Recording and composition "Teenage Whore" was written by bassist
Jill Emery, lead guitarist
Eric Erlandson, drummer
Caroline Rue and vocalist/rhythm guitarist
Courtney Love in 1991 and was one of the first songs written by Hole's second lineup, featuring Emery, after the departure of original bassist Lisa Roberts and additional guitarist
Mike Geisbrecht. It was recorded over a period of four days in March 1991 during sessions for
Pretty on the Inside at Music Box Studios in Los Angeles. It was produced by
Sonic Youth musician
Kim Gordon and
Gumball frontman
Don Fleming. The musical composition of "Teenage Whore" follows the status quo of
Pretty on the Inside, which is most often noted for its extreme abrasiveness, though it is also noted for its sophisticated use of melodic structure which is buried under arrangements.
Spin addressed this, saying: "at first [the song] comes across like a ranting noisy rage, but underneath is a surprisingly lush melody." The song's main verse riff follows an E-G-F chord progression, with the bridge composed of a layering of
diminished fifths and muted strings, evoking a "sonic uncleanliness." As with the majority of the band's songs, the lyrics to "Teenage Whore" were written by Love, and deal with a negative
self image and real or imagined perception of oneself as a "whore", which is reinforced by the narrator's mother.
Release "Teenage Whore" was issued as a single through Hole's European label, City Slang, in September 1991 to promote
Pretty on the Inside, and entered the UK Indie Chart at number 1. The song later appeared on the soundtrack of the 1994 film
S.F.W.. The single was available on 7" vinyl on pink, clear and transparent green vinyls, with "Drown Soda" as a b-side, and on 12" vinyl and
compact disc with "Drown Soda" and "Burn Black" as b-sides (both of which had been recorded during alternate recording sessions, at Fun City Studio in
New York City, and Radio Tokyo in Los Angeles, respectively). This marked the band's first CD release, as all of their prior singles had been released solely on vinyl. "Burn Black" had previously been issued as a b-side on the band's previous single, "
Dicknail", which had been released on
Sub Pop Records in March 1991, when the band began recording
Pretty on the Inside. On
The Chart Show, the song's title was censored, with the word "whore" being replaced with dots. ==Critical reception==