Synopsis

Set against the beaches and cliffs of Malibu, Hole perform amid sunlit coastal scenery, burning palm trees, surfboard imagery, and dramatic shots of the Pacific. Courtney Love sings from a car and around the beach while Eric Erlandson works on a surfboard and Melissa Auf der Maur appears on a rock above the water. The video's dreamy California atmosphere gradually turns stranger, ending with a group of lifeguards carrying plastic dolls as Love walks into the ocean.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed on a Malibu beach, with the location commonly identified as Matador Beach.

• Its polished beach imagery contrasts with the song's darker lyrical language, creating a deliberately uneasy version of California escapism.

• The burning palm trees are among the video's most memorable visual motifs, turning the postcard-like Malibu setting into something unstable and surreal.

• The ending plays on the imagery of *Baywatch*, replacing straightforward beach heroics with lifeguards carrying plastic dolls.

• Samantha Maloney appears on drums. She had joined Hole for touring and music-video appearances after Patty Schemel's departure from the band's *Celebrity Skin* era lineup.

• "Malibu" became one of Hole's most successful singles, reaching No. 3 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and earning a Grammy nomination in 1999.