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.

Skinhead Girl
Hole Lyrics

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(Unrest)
You know I want you
You know I want to f**k you all the time
I want to kiss you
I want to f**k you
Yes, she is my
Yes, she is my skinhead girl
Yes, she is my skinhead

Yes, she is my skinhead girl
See that girl, that girl is true
F**k f**king on sandy beaches
Kiss kissing all over the place and
I'll watch your face and
Oh no I love his face
Yes, she is my skinhead girl
Yes, she is my skinhead
Yes, she is my skinhead girl
See that girl, that girl is true
You look better than
You look better than the face of God
On a funny day
And I don't mind
I can feel it now
I want to f**k you all the time
Yes, she is my skinhead girl
Yes, she is my skinhead
Yes, she is my skinhead girl
See that girl, that girl is true
I'm ready for sex
But waiting for love
Yes, she is my skinhead girl
Yes, she is my skinhead
Yes, she is my skinhead girl
See that girl, she's gonna own the world

I'm ready ready for sex
But waiting for love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Hole's song "Skinhead Girl" are controversial and sexual in nature. The song is about a female skinhead who the singer is attracted to, and it expresses a desire to have sex with her. The lyrics are graphic and explicit, speaking to the physical yearning the singer has for this girl. The lines "You know I want to f**k you all the time / I want to kiss you / I want to f**k you" leave nothing to the imagination, revealing a sexual desire that is overpowering and urgent.

Despite the raw imagery and explicit language in the song, there is an underlying theme of love and desire beyond the physical realm. The singer is not only attracted to this girl's appearance but is also drawn to her as a person, stating "See that girl, she's gonna own the world / I'm ready for sex / But waiting for love". The lyrics suggest a longing for a deeper connection with this person beyond just the physical aspect of their relationship.

Overall, "Skinhead Girl" is a provocative song that pushes boundaries in terms of the sexual themes it presents. Yet, it also speaks to the emotional intensity that can exist between two people, even in a sexual context.

Line by Line Meaning

You know I want you
I desire you

You know I want to f**k you all the time
I want to have sex with you constantly

I want to kiss you
I desire to kiss you

I want to f**k you
I desire to have sex with you

Yes, she is my
I confirm that she is my

Yes, she is my skinhead girl
I confirm that she is my girlfriend who is a skinhead

Yes, she is my skinhead
I confirm that she is my skinhead girlfriend

See that girl, that girl is true
That girl is honest and loyal

F**k f**king on sandy beaches
I don't want to have sex on sea beaches

Kiss kissing all over the place and
I want to kiss you everywhere

I'll watch your face and
I will observe your face