She Hates Me

"Puddle Of Mudd" can do metaphor. They did it in their hit "Blurry," where lead singer Wes Scantlin sings about his life going out of focus. But "She Hates Me" is far more straightforward and not the least bit figurative. This girl really does f--king hate him. The song has a comic tilt but was inspired by a real relationship. The woman in question is the mother to Scantlin's son, Jordan (they never married). He told the story in an interview with Alabama Life. "I came home really late," he said. "She was furious, and she wouldn't let me sleep in the bed. She made me sleep in the corner on the carpet and I had no pillow. I had a little notebook, and I grabbed a little pencil and I just started writing, 'She f--king hates me. She f--king hates me.' She was always talking about, 'Sex isn't everything in a relationship.' And I was like, 'Alright. But I'm home and feeling frisky so let's get down.' She was like, 'Nope, you're not getting nothing," and that's how that went."

Wes Scantlin wrote this song with Jimmy Allen, the original guitarist in Puddle Of Mudd. Allen - along with every other member from the '90s except Scantlin - wasn't in the band when it was released. By the time Fred Durst heard the band's demo tape and decided to sign them to his Flawless Records label, the band had broken up. He got in touch with Scantlin and they struck a deal with the label setting him up with new bandmates. The original Puddle Of Mudd is from Kansas City; the new lineup came from all over and assembled in Los Angeles to make the Come Clean album (a session drummer was used because they couldn't find a permanent one right away). Allen did get a songwriting credit on "She Hates Me" and also on "Blurry" and "Drift And Die."

"Blurry" was the big hit from the Come Clean album, released as the second single, following "Control." "Drift And Die" was the next single, but "She Hates Me" had already found an audience, particularly among radio DJs who loved to play it. By the time it was released as a single, many had already heard the song. It quickly became a highlight at Puddle Of Mudd's concerts, where the crowd would join in the chorus.