts, similar to a concert tour, but performed at only one location. The ''Pollstar'' Awards defined a residency as a run of 10 or more shows at a sing ...

References

{{Authority control Meredith Brooks songs 1996 songs 1997 debut singles APRA Award winners Capitol Records singles List songs Song recordings produced by Geza X Songs with feminist themes Songs written by Meredith Brooks Songs written by Shelly Peiken