Malibu (Hole song)

1998 single by Hole

"Malibu" is a song by American alternative rock band Hole. It is the fourth track and second single from the band's third studio album, Celebrity Skin, and was released in December 1998, on DGC Records. The song was written by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, lead guitarist Eric Erlandson and Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, who contributed to four 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. efn|Per the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks, "Malibu" peaked at number 3 in 1998; second to "Celebrity Skin", which peaked at number 1, "Malibu" was Hole's highest charting singles. In 2018, Love revealed at a concert with Smashing Pumpkins that the song was initially written for Stevie Nicks.

"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.

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." The song was ranked number 264 on "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" list by Blender magazine in 2005. Blender also ranked it number 3 on their list of "The Greatest Songs About California".

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.

RegionDateFormats(s)Label(s)Ref(s). (Reference(s))United States1999 01 12Contemporary hit radioDGC Records, DGC, Geffen Records, Geffen