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.
Paradise City
Hole Lyrics
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Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty
Oh, won't you please take me home
Take me down to the paradise city
Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty
Oh, won't you please take me home
for the fortune and fame
It's all a gamble when it's just a game, ya treat it
like a capital crime,baby
Everybody's doing their time
Take me down to the paradise city
Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty
Oh, won't you please take me home
So far away, so far away, so far away, so fuck far away
Captain America's been torn apart
Now he's a court jester with a broken heart
He said- turn me around and take me back to the start
I must be losin' my mind- "Are you blind?"
I've seen it all a million times
Take me down to the paradise city
Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty
Oh, won't you please take me home...
The lyrics to Hole's song "Paradise City" express a desire to escape to a place that is idyllic, beautiful, and free from the harsh realities of the world. The "paradise city" is described as a place where the grass is green and the girls are pretty, a place where one can find respite from the difficulties of life. The song opens with the repetition of the refrain "take me down to the paradise city," which serves to reinforce the longing for this perfect place.
The second verse of the song speaks to the idea that success, wealth, and fame are only achieved through hard work and dedication. The lyrics say "Ragz to richez or so they say, ya gotta-keep pushin' for the fortune and fame / It's all a gamble when it's just a game, ya treat it like a capital crime, baby / Everybody's doing their time." The notion that everyone pays their dues is a common theme in rock and roll, and these lyrics nod to that idea.
The final verse of the song takes a more melancholic turn, with the description of Captain America being torn apart and turned into a court jester with a broken heart. The lyrics convey an unsettling feeling of disillusionment and despair. Despite this, the desire to escape to the paradise city remains strong, with the song ending on the same refrain that opens the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me down to the paradise city
The singer is expressing their desire to go to a place that can be described as a paradise city
Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty
In this paradise city, the grass is green and the girls are pretty. This is a picturesque description of a beautiful place
Oh, won't you please take me home
The singer is pleading with someone to take them home to this paradise city
Ragz to richez or so they say, ya gotta-keep pushin'
The singer is asserting that the road to success is not an easy one and requires relentless effort
for the fortune and fame
The ultimate goal of this effort is to attain fortune and fame
It's all a gamble when it's just a game, ya treat it
The singer is pointing out that everything is a gamble when things are seen as just a game. However, this does not deter them from pursuing their goal
like a capital crime,baby
The singer emphasizes the seriousness of the pursuit for success by comparing it to a capital crime
Everybody's doing their time
The singer implies that everyone is working hard, putting in their time to achieve their goals
So far away, so far away, so far away, so fuck far away
The singer expresses their frustration at how far away their goal seems to be, despite all their efforts
Captain America's been torn apart
The singer alludes to the superhero, Captain America, being broken or damaged
Now he's a court jester with a broken heart
The singer is using the metaphor of a court jester with a broken heart to describe how Captain America has fallen from his heroic status
He said- turn me around and take me back to the start
The singer imagines that Captain America desires to go back to the beginning and start over again
I must be losin' my mind- "Are you blind?"
The singer uses rhetorical questions to express their frustration and confusion over their lack of progress
I've seen it all a million times
The singer emphasizes their experience with failure and disappointment, having tried and failed many times before
Contributed by Kayla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Massimiliano Imperiali
Melissa really sings and looks like an angel !
Massimiliano Imperiali
@ Nino Animation Yes I know, she truly is !
Girl Channel
and great bass player actually only good technically musician in the band:)
Raquel Bagonda
"Don't be ashamed, this is a good fucking song!" Haha I love Courtney!
Catalina Aravena
Melissa sings like an angel
Hercules Rockefeller
She is completely underrated.
Allmächtigen Allergrößter
Everyone hates this but I fucking love it
Julieta Garcia
The machos hate it. Enjoy Hole!!!¡.
FulMarie
what a great woman of rock!
Rachel love
She's so badass here,she rules