“I Hate The World Today” 🎸🎶
The first line of a song is key. Every songwriter knows that. Attention spans are SHORT. We don’t have a lot of time to waste. Ironically, I wasn’t thinking about this rule when the first line to “Bitch” occurred to me. In fact it’s best not to be hyper-focused on a first line cuz I guarantee it won’t be as interesting as when it just falls from the sky while you’re living your life.
That’s what happened the day I was driving home from a late night session in a horrible mood. PMS was definitely involved. So many of my colleagues were having big hits. But not me. I had been at it for so long. I was considering throwing in the towel and going back to waiting tables. (I actually enjoyed waiting tables, I just wasn’t planning on doing it for life.)
I stopped at a red light, blew a couple of smoke rings out the window and had this exact thought: I hate the world today. I was on my way home to a guy who loved me no matter what even though he knew sometimes I could be such a…..bitch.
And then my eyes lit up. A first line perhaps?
I had recently spent time with Meredith Brooks and though our first co-write together did not spawn a remarkable song (she wouldn’t disagree), we had a lot in common and I knew we had a better one in us.
I called her the morning after my red-light moment. She came over the next day. We sat in a little room with an acoustic guitar in Meredith’s lap ping-ponging lines back and forth. Elton John had done it. So had the Stones. But never had a woman referred to herself as a B**** in a song. We were excited to be the first. I’ve often said it was the best SongSex I ever had with a woman. Maybe the best SongSex I ever had.
The rest was history.
I think of “Bitch” as the love-child conceived by 2 mothers who were complicated in the same way. We knew other women were too. People of all genders for that matter. That said, we had no idea just how far the song would go and for how long it would last. A Grammy nomination and 2 decades years later it’s still alive and well, raising fists and getting love in film and TV spots. Check out this version performed by Ruby Amanfu in Little Fires everywhere.
It all started with a specific engaging thought.
I still have that thought once a day. Ok, maybe not once a day, but at least twice at week. Like when….
I’ve been on hold with an airline for 45 minutes and then I get cut off
there’s not one spot in the Trader Joe’s parking lot
90% of the vitamin jar I just spent 20 bucks on is full of cotton
My friend Sue said it was her thought too, the day her husband bought a gun.
I’m sure you have those moments. That’s why the line works.
Earlier this year when I went into the studio with Eve Nelson to start recording new versions of my own co-written hits. I had no clue how to re-imagine “Bitch.” I didn’t see it as yet another anthem. It was already an anthem. I didn’t want to cut it as a ballad. Too cheesy. But Eve being Eve, put her hands on the keys and as usual, pulled it out of her a**. She said how about something like this. A total 180. It was darker than the original for sure but it had that same universal message. Again, my eyes lit up. (Pay attention when your eyes light up. It’s a definite sign.) And we were off and running. Adam Dorn played Bass. Janet Robin gave it her live love on electric. We got trippy with the BVs. And before we knew it, It felt right for Shelly Peiken in 2020.
Its with much excitement that I present to you “Bitch 2.0.” If you loved the song the first time, I’m hoping you’ll love it again.
Keep track of those first lines when they fall from the sky. Write ‘em down or record voice memos. You many think you’re gonna remember them in the morning, but you prolly won’t! 😳
Here’s Eve and I talking about the re-make: (Thank you Nicole Powers for your video and editing savvy)!
Click through below to hear “Bitch 2.0” in full on your favorite listening space >>>
Thanks for reading, my friends. For more fun stories about how my songs came to be Get a copy of “Confessions of a Serial Songwriter.” Listen to my Music! If you'd like to receive my blog via email, please click here. Follow me on Twitter and Insta. Visit my Serial Songwriter Facebook Page. Stay Safe! ☮️