Bitch (Meredith Brooks song)

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Meredith Brooks on the cover of "Bitch" displaying part of the music video.

Meredith Brooks performs in the music video for her hit song "Bitch" from 1997.

"Bitch" is a song that was released by Meredith Brooks in 1997 on her album Blurring the Edges. It was cowritten by Brooks and Shelly Peiken. Initially, some radio stations preferred not to mention the name of the song and would instead refer to it as "a song by Meredith Brooks". However, with the climbing popularity of the song, its name became more commonplace to announce on the air. When the song first hit the airwaves, most call-in listeners believed the song was by Alanis Morissette due to the similar sound and Morissette's success in rock music at the time. Later on, different remixes of the song became popular in dance clubs.

The song has a drum machine rhythm with a guitar accompaniment and riffs that emphasize the word "bitch" throughout the chorus. The lyrics deal with the viewpoint and feelings of somebody deemed a bitch, the chorus proudly enumerating the various contradictory facets of women (the strong, aggressive "bitch" being one such facet).

The song steadily rose on the Billboard Charts and became an international success, being a hit in countries such as the UK and New Zealand. The music video that accompanied the song features Brooks on guitar with a flower background swirling behind her. As the song plays, different feminine objects float by showing the softer side of womanhood, such as dolls, babies, and dresses—this visually shows a juxtaposition to the common connotations of a bitch.

Despite numerous attempts, Brooks hasn't managed to repeat the popularity and commercial success of "Bitch", and is therefore commonly seen as a one-hit wonder. Brooks has stated in interviews that "Bitch" was almost omitted from the album, but a friend loaned her the money to help record the song.

[edit] Parody

Australian comedian Chris Franklin wrote a parody titled "Bloke", which portrayed a stereotypical Australian man describing his way of life. Franklin's heavy Australian accent became a distinguishing feature, and the song eventually made it to #1 on the ARIA charts in 2000 whilst continuing to enjoy enormous popularity within Australia.

[edit] Charts

Singles