I suppose bands spend a lot of time trying to build controversies, and fans spend theirs debating them. Hole, especially its singer Courtney Love, is controversial for wholly different reasons than the majority of other rock stars. Try as you might to ignore her, you can’t. That’s, in part due to “Violet,” the band’s biggest single and one of the greatest alternative rock songs of the 1990s.
But was Love actually delivering subtle clues about husband Kurt Cobain in the song, or other famous, former lovers? And what exactly is the story of making “Violet?” These are the questions that need answering, and I’ll try to be the person to do it.
Hole’s Journey to Making “Violet” and “Live Through This”
I don’t suppose there was ever any chance that Courtney Love was going to remain an underground darling, or, worst still, an unknown. In fact, Love made herself part of several burgeoning rock scenes as far back as the late 1980s, at one point moving to England and dating Teardrop Explode’s visionary leader, Julian Cope.
By the 1990s, Love had formed her own garage rock band. She named it, bluntly, Hole, perhaps as an homage to the noteworthy all-girl punk band The Slits.
The band played noisy, aggressive rock music. The group’s debut, “Pretty on the Inside,” earned the band notoriety in the American underground music scene. But there was little commercial appeal for this kind of rock. Besides, I suppose, groups like L7 and Babes in Toyland were noticeably ahead on the Riot Grrrl totem pole.
The rest of the story is just as famous as it ought to be. Courtney Love married Kurt Cobain. Nirvana became one of the biggest bands in the world. And, Love turned into a colossal celebrity. She was passionately loved by some listeners and disliked by many of her contemporaries.
The band’s sophomore album, “Live Through This,” did get the big-label push that had seemed impossible just years ago. A short time before its release, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain killed himself. Love refused to postpone the record, which only amplified sales.
Sadly, months later, Hole also lost Kristen Pfaff to a heroin overdose, adding to the macabre mythology of the album.
Is it any good, though? Yes! Rivals hated to admit it, but the album was an alt-rock classic. This, and some jealousy, naturally, created a pesky rumour of songwriting intervention from Cobain himself. Is there any truth to it?
Meaning of the Lyrics to “Violet”
In the wake of Cobain’s death, fans theorised at length about what “Violet” might have been about. Still, according to Love, the lyrics were in fact written about a former love interest. “This is a song about a jerk. I hexed him, now he’s losing his hair.“
That statement, of course, was interpreted by many to mean that Love had hexed The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan. In saying this, I would like to point out that Love’s next album, “Celebrity Skin,” was written in heavy cooperation with the same Mr Corgan.
Speaking about ghostwriting, is it true that Kurt Cobain actually wrote the excellent “Live Through This” album? Fans of Hole won’t even consider this. And, to be fair, apart from a few demos and a cheeky comment by Dave Grohl, there’s no substantial proof of this.
Love, on the other hand, said that she picked up some of Nirvana’s way of magically writing songs around a three-chord guitar pattern. Meanwhile, Cobain picked up lyrical themes, undoubtedly, I think, from Love.
Besides, a demo of the song, written by Love with guitarist Eric Erlandson, has existed since late 1991. A live version was played on legendary DJ John Peel’s show.
Even at this early stage, Love’s lyrics help paint her as a dangerous, cruel, vindictive woman. Love talks sings about exploitation, manipulation and sexual desire. Her excellent, screamed vocals paint the chorus. While certainly poetic, the lyrics did also fit the impression that many alt-rock fans had of Love during this period.
Music Video for Hole’s “Violet”
The music video for “Violet” certainly helped to extend Hole’s popularity within alt-rock. Mark Seliger and Fred Woodward directed the video. Promo images of a 1920s-style burlesque show are interspersed with videos of young ballerinas performing on stage. Love had worked as an exotic dancer in the 1980s.
Of the video, Love says: “I love old pornography. But I wanted to at the same time, you know… all of the [music] videos for years that have put stripping or half-naked women on a pedestal, I wanted to sort of show the degrading experience that it is.“
The Legacy of Hole and “Violet”
As expected, “Live Through This” was a very successful album. At this stage, Cobain and Love were two of the most famous people in the world, alive or dead.
To the chagrins of haters and bitter contemporaries, “Live Through This” is a fantastic album, and one that stands up today. Songs like “Jennifer’s Body,” “Doll Parts,” and “Miss World” are classics of the alternative-rock era.
What about the follow-ups? Not quite what you’re looking for. Love became a successful actress, doing a fantastic job in Milos Forman’s “The People vs. Larry Flint.” With the newfound fame, Love opted to switch Love’s next record to a pop-rock direction. “Celebrity Skin” sold millions, but was less exciting-sounding.
And, sadly, Hole’s history ends here for a few decades. Controversies mounted for Love, and public opinion shifted. Her solo record, somewhat unfairly, was derided by critics and ignored by the public.
When Love did record a new Hole album in 2010, “Nobody’s Daughter,” to my mind, proved that she’s undeniably talented. I say this while not being a fan of her antics. The woman is talented and smart.
“Violet” is, likely, Hole’s greatest song and, in my book, one of the greatest alternative rock songs of the 1990s.
