"Malibu" is a song by American alternative rock bandHole. It is the fourth track and second single from the band's third studio album, Celebrity Skin, and was released on December 29, 1998 on DGC Records. The song was written by vocalist and rhythm guitaristCourtney Love, lead guitaristEric Erlandson and Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, who contributed to a number of other songs on Celebrity Skin. The single was released on vinyl and compact disc in multiple countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan. The standard releases of the single feature "Drag" as well as a cover of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" as b-sides. "Malibu" was one of Hole's most commercially and critically successful songs. The song peaked at number 3 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart, and garnered a Grammy nomination in 1999. The song was ranked number 264 on "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" list by Blender magazine in 2005.
Composition
"Malibu" was written by frontwoman Courtney Love, lead guitarist Eric Erlandson, and Billy Corgan. The lyrics were written solely by Love, while the musical composition and arrangements are credited to Love, Erlandson, and Corgan. While it has been speculated that the song was written about Love's husband, Kurt Cobain's stay in a rehabilitation clinic in Malibu, California, Love has stated that the song was actually written about her first boyfriend, Jeff Mann, whom she lived with in Malibu the late mid-1980s. In 2018, Love revealed at a concert with Smashing Pumpkins that the song was initially written for Stevie Nicks.
Release
"Malibu" was released as a single on CD, 7" vinyl, and other formats in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. It was first released in the United States on compact disc on December 29, 1998, followed by a 7" vinyl release in the United States on May 25, 1999. The single also includes "Drag", an outtake from Celebrity Skin which was replaced by "Malibu". The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal field, losing to "Put Your Lights On" by Santana. The single was certified Gold in Australia in 1999, with sales in excess of 40,000.
Reception
Billboard gave the song a positive review, writing: "Detractors of Love and company may consider this the ultimate sellout, but programmers would do well to give this edgy but hooky track a listen. Love sounds downright dainty in comparison with past works—OK, well, tamer anyway—and is accompanied here by some great guitar hooks, swirling harmonies, and a sticky melody that could attract stations that like to maintain a tough exterior without sacrificing accessibility."
Music video
Directed by Paul Hunter, the music video for "Malibu" was shot in the eponymous city on a beach. The video features burning palm trees and the band performing the song. Eric Erlandson is also seen waxing a surfboard, and Melissa Auf der Maur lies on a rock over the ocean. The video also alludes to Baywatch at its conclusion, featuring a mass of lifeguards holding plastic dolls on the beach while Courtney Love walks into the ocean. Samantha Maloney, who replaced drummer, Patty Schemel, appears in the video.
Formats and track listings
All songs written by Courtney Love, Eric Erlandson, and Billy Corgan except where noted. US 7" single
