The band had a revolving line-up of bassists and drummers, their most prolific being drummer Patty Schemel, and bassists Kristen Pfaff (d. 1994) and Melissa Auf der Maur. In 2002 the group disbanded to pursue other projects. Eight years later in 2010, Hole was reformed by Love with new members, despite Erlandson's claim that the reformation breached a mutual contract he had with Love. The reformed band released the album Nobody's Daughter, which had originally been conceived as Love's second solo album. In 2013, Love retired the Hole name, releasing new material and touring as a solo artist.
Hole has been noted for being one of the most commercially successful female-fronted rock bands of all time, selling over three million records in the United States alone and having a far-reaching influence on contemporary female artists. Music and feminist scholars have also recognized the band as the most high-profile musical group of the 1990s to discuss gender issues in their songs, due to Love's aggressive and violent lyrical content, which often addressed themes of body image, abuse, and sexual exploitation.
Hole went on to become the most commercially successful female-fronted grunge band in history, selling over 3 million records in the United States between 1991 and 2010. In spite of Love's often polarizing reputation in the media, Hole received consistent critical praise for their output, and was often noted for the predominant feminist commentary found in Love's lyrics, which scholars have credited as "articulating a third-wave feminist consciousness". Love's subversive onstage persona and public image coincided with the band's songs, which expressed "pain, sorrow, and anger, but [an] underlying message of survival, particularly survival in the face of overwhelming circumstances." Music journalist Maria Raha expressed a similar sentiment in regard to the band's significance to third-wave feminism, stating, "Whether you love Courtney [Love] or hate her, Hole was the highest-profile female-fronted band of the '90s to openly and directly sing about feminism."
While Rolling Stone compared the effect of Love's marriage to Kurt Cobain on the band to that of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, they noted that "Love's confrontational stage presence, as well as her gut-wrenching vocals and powerful punk-pop songcraft, made her an alternative-rock star in her own right." Author Nick Wise made a similar comparison in discussion of the band's public image, stating, "Not since Yoko Ono's marriage to John Lennon has a woman's personal life and exploits within the rock arena been so analyzed and dissected." The band has been cited as a major influence on several contemporary artists, including indie singer songwriter Scout Niblett, Brody Dalle of the Distillers and Spinnerette, Sky Ferreira, Lana Del Rey, Tove Lo, Tegan and Sara, and the British rock band Nine Black Alps. The band ranked at #77 of VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists.
02 Best Sunday Dress
Hole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I walk straight into this mess of mine
Put on my best Sunday dress
And I walk straight into this mess....
Watching you burn....ahh ahh
Watching you burn....ahh ahh
Watching you burn....ahh ahh
Pale blue eyes so young
Pale blue eyes so far away
Watch me with his sorrow
Forgive me all his pain
I've come here to confess
To the wind and the rain and the glorious fame
And I've come here all undressed
For the numb and the dumb and they all the same the name
That you burn....ahh ahh
Watching you burn....ahh ahh
Watching you burn....ahh ahh
Watching you burn....ahh
Pale blue eyes so dumb
Pale blue eyes so far away
Take him too the river
Forgive us all his pain
Ooh ooh I'm coming I'm coming oh donny comes from the coal mine
I see you,you shine like a diamond
And curse us all goodnight
Put on my best Sunday dress
And I walk straight into this mess off mine
And I've come here all undressed
All the posion and pain and I take what is mine
And you burn....ahh ahh
That you burn....ahh
Pale blue eyes so young
Pale blue eyes so far away
Take me too his sorrow
Forgive us all his pain
Watching you burn....ahh ahh
Watching you burn....ahh ahh
Watching you burn....yeah ahh
Watching you burn....ahh ahh
Watching you burn....ahh ahh
Watching you burn....ahh ahh
Watching you burn....yeah ahh
Put on my best Sunday dress...
The lyrics of Hole's song "Best Sunday Dress" describe a woman who has put on her best dress and walks into a mess. She is watching someone burn and feels a deep pain in her heart. She describes their eyes as "pale blue" and "so young" or "so dumb" and "far away". The woman feels the need to confess her pain and sorrow to the wind and the rain. She is undressed and feels numb to the poison and pain that surround her. The woman wants to take what is rightfully hers, even as she watches someone else burn.
The song's lyrics suggest that the woman is coping with unrequited love, abandonment, or loss. The idea of her watching someone burn could be a metaphor for watching someone she cares about suffer or fall apart. The phrase "pale blue eyes" often suggests sadness or melancholy, which seems to reflect the woman's state of mind. The idea of her putting on her best Sunday dress could be interpreted as a way of pretending everything is okay when it clearly isn't.
Overall, the lyrics paint a bleak picture of a woman who is struggling to come to terms with something painful in her life. The song is filled with emotional imagery and raw honesty, making it a powerful and poignant reflection on love and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Put on my best Sunday dress
Getting ready to face the consequences of my actions, looking my best despite the impending disaster.
And I walk straight into this mess of mine
Taking full responsibility and confronting my problems head-on, no matter how chaotic or difficult they may be.
Watching you burn....ahh ahh
Witnessing the destruction of someone or something that was once important, causing intense pain and anguish.
Pale blue eyes so young
A deep sense of sorrow and mourning for a loss, especially one of someone young and innocent.
Pale blue eyes so far away
Regret and longing for something that can never be regained, something that is now out of reach.
Watch me with his sorrow
Acknowledging the pain and suffering that someone else feels, and feeling responsible for causing it.
Forgive me all his pain
Asking for forgiveness for the hurt and misery that has been inflicted on someone else, hoping to ease their burden.
I've come here to confess
Admitting to one's wrongdoing and faults, taking ownership of the situation and aiming to make things right.
To the wind and the rain and the glorious fame
Confessing openly and to anyone who will listen, seeking acknowledgement and recognition for the truth.
And I've come here all undressed
Exposing oneself fully, leaving nothing to hide and showing vulnerability in the face of judgment and criticism.
For the numb and the dumb and they all the same the name
Facing the apathy and indifference of those who refuse to listen or care, knowing that their reaction will be the same regardless.
Take him too the river
A wish to leave behind what's causing pain and suffering, and to move towards a state of peace and resolution.
Ooh ooh I'm coming I'm coming oh donny comes from the coal mine
A reference to the struggles and hardships of working-class people, and the connection between their suffering and the sacrifices of others.
I see you,you shine like a diamond
Recognizing the beauty and worth of someone, despite the flaws and imperfections that may be present.
And curse us all goodnight
A final farewell to the things that have caused pain and suffering, wishing them gone and vowing to move on.
All the posion and pain and I take what is mine
Refusing to let the hurts of the past hold one back, claiming what is rightfully one's own regardless of the pain and struggles that may have accompanied it.
Take me too his sorrow
A desire to fully empathize with someone who is suffering, and to be there for them in their time of need.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KAT BJELLAND, COURTNEY M. LOVE, ERIC ERLANDSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jes
One of my favorite Hole songs!!! Wish this Unplugged version was released on album.
Richard Huss
Very first song I ever learned to play on guitar..years and years back in my youth!
life is
and when one breaks down they sell that too.....
Jules Gainey
‘Victims in demand for public show” - Eddie Vedder
life is
he must have been burning along time.....something Rockstars War Vets Cops World Leaders Firefighters EMTs and suvivers of gencide get.....
life is
burning in this sense basically the body gave up and mind just keeps going....dragging the body along purely because the mind can....at some point the water gone or other wise and both let go.. how many people work for more the 48 hours continuealy on regular basis with lunch being what one grabs keeps going eating while walking or not at all because a delay caused one to arrive after the restaurants closed because day and night are just about sun or man made light as the term 24 hour day has stopped being relvent.....and the words sleep and nap are exactly the same thing....
life is
it's littery every drop of sweat death from fire is caused by water evaporating from the skin....its basically the same thing just one fast one slow....in essence one is burnt out or done burning when one dies of dehydration or thirst......