Awful is the third and final single by Hole from their album Celebrity Skin. The lyrics explore how the media and modern pop culture corrupt young girls and how they should rebel. There is, allegedly, a brief allusion to Gavin Rossdale on the lyrics, who once had a fling with Courtney Love.
Described as "funny" but also "kind of sad" by the writer herself, Courtney Love has proclaimed that this is one of her most loved songs. Writing the lyrics offered her a backwards glimpse at the angry, determined youth she once was but with the sobering experience of her adult years. The words were written before the music and were initially more than 2 pages long. At the time they included "we are always on the list, we have always wanted this / finally we're popular, finally we're pretty!" Courtney condensed the tome into the current format to give the song a more suitable length.
The opening riff which carries throughout the song and the rhythm were written by bassist Melissa Auf der Maur and drummer Patty Schemel, who were roommates at the time. Although credited for authorship, Patty left during recording sessions due to personal issues, and as such does not drum on the track, something Courtney laments. While Courtney has revealed only that she wishes Patty's great rhythm was still on the track, Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson implied that Celebrity Skin producer Michael Beinhorn drove Schemel to a nervous breakdown.
