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.

Softer Softest
Hole Lyrics

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I tell you everything
And I hope that you won't tell on me
And I'd give you anything
And I know that you won't tell on me
Pee-girl gets the belt
It old milk makes me mind
And all your milk is so sour, and I can only cry
And I can only cower, and I can only cry

You have all the power

I've got a blister from touching everything I see
The abyss opens up, it steals everything from me
Pee-girl gets the belt
The old milk makes me mind
Your milk is so sick, your milk has a dye
Your milk has so dick, your milk has a dye
Your milk has so dick

Burn the witch, the witch is dead
Burn the witch
Just bring me back her head
Pee-girl gets the belt
The old milk makes me mind
Your milk is so mean
Your milk turns to mine
Your milk turns to cream
Your milk turns to mine
Your milk turns to cream
Your milk turns to cry
Your milk turns to cream

Your milk turns to cry
Your milk turns to cream

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Hole's song Softer Softest are quite cryptic and open to interpretation. The song talks about an intense emotional relationship where the singer confides everything to their partner, hoping they won't divulge any information. Meanwhile, the singer is going through some kind of mental or physical torment, as seen in the line "I've got a blister from touching everything I see."

The mention of "Pee-girl gets the belt" is disturbing and adds a layer of intensity to the song, as well as the mention of "burn the witch," where the singer wants to bring back the head of the witch who is presumably the person causing their torment. The lyrics suggest that the singer has given all the power to this person, leaving them feeling helpless and exposed.

The mention of milk throughout the song is interesting and could be interpreted in a few different ways. Milk is often viewed as a symbol of nourishment and motherhood, but in this context, it's used to describe something that is sour, sick, and mean. It could represent the toxic nature of the relationship or the image of milk turning sour could symbolize something that was once good but has become rotten.

Overall, Softer Softest is a dark and intense song that effectively conveys the feeling of being trapped and powerless in a toxic relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

I tell you everything
I confide in you completely

And I hope that you won't tell on me
I trust that you will keep our conversations private

And I'd give you anything
I am willing to do anything for you

And I know that you won't tell on me
I have faith that you won't betray my trust

Pee-girl gets the belt
I feel powerless and vulnerable

It old milk makes me mind
I am deeply affected by negative experiences

And all your milk is so sour, and I can only cry
I feel overwhelmed by your negativity and can't help but be emotional

And I can only cower, and I can only cry
I feel powerless and defeated

You have all the power
You hold all the control over me

I've got a blister from touching everything I see
I am damaged and hurt from past experiences