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.
Celebrity Skin Album Version
Hole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm all I want to be
A walking study
In demonology
Hey, so glad you could make it
Yeah, now you really made it
Hey, so glad you could make it now
Oh, look at my face
My name is might have been
My name is never was
My name's forgotten
Hey, so glad you could make it
Yeah, now you really made it
Hey, there's only us left now
When I wake up in my makeup
It's too early for that dress
Wilted and faded somewhere in
Hollywood
I'm glad I came here
With your pound of flesh
No second billing cause you're a star now
Oh, Cinderella
They aren't sluts like you
Beautiful garbage beautiful dresses
Can you stand up or will you
Just fall down
You better watch out
What you wish for
It better be worth it
So much to die for
Hey, so glad you could make it
Yeah, now you really made it
Hey, there's only us left now
When I wake up in my makeup
Have you ever felt so used up as this?
It's all so sugarless
Hooker, waitress, model, actress
Oh, just go nameless
Honeysuckle, she's full of poison
She obliterated everything she kissed
Now she's fading
Somewhere in Hollywood
I'm glad I came here
With your pound of flesh
You want a part of me
Well, I'm not selling cheap
No, I'm not selling cheap
The opening lines of “Celebrity Skin” by Hole creates a sense of yearning, asking to be transformed into another self, demanding a makeover. The lead singer, Courtney Love, later explained that her lyrics were inspired by various newspaper and magazines' celebrity coverage, which often discussed the changing physical appearances of famous people in the entertainment industry. The phrase "walking study in demonology" can be interpreted to signify the ugliness underneath the surface of these beautiful people. The song highlights the pressure on celebrities to appear as perfect, even though it is incredibly challenging to achieve.
The song goes on to talk about the illusion of fame and how it complicates human relationships. Lines like “Hey, there's only us left now” and “Can you stand up or will you just fall down” create a sense of isolation and anxiety about the insidious effects of fame. Love alludes to the expectations set upon the individuals that reach stardom, with "wish for" and "what you get isn't what you see," reminding us that fame, success, and even beauty can't always fulfill a person's desires.
Overall, “Celebrity Skin” speaks of society's obsession with image and the fragility of relationships in a world driven by the cult of fame.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, make me over
Please transform my appearance
I'm all I want to be
I desire to be my ideal self
A walking study
An expert on the subject of
In demonology
Regarding demons and the occult
Hey, so glad you could make it
I am pleased that you arrived
Yeah, now you really made it
You have achieved success now
Oh, look at my face
Please take notice of my appearance
My name is might have been
Formerly my name was relevant
My name is never was
My name was never important
My name's forgotten
My name is no longer remembered
Hey, there's only us left now
We are the only remaining individuals
When I wake up in my makeup
After sleeping in my cosmetics
It's too early for that dress
It is too early to wear my formal attire
Wilted and faded somewhere in Hollywood
Deteriorated and indistinct in Los Angeles
With your pound of flesh
Due compensation for what you have taken
No second billing cause you're a star now
You are now the lead role, not a supporting character
Oh, Cinderella
A reference to the fairy tale character
They aren't sluts like you
They are not promiscuous like you
Beautiful garbage beautiful dresses
Attractive waste material and clothing
Can you stand up or will you just fall down
Can you handle the pressure or will you fail
You better watch out
Be cautious of your actions
What you wish for
The things you desire
It better be worth it
The outcome should be valuable
So much to die for
So many things worth sacrificing for
Have you ever felt so used up as this?
Have you ever felt this worn out?
It's all so sugarless
It is all so dull and unsatisfactory
Hooker, waitress, model, actress
Occupations commonly associated with women in Hollywood
Oh, just go nameless
Be anonymous and unknown
Honeysuckle, she's full of poison
A deceptive and treacherous individual
She obliterated everything she kissed
She leaves destruction in her wake
Now she's fading
She is losing her prominence
You want a part of me
You desire a piece of me
Well, I'm not selling cheap
But I am not giving it away for a low price
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WILLIAM PATRICK CORGAN, COURTNEY M. LOVE, ERIC ERLANDSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nickpeluso7511
Say what you want about Courtney .....this is a good song.
@genevieveleduc2208
of course it is, Kurt Cobain wrote it :) *edit. Billy. None the less, she didn't.
@alexandrasw1830
Genevieve Leduc Billy Corgan, Eric and Courtney wrote it, check your resourse better please
@genevieveleduc2208
Alexandra Sw lmao, thank you ;)
@Lowlandlord
True, still a bitch but the song is good.
@Jonathanest90s
Nick Peluso good song. Fuckin hate Courtney Love so much.
@spookrockcity
We were so spoiled with music back in the 90s
@xZio007x
Yes we were
@quicksilvertongue3248
We still are. There's always crap in the top 40, but the number of gems to discover and the ease of discovering them have both increased exponentially throughout my lifetime.
@Funkensturme
Nowhere as spoiled as we were throughout 1708 to 1750, when Johann Sebastian Bach was active.