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.
Pale Blue Eyes
Hole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes I feel so sad
Sometimes I feel so happy
But mostly you just make me mad
Baby, you just make me mad
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Thought of you as my mountain top
Thought of you as my peak
A thought of you as everything
I've had, but couldn't keep
I've had, but couldn't keep
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Skip a life completely
Stuff it in a cup
They said, money is like us in time
It lies, but can't stand up
Down for you is up
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
It was good what we did yesterday
And I'd do it once again
The fact that you are married
Only proves you're my best friend
But it's truly, truly a sin
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
If I could make the world as pure
And strange as what I see
I'd put you in a mirror
I'd put in front of me
I'd put in front of me
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
Linger on your pale blue eyes
The song "Pale Blue Eyes" by Hole, which is a cover of the original song by The Velvet Underground, is a poignant tribute to a past lover. This song explores the complexity of emotions, from love and happiness to frustration and anger. The lyrics portray a range of emotions that are often associated with love -- happiness, sadness, and anger. The singer oscillates between being happy and sad, and acknowledges that the person who is the source of her affection often makes her angry.
The chorus "Linger on your pale blue eyes" is a repeated plea to the past lover to stay in the singer's memory. The "pale blue eyes" refer to the lover's eyes which the singer cherishes and wishes to hold onto. The singer admits that the lover was like a mountain top or a peak to her, an ultimate goal to strive for. However, as much as she tried, she couldn't keep the lover.
The third verse takes a different direction, discussing the theme of time and money. The line "Skip a life completely, stuff it in a cup" implies that time is limited and that one should try to make the most of it. The lyric "Money is like us in time, it lies but can't stand up" suggests that money is only valuable in the context of time and that time is the ultimate judge of value. The lyric "Down for you is up" illustrates the reverse perspective of the idea that sometimes what seems like a setback can actually lead to progress.
Overall, the song "Pale Blue Eyes" is a beautiful representation of love and its various complexities. The lyrics which alternate between sadness and regret to longing and love, are heartfelt and bittersweet. The song is not only about the pain and loss of a relationship, but also about cherishing what was had.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I feel so happy
Sometimes I experience happiness
Sometimes I feel so sad
Sometimes I experience sadness
Sometimes I feel so happy
But mostly you just make me mad
Baby, you just make me mad
Sometimes I feel good, but usually you make me angry
Linger on your pale blue eyes
I can't stop thinking about your pale blue eyes
Thought of you as my mountain top
I viewed you as my highest point
Thought of you as my peak
I viewed you as the pinnacle of my existence
A thought of you as everything
I've had, but couldn't keep
I've had, but couldn't keep
I had you, but lost you and now you are just a distant memory
Skip a life completely
Stuff it in a cup
They said, money is like us in time
It lies, but can't stand up
Down for you is up
I want to escape reality and the lies that come with money. My world is upside down because of my feelings for you
It was good what we did yesterday
And I'd do it once again
The fact that you are married
Only proves you're my best friend
But it's truly, truly a sin
Yesterday was great, and I would repeat it again. Despite you being married, I consider you my closest friend. But our relationship is a sin
If I could make the world as pure
And strange as what I see
I'd put you in a mirror
I'd put in front of me
I'd put in front of me
If I could make the world reflect my idealized vision, I would place you in a mirror and have you in front of me always
Linger on your pale blue eyes
I can't stop thinking about your pale blue eyes
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Lou Reed
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@christamitchell-hayes2498
The thing with Courtney's voice is that while it isn't very good in a traditional sense the sheer, raw emotion she could convey with it is what made it so powerful and amazing
@baileypickle9101
Hey Christa. Nice to you you here
@upthereinlightsillbe
i love how courtney took such a serene song and made it her own. praise queen courtney
@localhoney7040
Yes!!! Absolutely!!! Reign on Queen Courtney!!!
@micnik4793
@@localhoney7040 Reign on yes
@stephenvelez9710
jesus, she just tears into this, it's beautiful. "thought of you as everything that i had and i couldn't keep..."
@raymanda3351
Her voice is intoxicating
@beckygutierrez8982
I love Lou reed. But Courtney did such a superb job on this. He praised her for this cover. It's so raw
@amberp7600
This was the first cd I ever bought when I was around 15. This song 2 decades later still gives me the exact same emotions while listening to it. Absolutely amazing song.
@wendyludwig9429
Same