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.
He Hit Me
Hole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He hit me but it didn't hurt me
He couldn't stand to hear me say
That i'd been with someone new
And when i told him i had been untrue
He hit me and it felt like a kiss
He hit me and i knew he loved me
Cause if he didn't care for me
He hit me and i was glad
Baby won't you stay...
He hit me and it felt like a kiss
He hit me and i knew i loved him
Cause when he took me in his arms
With all the tenderness there is
He hit me and he made me feel
Baby won't you stay...
Hole's song "He Hit Me" is a dark and controversial track that has been widely debated over the years. The lyrics describe a domestic abuse scenario where the singer is hit by her lover, but she portrays the experience as a twisted sign of love. The first two lines, "He hit me and it felt like a kiss, he hit me but it didn't hurt me" describe the singer's conflicting emotions towards the violent behaviour. She feels the physical pain but also perceives it as a symbol of affection.
As the song progresses, we learn that the reason for the violent behaviour was the singer's infidelity. The line "He couldn't stand to hear me say that I'd been with someone new" highlights the partner's possessiveness and jealousy, which are common traits in abusive relationships. The singer's reaction to the abuse is shocking; she expresses gratitude and happiness for the experience by saying "He hit me and I was glad."
Overall, the song's complicated and polarizing perspective on domestic violence has created a lot of controversy. Some see it as an empowering song that sheds light on the complex nature of abusive relationships, while others argue that it glamorizes violence and sends a dangerous message to vulnerable listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
He hit me and it felt like a kiss
The physical abuse didn't mean anything to me because I saw it as an expression of love and passion.
He hit me but it didn't hurt me
The physical pain wasn't as bad as the emotional pain of thinking he might not love me anymore.
He couldn't stand to hear me say that I'd been with someone new
The thought of another man touching me made him so angry that he felt the need to hit me.
And when I told him I had been untrue, He hit me and it felt like a kiss
His violence was a way of showing his possessiveness and desire to control me, even though it was painful and scary.
He hit me and I knew he loved me
The physical abuse was evidence of his deep and passionate love, and it made me feel special and wanted.
Cause if he didn't care for me, I could have never made him mad
His anger showed how much he cared about me, and how desperate he was to keep me all to himself.
He hit me and I was glad
Despite the pain, I loved being the object of his affection and having such a strong emotional connection with him.
Baby won't you stay...
I'm so addicted to his love and the way he makes me feel that I'll do anything to keep him around, even if it means enduring physical abuse.
Cause when he took me in his arms, with all the tenderness there is, He hit me and he made me feel
Despite the violence, I still felt loved and cherished when he held me close and showed me affection.
Contributed by Riley I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Meredith Harrison
This may be a cover, but this totally sounds like something Courtney would write, lyrically. It's got her written all over it.
Katrina Galipo
Who was original singer please?
Ethan Johnson
Katrina Galipo The Crystals
unknown entity
You mean something Kurt Cobain would write?
HxcVanityTarot
💯💯💯💯
JackRabbi
chloe peeti Pretty infamous song. Written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin after finding out their kid's babysitter, Little Eva of 'Do The Locomotion' fame, was being beaten by her husband. She legitimately said that he hits her cause he loves her. Phil Spector supposedly forced The Crystals to sing and record it cause he wanted out of a contract and knew the song would receive heavy criticism and backlash. Great song though.
RageHole
I can't believe how few people understand the point of this song. It's not a damn love song, you're not supposed to find it romantic or think it's the singer's idea of romance. It's about the tragedy of an abusive relationship.
t.rok1
exactly! thank you!
abmackay
God I'd hope nobody reads it that way O_O
Adapple
Or it’s about masochism