Love began her professional music career with a brief stint as the lead singer of Faith No More in the 1982. Shortly, she was kicked out of the band, due to the band wanting a male singer. Three years later, she formed an all-female pop-rock band called Sugar Babydoll with Kat Bjelland and Jennifer Finch, and later - also with Bjelland - the Pagan Babies. Love had greater early success as an actress, appearing as the best friend of Nancy Spungen in Alex Cox’s Sid Vicious biopic Sid and Nancy in 1986, and in Cox’s Straight to Hell in 1987, as well as small roles on television episodes.
Returning to music in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Love claims she co-founded the all-female rock band Babes in Toyland with Kat Bjelland in 1987, but others deny it;. Acrimony between Love and Bjelland led to Love’s quick exit from the band. The band’s biographer claims she stole house receipts to a Butthole Surfers concert. In 1989, Love formed her own band, Hole, with guitarist Eric Erlandson. The band’s 1991 debut album garnered little critical or popular attention in the United States but was celebrated in the influential British alternative-music press. Already a star in England, Hole’s fortunes improved considerably wtih Love’s marriage to Kurt Cobain and the publicity about Cobain’s death.
Unpopular with some Nirvana fans (comparisons to Yoko Ono were made early on and persist to this day), Love’s image was further tarnished by a 1992 article in Vanity Fair entitled “Strange Love,” in which she admitted to using heroin in the early stages of pregnancy. As a result, Child Welfare Services briefly investigated the Cobains’ fitness as parents. Love claims to this day that she was misquoted, saying she had told author Lynn Hirschberg that she had stopped using it once she learned she was pregnant.
Like Axl Rose, Love was ridiculed in the press for her abrasive, sometimes erratic behavior, such as cursing at paparazzi and publicly harassing Cobain’s former girlfriend, folksinger Mary Lou Lord.
Shortly before the release of Hole’s breakthrough album Live Through This in April 1994, Cobain committed suicide. Love read his suicide note at a televised memorial a few days later, sobbing hysterically and alternately cursing her husband as a “fucking asshole” and pleading with him to come back. Hole's bassist Kristen Pfaff died of drug overdose two months later. She was replaced by Melissa Auf der Maur later that year.
Love was a fashion trend-setter. In her early career, she modelled a “kinderwhore” look, which she was accused of having ripped off from Bjelland, although other sources suggest that the ripoff was in fact in the opposite direction. Love stated that the look was inspired by Christina Amphlett of 1980s rock group The Divinyls, most famously in a lengthy phone message recorded and subsequently released by The Muffs, who had ironically titled their album Blonder and Blonder after a sarcastic quote by Love regarding lead singer Kim Shattuck. Love’s style has since evolved, and she has modeled for more sophisticated designer labels.
Love received considerable acclaim for her role as Larry Flynt’s wife, Althea, in Milos Forman’s 1996 film The People vs. Larry Flynt, opposite Woody Harrelson as Flynt. She was also praised for her supporting role in the 1998 Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon, which starred Jim Carrey as Kaufman. Other notable film credits include Basquiat, 200 Cigarettes, and Feeling Minnesota.
Love released solo album ‘America’s Sweetheart’ in 2004, which contained a lot of collaborative work with Brody Dalle of The Distillers. In 2010, she resurrected the Hole name with a new lineup and released ‘Nobody’s Daughter’; this album contains some tracks from the never released album ‘How Dirty Girls Get Clean’.
In late 2012, Love announced per a Twitter account that "Hole is dead", and confirmed she would return to performing as a solo artist under her own name. She also referred to an upcoming single she recorded, produced by James Iha. On December 29, 2012, Love performed an acoustic show in New York, and performed at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013. Love has booked a tour of the east coast beginning in June 2013.
[2] Courtney Love is also the name of a band with Lois Maffeo and Pat Maley (Yoyo Recordings Founder). There are multiple explanations for the name, but this was before Love herself became famous. The duo would release three well-regarded 7” singles on K Records and a few compilation tracks, but no albums. They disbanded on 1991.
singles and EPs:
* Uncrushworthy 7” EP, 1990, K Records
* Highlights 7” EP, 1991, K Records
* Hey! Antoinette 7” EP, 1991, Feel Good All Over
compilations:
* “Don’t Mix The Colors”, Kill Rock Stars, 1991, Kill Rock Stars
* “Spray”, Throw: The Yoyo Studio Compilation, 1992, Yoyo Recordings
* “Baseball Bat”, One Last Kiss, 1992, Spinart
* “Motorcycle Boy”, International Pop Underground Convention, 1995, K Records
Car Crash
Courtney Love Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I want to run it down,
There's a phantom in my bed,
And I'm all alone now.
I've seen every hotel,
I've seen every hell,
There's nothing I haven't done,
There's no one I haven't had.
Would you be there when the lights,
When the lights get shot right out?
Would you be there when the roof,
When the roof comes crumbling down?
And I know myself too well,
And the Devil speaks to me,
And he's got me pinned down now,
Telling me I'm so empty.
Oh, just say you're sorry now,
And you'll never do it again,
Take the edge right off and keep it,
Coz you'll never be high again.
Would you be there when the lights,
When the lights get shot right out?
Would you be there when the roof,
When the roof comes crashing down?
Would you be there when the devil,
When the devil comes for me?
Would you be there when the lights,
Go black and empty?
And I live in a box,
And I die in this hole.
And you hold the keys,
To this zip.
And I don't wanna go,
But I can't seem to come,
And it's not up to me,
It's up to you.
And at all tomorrows parties,
I will be there, not at one,
And when you all start to miss me,
Oh, just pass me the gun.
And it's Valentine's again,
And there's nothing here for me.
Would you be there when the lights,
When the lights come crashing down?
Would you be there when the roof,
When the roof comes crumbling down?
Would you be there when the Devil,
Takes me to the underground?
Would you be there when the night,
Is night all year around?
Would you be there in the ice?
In the frost and cold and freeze?
Would you be there any time?
When I'm here, I'm on my knees?
The lyrics of Courtney Love's Car Crash convey a sense of desperation and despair. The opening lines, "There's a ghost on the highway, and I want to run it down," suggest a desire to confront and conquer whatever is haunting the singer. The repetition of the question, "Would you be there when...," heightens the tone of uncertainty and vulnerability. The singer is looking for reassurance and support, even as they question whether such support can be found.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is struggling with addiction or some other form of self-destructive behavior. References to hotels and hells, along with the repeated insistence that there is no one they haven't had, point to a life of excess and recklessness. The lines "And I know myself too well,/And the Devil speaks to me" could be interpreted as an acknowledgment of the singer's own complicity in their downfall. The final lines, "Would you be there in the ice?/In the frost and cold and freeze?/Would you be there any time?/When I'm here, I'm on my knees?" suggest that the singer is reaching out for help, even as they acknowledge the severity of their situation.
Overall, Car Crash is a haunting and powerful song that explores the themes of addiction, isolation, and desperation. The lyrics convey a sense of urgency and longing, as the singer seeks someone or something to help them climb out of the abyss.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a ghost on the highway,
I feel like I'm being haunted by a mistake I made on this road.
And I want to run it down,
I want to erase it or forget it entirely.
There's a phantom in my bed,
I feel like there's someone or something there, but it's just emptiness.
And I'm all alone now.
There's no one here to comfort me or help me through this.
I've seen every hotel,
I've been everywhere, but nowhere feels like home.
I've seen every hell,
I've been through everything bad that you can imagine.
There's nothing I haven't done,
I've tried everything to numb the pain, but nothing works.
There's no one I haven't had.
I've been with many people, but none of them can fill the void inside.
Would you be there when the lights,
Will you stay with me even when everything falls apart?
When the lights get shot right out?
When I have nothing left to hold on to?
Would you be there when the roof,
Will you stick around even when it gets hard?
When the roof comes crumbling down?
When everything seems to be falling apart?
And I know myself too well,
I'm aware of my own weaknesses and how I often self-destruct.
And the Devil speaks to me,
I feel like there's something evil or oppressive always whispering negative thoughts in my ear.
And he's got me pinned down now,
I can't escape from the darkness and negativity that surrounds me.
Telling me I'm so empty.
It feels like there's a void inside of me that I can't fill.
Oh, just say you're sorry now,
Admit your wrongdoings and apologize before you lose everything.
And you'll never do it again,
Make a concrete promise to change and never repeat the same mistakes again.
Take the edge right off and keep it,
Find a way to cope with the pain and hold onto that hope.
Coz you'll never be high again.
Because nothing will ever be the same again and I can't stay numb to the pain forever.
Would you be there when the devil,
Will you be there when everything falls apart and there's nothing left to hold onto?
When the devil comes for me?
When I'm at my weakest and most vulnerable?
Would you be there when the lights,
Will you stand by me even in the darkest of times?
Go black and empty?
When I'm at my lowest and most hopeless?
And I live in a box,
I feel trapped and powerless.
And I die in this hole.
I feel like I'm constantly sinking and there's no way out.
And you hold the keys,
You have the power to help me or hurt me.
To this zip.
To this cycle of pain and self-destruction.
And I don't wanna go,
I don't want to lose everything I have or give up on life just yet.
But I can't seem to come,
I can't find a way out of the darkness and negativity.
And it's not up to me,
I often feel like my life is out of my control.
It's up to you.
Whether or not I survive this depends on whether or not you're there for me.
And at all tomorrows parties,
I'll be there, but I won't be happy or fulfilled.
I will be there, not at one,
I'll show up, but I won't be fully present or engaged with the festivities.
And when you all start to miss me,
When I'm gone, you'll realize how much I was struggling and how much pain I was in.
Oh, just pass me the gun.
Just let me end the suffering and put an end to everything.
And it's Valentine's again,
It's another holiday that I'm supposed to feel happy and loved on, but I'm not.
And there's nothing here for me.
There's nothing here that makes me feel fulfilled or loved.
Would you be there when the lights,
Even when things get bad, will you stay by my side?
When the lights come crashing down?
When everything falls apart and I'm at my weakest?
Would you be there when the roof,
Will you be there to help me through the tough times?
When the roof comes crumbling down?
When everything feels like it's falling apart?
Would you be there when the Devil,
Will you stand by me even when everything seems hopeless?
Takes me to the underground?
When I feel completely lost and alone?
Would you be there when the night,
Will you stay with me through thick and thin?
Is night all year around?
Even when everything seems dark and hopeless?
Would you be there in the ice?
Will you stick around even when things get hard?
In the frost and cold and freeze?
Even when everything feels numb and unfeeling?
Would you be there any time?
Will you be there no matter what?
When I'm here, I'm on my knees?
When I'm weak and vulnerable, will you stand by my side?
Contributed by Ryan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Josh James
One of the best songs she's ever released. I dunno why it never made the final cut.
This picture of her is beautiful, as well. One of my favourites.
Sarah Belawski
I still don't understand why this song didn't make it to the album. I've listened to it 100 times and still think its perfect and beautiful
Melissa wells
Say what u will about Courtney Love, she's an awesome lyricist
Flamingo Williams
Take the edge right off and keep it. because I'll never be high again.
Michael Kjelgaard
Where did you get these songs?????
Emily Abreu
obra prima,amo demais
E S
have you got sad but true?
Watcher Offools
Yes. I will
Courtney Shane
reminds me of someone...SIIIGGGHHH
ANOREXICWALLET
obsessed