Bitch (Meredith Brooks song)
"Bitch" (also known by its censored title "Nothing in Between" and later as "Bitch (Nothing in Between)") is a song by American singer-songwriter Meredith Brooks and co-written with Shelly Peiken. It was released in March 1997 as the lead single from Brooks' second album, Blurring the Edges (1997). The song was produced by punk notable Geza X.
"Bitch"
"Down by the River"
March 25, 1997
City Lab Sound Design (Hollywood, California)
- 4:12 (album version)
- 3:58 (single version)
- Meredith Brooks
- Shelly Peiken
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, at the APRA Music Awards of 1998, it won the award for Most Performed Foreign Work.[2] The song ranked at number 79 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s", and was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards.
Composition[edit]
According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing, the song is written in the key of A major and is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 92 beats per minute.[9] Brooks' vocal range spans two octaves, from E3 to C♯5.[9]
Critical reception[edit]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic cited "Bitch" as an "Alanis clone", critiquing the "semi-profane lyrics to the caterwauling chorus".[10] Other music critics similarly compared the song to that of singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, with Billboard,[11] Entertainment Weekly,[12] and the Los Angeles Times[13] all making note of the musical similarities between Morissette's work at the time in comparison with "Bitch". Record producer Geza X 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.[14] David Fricke from Rolling Stone remarked its "the notice-me snap".[15]
Chart performance[edit]
In the United States, "Bitch" debuted at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the issue dated April 26, 1997.[16] The song spent a total of 35 weeks on the chart, peaking at number two for the issue dated July 12, 1997.[17]
Music video[edit]
The accompanying music video for "Bitch" was directed by Paul Andressen in Los Angeles, California.[18] 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[edit]
The song was performed as part of Brooks' opening set on the Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon Tour.[19] Brooks left the stage early after the audience began booing and throwing bottles, batteries, and coins at her.[20] In response, Brooks cited the crowd's behavior as misogynistic and illustrative of the dangers of mob mentality.[21]
Legacy[edit]
In 2022, Avril Lavigne cited "Bitch" as the one song she wishes she could have written; she further expressed interest in covering the song.[22]
Credits and personnel are adapted from Blurring the Edges album booklet.[32]
Studios
Personnel