Celebrity Skin (song)

"Celebrity Skin" is the debut single of Hole's album of the same name. The song was co-written by Courtney Love, Billy Corgan, and guitarist Eric Erlandson. It is Hole's most commercially successful single, being the only one to reach number one on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. According to Love, Corgan wrote only the song's main guitar riff.

"Celebrity Skin"
Single by Hole Side project of Billy Corgan
Album Lyrics Tabs Video Spotify
Released	August 31, 1998
Recorded	April 1997–February 1998
Studio	Conway Recording Studios
Length	2:42
Songwriter(s)	Courtney Love,Billy Corgan, Eric Erlandson

Courtney Love sang the song with The Smashing Pumpkins at the 30th Anniversary Show in New Jersey. During banter before and after the performance, Love praises Corgan for him insisting that she pursue the song, calling him a career-maker, screaming "BILLY'S ALWAYS RIGHT!".

Videos

Courtney Love performing "Celebrity Skin" with The Smashing Pumpkins at the 30th Anniversary Show, August 2, 2018 in New Jersey

Official video

Lyrics

oh, make me over
i'm all i want to be
a walking study
in demonology

hey, so glad you could make it
yeah, now you really made it
hey, so glad you could make it now

oh, look at my face
my name is might have been
my name is never was
my name's forgotten

hey, so glad you could make it
yeah, now you really made it
hey, there's only us left now

when i wake up in my makeup
it's too early for that dress
wilted and faded somewhere in
hollywood
i'm glad i came here
with your pound of flesh
no second billing cause you're a star now
oh, cinderella
they aren't sluts like you
beautiful garbage beautiful dresses
can you stand up or will you
just fall down

you better watch out
what you wish for
it better be worth it
so much to die for

hey, so glad you could make it
yeah, now you really made it
hey, there's only us left now

when i wake up in my makeup
have you ever felt so used up as this?
it's all so sugarless
hooker/waitress/model/actress
oh, just go nameless
honeysuckle, she's full of poison
she obliterated everything she kissed
now she's fading
somewhere in hollywood
i'm glad i came here
with your pound of flesh

you want a part of me
well, i'm not selling cheap
no, i'm not selling cheap

Track listings

All tracks are written by Courtney Love, Eric Erlandson, and Billy Corgan except where noted..

UK CD single / EU limited edition CD

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Celebrity Skin"		2:47
2.	"Best Sunday Dress"	Love, Erlandson, Kat Bjelland	4:26
3.	"Dying" (original demo)		3:08

UK 7-inch single

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Celebrity Skin"		2:47
2.	"Best Sunday Dress"	Love, Erlandson, Bjelland	4:26

US promotional CD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Celebrity Skin"	2:47

Releases

Released	Label	Catalog ID	Format	Country	External sites
August 31, 1998	Geffen	GFSTD 22345	CD	UK	Discogs	MusicBrainz	[1]
September 1998	Geffen	GFS 22345	7" vinyl	UK	Discogs		[2]
1998	Geffen	PRO-CD-1194	CD (promo)	US	Discogs		[3]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	24
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)	1
France (SNEP)	64
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	33
Scotland (OCC)	19
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	43
UK Singles (OCC)	19
US Billboard Hot 100	85
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1998)	Position
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)	19

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)	Silver	200,000
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Availability

Title	Type
Celebrity Skin	Studio

Tour stats

• Total plays: 5 plays (1 full, 4 tease)
• First performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1999-04-21 at Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, AZ, US (tease)
• First full performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 2018-08-02 at PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel Township, NJ, US
• Last performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 2018-08-02 at PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel Township, NJ, US

External links

• "Celebrity Skin (song)" at SPFC