Hole was an American alternative rock band formed by singer and guitarist C… Read Full Bio ↴Hole was an American alternative rock band formed by singer and guitarist Courtney Love and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson in Los Angeles, California in 1989. Influenced by Los Angeles' punk rock scene, and produced by Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, the band's debut album, Pretty on the Inside, attracted critical interest from British and American alternative press. Their second album, Live Through This, released 1994 by DGC Records, which featured less aggressive melodies and more restrained lyrical content, was widely acclaimed and reached platinum status within a year of its release. Their third album, Celebrity Skin, which garnered them four Grammy nominations, marked a notable departure from their earlier punk influences, boasting a more commercially viable, "mature" sound.

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.

Season of the Witch
Hole Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well, I look out my window
What do you think I see?
Thousands of people
Staring back at me
And it's strange
It's strange
It's strange
It's strange

You've got to pick up every stitch
You've got to pick up every stitch
You've got to pick up every stitch
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch
Well, I look over my shoulder
What do you think I see?
Some little man lookin' over his shoulder
Staring straight back at me
It's strange
It's strange
It's strange
It's strange
You've got to pick up every stitch
You've got to pick up every stitch
You've got to pick up every stitch
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Must be the season of the witch (x10)
I...I'll wait...forever and ever and ever and ever...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Hole's song "Season of the Witch" are enigmatic and ambiguous, making it difficult to determine the exact meaning behind them. The song begins with the singer looking out of her window and seeing "thousands of people" staring back at her. This line could be interpreted in several ways, but it could suggest that the singer is feeling overwhelmed and isolated by the world around her.

The chorus, "Must be the season of the witch," is repeated multiple times and could be interpreted in several ways. It's possible that the "season of the witch" refers to a time of change and upheaval, where traditional societal norms are overturned, and people are exploring new ideas and ways of being. Alternatively, it's conceivable that "witch" is used as a metaphor for someone who is different, rebellious or non-conforming to societal standards. The haunting, ethereal nature of the song, with its heavily distorted guitar riffs and Courtney Love's raw, emotive vocal delivery, reinforces this interpretation.

The second verse suggests that the singer is being watched by a "little man" who is "looking over his shoulder" and "staring straight back at [her]." This line could imply that there is someone or something making the singer feel watched or judged, contributing to her sense of isolation and vulnerability. Ultimately, the song's meaning is as mysterious as the season of the witch itself, leaving listeners to interpret the lyrics in their own way.

Line by Line Meaning

Well, I look out my window
Starting with a rhetorical question, the singer describes their view from the window where they see thousands of people looking back at them.

What do you think I see?
Rhetorical question to make the reader think about what could the singer see.

Thousands of people
The singer sees thousands of people from their window.

Staring back at me
All these people are looking straight back at the artist.

And it's strange
The artist emphasizes how odd this situation is.

You've got to pick up every stitch
A repeat of the line adds urgency to fix something that's fallen apart.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
A repeated phrase to emphasize the importance of the previous line with a sense of urgency.

Must be the season of the witch
The artist concludes that this is the season of the witch, implying something strange is happening.

Well, I look over my shoulder
The artist turns around to look behind them.

What do you think I see?
Rhetorical question used to convey the idea of seeing something unusual.

Some little man lookin' over his shoulder
The singer sees a mysterious little man looking over his shoulder.

Staring straight back at me
The man is staring back at the artist, creating a sense of unease.

I...I'll wait...forever and ever and ever and ever...
The singer decides to wait, not knowing how long they'll have to wait for.