Hole March 1993 (fltr: Patty Schemel, Courtney Love, Eric Erlandson, Kristen Pfaff)
Introduction
On April 12, 1994, Hole released their second album, Live Through This, a classic (grunge) album overshadowed by frontwoman Courtney Love’s private life.
Hole/Courtney Love
In 1991 Hole debuted with Pretty On The Inside, an album that sold moderately, but was hailed by music lovers and critics alike. In 1990 Courtney Love, the band’s leading lady, and Nirvana’s leader Kurt Cobain had met for the first time. In September/October 1991 Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain, who was on the verge of global superstardom, became on official item. Withing 4 months Love was pregnant and the couple married on February 24, 1992. On August 18, 1992, daughter Frances Bean Cobain was born. Sources claim that Cobain was over the moon with his daughter and fatherhood. On August 30, 1992, Nirvana arguably played their best show ever at the English Reading festival.
Immediately following the birth of their daughter the pair was visited by Child Protective Services, who investigated whether or not Frances Bean was born into a safe environment. The stories of addiction were well documented. By that time, Love had sobered up, but Cobain drifted away into his addiction (heroin). However, the investigation didn’t yield any result…
Courtney Love & Kurt Cobain – Vanity Fair – Strange Love – September 1992
While still pregnant with their child, Love and Cobain Love were interviewed by Vanity Fair, which was published on September 1, 1992, entitled Strange Love, with the main subquery “Are Courtney Love and her husband, heartthrob Kurt Cobain, the grunge John and Yoko? Or the next Sid and Nancy?” The interview painted a picture of a drug tormented pair, that had used the pregnancy for an even more intense drug fest. The article caused major problems and (inter)national outrage. Child Protective Services started a new investigation and this time Love and Cobain lost custody to Love’s half-sister.
After the couple had shown they had changed their lives for the better, they regained custody of their daughter. For a while they did indeed settle down. Unfortunately, Cobain relapsed into addiction, but Love remained clean. She even made time for the next Hole album. In the summer of 1993 practice and recording sessions for the album commenced. In the meantime Love and Cobain appeared in public with their daughter on September 2, 1993, at the MTV Video Music Awards.
On March 28, 1994, Hole released their new single, Miss World. Over one week later, April 8, the upcoming release of the second Hole album was completely overshadowed by the discovery of Cobain’s lifeless body. He had apparently shot himself through the head on April 5, after an intervention by Love had backfired. On April 10 a wake for Cobain was organized, at which recordings of a highly emotional Love was played, reading out Cobain’s goodbye letter. She also participated in the event and mourned with the fans.
Courtney Love’s name had become synonymous with “the wife of”, instead of the name of a respected musician, who was more than capable of expressing her life and mission and be successful on her own terms…
Hole – Live Through This
Live Through This
Just two days later, on April 12, 1994, the second Hole album, Live Through This, would be released. The album was the result of recording sessions that took place from October 8 to 31, 1993. The songs had come together over a period of the preceding two years, given the time to flourish through practice and nurture.
And, it shows. The album sounds amazing and is more accessible and “poppier” than the preceding album. Courtney Love proved she was more than capable to be much more than a picture in a gossip magazine. She sounded sincere, threatening, dangerous and forceful. The album moves around on perspective, from victim to assailant.
The subject on the album are unmistakably female. Love’s conviction in her whispering, singing and shouting her lyrics is impressive and moving. Feminism, violence against women, beauty versus ugliness, postpartum depression, motherhood, self-doubt and relationships, it is all part of the deal.
Cover
Leilani Bishop is the model that’s on the album cover. The photo was shot by Ellen von Unwerth. The idea was to mimic the Carrie school prom-scene. Love: “I wanted to capture the look on a woman’s face as she’s being crowned… this sort of ecstatic, blue eyeliner running, kind of ‘I am, I am – I won! I have hemorrhoid cream under my eyes and adhesive tape on my butt, and I had to scratch and claw and fuck my way up, but I won Miss Congeniality!'” The back cover contains a picture of a young Courtney Love.
Hole – Live Through This – Ad
Cobain?
The change of musical direction (and blatant sexism!) quickly amounted to rumors that Kurt Cobain must have contributed a lot to the album. Love or the band couldn’t possibly have made that change without outside help. Love: “I wanted to be better than Kurt. I was really competing with Kurt. And that’s why it always offends me when people would say, ‘Oh, he wrote Live Through This.’ I’d be proud as hell to say that he wrote something on it, but I wouldn’t let him. It was too Yoko for me. It’s like, ‘No fucking way, man! I’ve got a good band, I don’t fucking need your help.'”
Review
Apart from the suggestion that it was impossible for Hole to have made the album by themselves, all lyrics were examined thoroughly. Was this line predictive? Did Love know more than she was leading us to believe? Is “Yeah they really want you, but I do too” a complaint directed at Cobain? Is the music nothing more than an expression of Love’s sadness and rage about Cobain’s upcoming death?
Of course it isn’t. In the end, the album is just good. Even more: it’s the ultimate female grunge album. The fact her husband made the ultimate male grunge album, is not Love’s problem. Hole made a great album, that has stood the test of time and should be judged accordingly. When applied to Live Through This, a fantastic album is all that remains.
Hole – Live Through This – Singles
Singles
The album spawned four singles.
- Miss World
(released on March 28, 1994) - Doll Parts
(released on November 15, 1994) - Violet
(released on February 8, 1995) - Softer, Softest
(released on December 12, 1995)
Songs
All songs written by Courtney Love and Eric Erlandson, unless stated otherwise.
- Violet
- Miss World
- Plump
- Asking For It
- Jennifer’s Body
- Doll Parts (Courtney Love)
- Credit In The Straight World (Stuart Moxham)
- Softer, Softest
- She Walks On Me
- I Think That I Would Die (Courtney Love, Eric Erlandson, Kat Bjelland)
- Gutless
- Rock Star (Olympia)
The song Rock Star is titled erroneously, as it is an outtake named Olympia.
Hole – Live Through This – Inner sleeve
Musicians
- Courtney Love – vocals, guitar
- Eric Erlandson – guitar
- Kristen Pfaff – bass, background vocals, piano
- Patty Schemel – drums
With help from:
- Dana Kletter – extra vocals on Violet, Miss World, Asking For It, Doll Parts, Softer, Softest, She Walks On Me
- Kurt Cobain – background vocals on Asking For It, Softer, Softest
After Live Through This
In June 1994, right before the start of the tour to promote the new album, bassist Kristen Pfaff was found dead in her Seattle apartment, she died of a heroin overdose. The tour was postponed and the search for a new bass player led to Melissa Auf Der Maur. The subsequent tour was successful, but also generated much commotion. Love’s (mis)behavior caused several incidents, both back and on stage, aimed at her environment and her audience.
Courtney Love (Hole) – Paradiso April 24, 1995
Paradiso 1995
On April 24, 1995, the band played one of the most legendary failed shows ever in The Netherlands at the Amsterdam Paradiso. During the show, which started an hour late, someone threw a drink off the balcony on to the stage. The band stopped and left the stage. Next, Love reappeared and climbed onto the balcony, hit several audience members and screamed at the girl she held responsible, upon which she was taken away by Paradiso-employees. Eventually, the band returned to the stage, but following another incident (another drink thrown?), the show was over; Love scolded the audience en-masse, threw equipment around and with a heartfelt “Go fuck yourself!” the concert was over after just 6 songs.
Unfortuntaley, the tour was littered with these kind of events. Once again, Hole’s music was overshadowed by side issues.
Sequel
Following the release of an EP Ask For It in 1995 and the single Gold Dust Woman (a Fleetwood Mac cover), Hole started recording their next album, which would be released in 1998. Celebrity Skin turned out to be the band’s most successful album. Unfortunately, this album was also marred with controversy. Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan stated that he was primarily responsible for the entire album. This proved to be false also, Corgan co-wrote 5 songs, but Hole most certainly wrote the album themselves.
Following a subsequent tour, Hole played their final show (for now) on July 14, 1999. Courtney Love started a solo career. In 2009 the name Hole was used for a number of shows and in 2010 the album Nobody’s Daughter was released. In 2011 and 2012 Love toured using the moniker Hole. In spite of a number of announcements to the contrary, the band has never done anything again.
As an actress, Courtney Love played a number of great roles in several movies, like Sid And Nancy, Basquiat, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Man On The Moon, Trapped, The Long Home and Assassination †.
Hole – Doll Parts – Ad
Controversy
Throughout her entire career, Courtney Love generated heavy responses. Next to accusations of appropriating music and releasing that under her own name, Love has also (in)directly been accused of the murder of Kurt Cobain. Love has also regularly been the subject of songs, where she was far from being lauded. Artists like Babes In Toyland, Foo Fighters, Tori Amos, Nine Inch Nails and Gwen Stefani have all been outright negative towards and about Love. To this day she still is a controversial personality.
In closing
What is your opinion on Live Through This and Hole? Let me know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: Hole – Live Through This. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
