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.
So You Wanna Be a Rock Star?
Hole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Would it be fun to be a rock star?
Yeah I know you wanna kill the rockstars
You'd rather die
Oh yeah but you'd try
Oh yeah I think you'd like to try
How'd you like to be Madonna?
Oh how'd you like to be Madonna?
Say you'd rather die
Oh what a lie
Oh I think you'd like to try
How'd you like to be Nirvana?
So much fun to be Nirvana
Barrel of laughs to be Nirvana
Say you'd rather die
Yeah but you'd try
Oh to try
We are not who we fuck
It is your own idea
Get out of my memories, truth
Get out of my life you're poison
How'd you like invade my house?
Throw my baby and furniture out
How'd you like credit for this song?
Well I'd rather die
Oh yeah I'd rather die
Oh yeah well I'd rather die
Oh yeah I'd rather die
The lyrics to Hole’s song, “So You Wanna Be a Rock Star?” are a commentary on the culture of celebrity and the music industry’s fascination with fame. The song starts by posing the question of whether the listener would like to be a rock star, insinuating that it might be appealing to some people. But then the lyrics take a darker turn, as the song suggests that the desire to be a rock star comes with its own downsides, such as the potential for jealousy and aggression towards established musicians. The line “yeah I know you wanna kill the rock stars” suggests a sense of envy and bitterness towards those who have already achieved success in the industry.
The song then goes on to reference several famous musicians, including Madonna and Nirvana. The lyrics suggest that being like these icons might seem like a desirable prospect, but beneath the surface lies a dark underbelly that might not be apparent from the outside. The allusion to Madonna speaks to the cultural fascination with female pop stars and the pressure they face to be perfect and conform to society's beauty standards. The reference to Nirvana, on the other hand, points to the darker side of fame, including drug abuse, mental illness, and suicide.
The final lines of the song are a rejection of the idea of celebrity and the pursuit of fame. The lyrics “we are not who we fuck, it is your own idea” suggest that fame is often linked to sexual conquests and that this is a mistaken idea. The song ends with a series of provocations, including the suggestion of breaking into the singer’s house, throwing out her baby and furniture, and taking credit for her work.
Line by Line Meaning
How'd you like to be a rock star?
Asking if the listener desires to become a rock star.
Would it be fun to be a rock star?
Questioning if being a rock star is enjoyable.
Yeah I know you wanna kill the rockstars
Acknowledging the listener's desire to surpass other rock stars.
You'd rather die
Expressing the listener's preference for giving up the pursuit of being a rock star than living without achieving it.
Oh yeah but you'd try
Despite the above line, you would still attempt to be a rock star.
Oh yeah I think you'd like to try
Suggesting that the listener would enjoy trying to be a rock star.
How'd you like to be Madonna?
Asking if the listener would like to be a famous singer like Madonna.
So much fun to be Madonna
Implying that being famous like Madonna is enjoyable.
Oh how'd you like to be Madonna?
Reiterating the question of whether the listener wants to be like Madonna.
Say you'd rather die
The listener claims they would rather die than being like Madonna is false.
Oh what a lie
Expressing the falsity of the previous statement.
Oh I think you'd like to try
Suggests that the listener would actually like to try being like Madonna.
How'd you like to be Nirvana?
Asks if the listener would like to be a rock band like Nirvana.
So much fun to be Nirvana
Denotes the enjoyment of being a rock band like Nirvana.
Barrel of laughs to be Nirvana
Expressing that being a rock band like Nirvana is enjoyable and fun.
Say you'd rather die
Even though the listener claims they would rather die than be like Nirvana, this is a falsehood.
Yeah but you'd try
Despite the previous line, the listener would still attempt to be like Nirvana.
Oh to try
Reiterating that the listener wants to try being like Nirvana despite any prior denial.
We are not who we fuck
Stating that one's sexual partners do not define them.
It is your own idea
Emphasizing that one's self-perception is what matters most.
Get out of my memories, truth
Asking the truth or the memory to leave them alone, indicating that they do not want to remember something anymore.
Get out of my life you're poison
Asking someone, or some element, in their life that is affecting them negatively to leave.
How'd you like invade my house? Throw my baby and furniture out
Asking how the listener would feel if someone treated them as badly as they have treated their personal possessions.
How'd you like credit for this song?
Asking if the listener wants to take credit for the songwriter's work.
Well, I'd rather die Oh yeah I'd rather die Oh yeah well I'd rather die Oh yeah I'd rather die
Reiterating that the singer would rather die than see someone else take credit for their work.
Contributed by Connor V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
D A Thorndike
I love this song! I have never heard of this unreleased Hole song before. What year was this recorded?
zefiro
🎸