"Cold Hard Bitch" is a song by Australian rock band Jet, released as the fourth single (second in the United States) from their 2003 debut album, Get Born. The song was written by band members Chris Cester, Nic Cester, and Cameron Muncey.[2][3] Heavily inspired by prior heavy bands such as AC/DC, the song is one of the heaviest in the group's catalog, being a tough hard rock tune with a simplistic chord structure.[4]
The song was released in the United States on 9 February 2004 and in Australia on 26 July 2004. In addition to peaking at number 33 in Australia, it topped the US BillboardMainstream Rock and Modern Rock Tracks charts and reached number 55 on the BillboardHot 100. In Canada, the song reached number two on the Radio & Records Rock Top 30, while in Europe, it charted in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 34 in September 2004.
Band-members Chris Cester, Nic Cester, and Cameron Muncey composed the tune. An embryonic version of it appeared on Jet's 2002 release Dirty Sweet (also known as Dirty Sweet EP), a four-song work from the band's early days.[5] "Cold Hard Bitch" received a large scale release when the group's debut studio album, Get Born, came out on 14 September 2003.
The group's debut single, "Are You Gonna Be My Girl", became their signature song and gained significant chart success in the US, making it their most successful hit there.[6] That song had considerable pop radio airplay and peaked No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] "Cold Hard Bitch" came out several months later and peaked No. 55 on the Hot 100, yet it was more successful on rock and roll radio stations, reaching No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks for three weeks. "Cold Hard Bitch" gave the band their only number-one Modern Rock hit in the US: their prior hit, "Are You Gonna Be My Girl", had peaked at No. 3.[7][8] The single also became their sole No. 1 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, spending eight weeks at the top, whereas their prior hit peaked at No. 7.[9][10]
Strongly influenced by past hard rock groups such as AC/DC, "Cold Hard Bitch" features a simplistic chord structure that emphasizes the guitar playing and bassline. In terms of a critical response, the song received praise from AllMusic's MacKenzie Wilson, who viewed it as having a "sultry" edge.[5] However, in his other positive review of Get Born, music critic Tim Sendra, also of AllMusic, panned "Cold Hard Bitch". He argued that it was the "only track that really falters" on the release due to it being "silly and mean-spirited", constituting "an ill-advised trip down Nazareth lane" that "leaves the listener with a foul taste in their mouth".[11]
At the APRA Music Awards of 2005, "Cold Hard Bitch" was nominated for Most Performed Australian Work Overseas but lost to "Are You Gonna Be My Girl".[12] In the following year, three Jet tracks were nominated for the same category with "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" again winning over "Cold Hard Bitch" and "Look What You've Done".[13] The music video for the single shows the band performing in a bar, playing pinball, and talking to women, generally giving off a 'guys night out' atmosphere.
^Cold Hard Bitch (Australian CD single liner notes). Jet. Capitol Records. 2004. 7243 5 49976 2 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Cold Hard Bitch (UK CD single liner notes). Jet. Capitol Records. 2004. E7607CD, 7559-67607-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Cold Hard Bitch (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Jet. Capitol Records. 2004. E7607, 7559-67608-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Cold Hard Bitch (UK DVD single liner notes). Jet. Capitol Records. 2004. E7607DVD, 7559-67606-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
