Miss World (song)

1994 single by Hole

"Miss World" is a song by American alternative rock band Hole, written by frontwoman Courtney Love and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson. The song was released as the band's fifth single and the first from their second studio album, Live Through This, in March 1994. The single was released in the United States on Tim/Kerr Records, an independent label in Portland, Oregon, on a 7 inch pink vinyl, as well as a limited edition picture disc pressing paired with the band's cover of "Over the Edge" by the Wipers. City Slang released CD and vinyl versions of the single in Europe, both with "Rock Star" (Alternate Mix) as a B side. A music video for the song was directed by Sophie Muller in March 1994 and released in promotion with the single.

Erlandson and Love wrote "Miss World" in summer 1992 after the departure of former band members Jill Emery and Caroline Rue. An early version of the song, recorded with drummer Patty Schemel and Love's husband and Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, was recorded in BMG Ariola Ltda in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on January 21, 1993. Featuring Love on lead guitar and vocals, recently recruited drummer Patty Schemel and Cobain on bass, the trio recorded the song, alongside others such as "She Walks on Me", "Softer, Softest" and "Closing Time", during breaks in Nirvana's session. Sound engineer Craig Montgomery stated that though some songs were "half baked ideas", "'Miss World' was a fairly complete song at that point" and "'the most fleshed out song' of the session." The band played the song live on July 15 and 16, 1993, during their performances at the Clapham Grand in London and at the Phoenix Festival in Stratford upon Avon, respectively. The official album version of the song was recorded as part of the Live Through This sessions at Triclops Studios in Atlanta, Georgia in October of that year.