Slackerbitch

Album: Placebo (1996)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Placebo frontman Brian Molko poses as a tortured chauvinist on this track, singing "Slackerbitch, fag-hag, whore" about the woman who shows up at his door. In 1997, Molko told Melody Maker the lyrics are "quite horrible... an exploration into somebody's misogyny. This man in the song feels very threatened by women, but at the same time, it's very heartfelt. It's angry and nasty and insulting and completely politically incorrect. I'm not afraid to say I've felt some of those things. It walks a very fine line, and it's dangerous. I decided that I have to be responsible as the person who wrote those lyrics. I know that it describes a genuine emotion."
  • Before it was released, the band played the song to several women to gauge their reaction on its misogynistic tone, but the only people who found it offensive were men. "I think the point a lot of people would miss is that you're not supposed to like the guy in the song," Molko explained. "He's a fool."
  • Despite getting positive feedback from female listeners, the band decided to leave the track off the album, but they released it as the B-side to their breakthrough single "Nancy Boy." It was, however, included on the track list of the 2006 reissue of Placebo.
  • In a 1997 interview with NME, Molko again broached the song's abusive subject matter, saying: "I mean it's a very politically incorrect song to put out, but I'll stand behind it because it contains feeling that some men do feel towards women. Men feel very threatened by women. Sometimes you have to say something negative to make a positive point. I mean if I want to insult a guy I'll call him a prick, and if it's a girl you might call her a bitch, what's the actual difference? This song opens up that and forces that question to be addressed."
  • Placebo, the band's debut album, peaked at #5 on the UK Albums Chart.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Did They Really Sing In That Movie?

Did They Really Sing In That Movie?Fact or Fiction

Bradley Cooper, Michael J. Fox, Rami Malek, Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow and George Clooney: Which actors really sang in their movies?

Cy Curnin of The Fixx

Cy Curnin of The FixxSongwriter Interviews

The man who brought us "Red Skies" and "Saved By Zero" is now an organic farmer in France.

Randy Houser

Randy HouserSongwriter Interviews

The "How Country Feels" singer talks Skynyrd and songwriting.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.