Hole - Violet

About "Violet"

"Violet" is a song by American alternative rock band Hole, written by vocalist and guitarist Courtney Love and guitarist Eric Erlandson. The song was written in mid-1991, and was performed live between 1991 and 1992 during Hole's earlier tours, eventually appearing as the opening track on the band's second studio album Live Through This (1994). The song was released as the group's seventh single and the third from that album in early 1995.

The lyrics of "Violet" were inspired by Love's tumultuous relationship with Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan in 1990. Several critics and scholars have noted parallels in the lyrics between Corgan as well as Love's late husband, Kurt Cobain. The themes of sexual exploitation, violence, self-abasement, and resentment, have also been noted, and some critics have compared elements of the song to the works of Bessie Smith and Janis Joplin. The lyric The sky was made of amethyst, and all the stars look just like little fish is possibly a reference to a person being hit hard, blacking out, and seeing stars.

"Violet" peaked at number 29 on the Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks after the album's release in 1994, and is considered one of Hole's most well-known and critically recognized songs. It charted at number 116 on The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born list by Blender magazine in 2005.The cover artwork for the single features a Victorian mourning portrait of a deceased young girl which was acquired from the historical archives of Stanley Burns. A music video, released in 1995, features Love among numerous strippers performing in an early-20th century dance hall, contrasted with ballerinas and young girls dancing in an elegant theater.