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.
Pennyroyal Tea
Hole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Throughout you know the same
Every night you know her name
No one knows you by your name
You've been raped still, just the same
I'm on my time and everyone's
I have very bad posture
Sit and drink pennyroyal tea
Sit and drink pennyroyal tea
I'm anemic royalty
Give me a Leonard Cohen after world
So I can't sigh eternally
I'm a liar and a thief
I'm so tired I can't sleep
Sit and drink pennyroyal tea
I'm anemic royalty
I'm on warm milk and laxatives
Cherry flavored antacids
Sit and drink pennyroyal tea
Distill the life that's inside of me
Sit and drink pennyroyal tea
I'm anemic royalty
I'm a liar and a thief
I'm so tired I can't sleep
Sit and drink pennyroyal tea
I'm anemic royalty
The lyrics to Hole's song "Pennyroyal Tea" contain a sense of numbness and detachment that are evocative of depression and emotional numbing. The singer sings about feeling disconnected from others, even as they are surrounded by people. The line "no one knows you by your name" suggests a sense of anonymity or invisibility.
The repeated refrain of "sit and drink pennyroyal tea" takes on a dual meaning, both as a depiction of the singer's self-destructive tendencies and as a reference to the herb pennyroyal, which is sometimes used to induce abortion. This second meaning adds a layer of darkness to the lyrics, suggesting that the singer is struggling with unresolved trauma or pain.
The final lines of the song, "I'm a liar and a thief/I'm so tired I can't sleep/I'm anemic royalty," are particularly striking. They suggest that the singer is struggling with feelings of guilt and self-loathing, even as they maintain a sense of superiority over those around them. The phrase "anemic royalty" adds an additional layer of irony, playing on the contrast between the singer's lofty self-image and their physical and emotional weakness.
Overall, "Pennyroyal Tea" is a powerful depiction of emotional disconnection and self-destruction, with rich and evocative lyrics that are open to multiple interpretations.
Line by Line Meaning
Throughout you know the same
The repetition of life's mundane routine
Every night you know her name
Being consumed by the same thoughts and memories on a nightly basis
No one knows you by your name
Feeling anonymous and unrecognized by society
You've been raped still, just the same
Regardless of the trauma experienced, life continues with the same monotony
I'm on my time and everyone's
Feeling out of sync with the world, disconnected from those around you
I have very bad posture
A physical manifestation of one's internal struggles
Sit and drink pennyroyal tea
Using substances to numb one's pain and emotions
Distill the life that's inside of me
Attempting to separate oneself from their own emotions and experiences
I'm anemic royalty
Feeling powerful yet weak and drained simultaneously
Give me a Leonard Cohen after world
Asking for a release from the pain of living, possibly through death or escape
So I can't sigh eternally
A desire to be free from the constant weight of sadness and depression
I'm a liar and a thief
Feeling guilty and unworthy, like a fraud to those around you
I'm so tired I can't sleep
Exhausted mentally and physically, unable to find rest even when needed
I'm on warm milk and laxatives
Continuing to self-medicate with harmful substances
Cherry flavored antacids
The futility of numbing oneself with small comforts like candy-flavored medicine
Distill the life that's inside of me
Continuing to detach oneself from their own experiences, pushing away emotions and thoughts
Sit and drink pennyroyal tea
Using substances to numb one's pain and emotions
I'm anemic royalty
Feeling powerful yet weak and drained simultaneously
Contributed by Alexis F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@bertosiverio
I like it a lot, I see some things to improve but its so raw and perfect, it may sound strange but I think Kurt Cobain would have liked it. It's one of the best Nirvana covers I've ever seen, so simple, passionate...
@nicolasriveros943
best thing is that it actually sounds like a Hole song, you can really set it appart from the og.
@bertosiverio
That's true, Hole doesn't try to imitate Nirvana, it has its own style and also pays a kind of tribute, for me that's what it is, it's more of a beautiful tribute than a typical cover. I don't know how to explain it but I love this
@angelcartel3819
So good
@courtneylovefann
Better than nirvana
@TeufelHunden927
She killed him
@courtneylovefann
@@TeufelHunden927 no she didn’t 🤦♀️
@TeufelHunden927
She couldn’t steal You Know You’re Right so she went back and tried to take this from Kurt after she killed him.
@BannedDudes
Still think the og is better, sorry.
@NoName-fh6ld
So you felt compelled to come here just to post that? We also will guess you wish you had Kurt’s baby and not her 😂😂😂😂😂