Cold Hard Bitch
by Jet

Album: Get Born (2003)
Charted: 34 55
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Cold Hard Bitch" is about a girl the singer wants for sex. He's not interested in talking to her or holding hands, and he's frustrated because he performed oral sex on her that was not reciprocated.

    Jet lead singer Nic Cester calls it a "big dumb rock song."

    "It's lyrically horrible," he told In Music We Trust magazine. "It's not supposed to be lyrically involved. It would be even more ridiculous if that song was lyrically complicated."

    So don't read too much into it - the song is just stupid fun.
  • Jet are an Australian band with two brothers: Nic Cester and his brother Chris, the drummer. They wrote the song with their guitarist, Cameron Muncey.

    The song is part of their debut album, Get Born, which was part of an early '00s trend toward feral, lo-fi rock that included acts like The Vines, The Strokes and The White Stripes. The album's lead single was "Are You Gonna Be My Girl," an international hit that was featured in a commercial for Apple's iPod.

    By the time Jet released their next album, Shine On, in 2006, this sound was out of favor and the album stiffed. They released another album in 2009, but called it quits a few years later, returning in 2017 as a touring act with a much lighter schedule.
  • Nic Cester has often downplayed this song as one they recorded to fit expectations of the band. It's out of character for him to refer to a woman as a "bitch" - he's talked about his great respect for women, particularly his mother and grandmothers, and how he was very awkward around girls. When Jet took off in 2004, he didn't take the groupies up on their offers. That year, he got up the courage to approach a girl he spotted in their hotel who was there as part of a netball team. Her name is Pia, and they got married in 2016.
  • Jet's sound is more nuanced than what you'll hear on this song. One of their most popular tracks is a ballad called "Look What You've Done" that is also on their Get Born album.
  • "Cold Hard Bitch" was used in first episode of season 4 of Alias in a scene where CIA agents are giving chase down a Hong Kong street. Jet was not well known in America at the time and this appearance helped give them exposure there.

    The song also shows up in episodes of Cold Case, Entourage, and CSI: NY, as well as in the 2010 movie She's Out Of My League.
  • The influence of another Australian rock band, AC/DC, is evident on this song. AC/DC have no shortage of similarly sexual songs with a touch of humor - "Whole Lotta Rosie" and "Big Balls" are good examples. In 2016, Jet frontman Nic Cester auditioned for AC/DC when they needed someone to fill in for their ailing frontman, Brian Johnson, and he almost got the gig. They ended up going with Axl Rose.

Comments: 2

  • Aimee from Taneytown, MarylandThis is on my list of songs I'd strip to (if I was a stripper of course)
  • Erik from Brownwood , Txi love this song it is so many girls i knows theme song hahah not that they wont sleep with me( i dont believe in sex before marriage) but they are just cold hard bitchez.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Tony Banks of Genesis

Tony Banks of GenesisSongwriter Interviews

Genesis' key-man re-examines his solo career and the early days of music video.

History Of Rock

History Of RockSong Writing

An interview with Dr. John Covach, music professor at the University of Rochester whose free online courses have become wildly popular.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."