Known as one of the most controversial women rockers, Courtney Love is a resilient woman. I find beauty in some of her lyrics and sadness in her life. I admire her persistence and "who gives a shit" attitude, but deplore her rudeness. Still, I enjoy her rebellious and invigorating grunge-pop music and am fascinated by her life.She was a product of divorce and there is speculation of drug abuse within her family. Her Father was a "Deadhead" who gave her LSD at four years old. Most of her childhood was spent traveling and living in various hippie communities and her mother often left Courtney in the care of others. As a young adult, she worked as a stripper to make ends meet. Her anger and addictiveness obviously stem from this unstable environment.
Quite possibly, much of her "angry girl" music was birthed from these early experiences and tortured relationships. I wonder about the lyrics in "Petals"...Tear the petals off of you/Make you tell the truth. And "Dying"...You promised, you promised me/I'm dying, I'm dying please - a soft, haunting lullaby that may invoke childhood memories?
I confess to buying every album Hole and Courtney Love have produced yet I have not witnessed her in concert (I don't want to be spit on). I love screaming the lyrics to "Miss World" while I am cleaning the house - I'm Miss World/Watch Me Break and Watch Me Burn/Nobody's listening my friend. And "Violet" - And the sky was made of Amethyst/And all the stars look just like little fish...You should learn when to go/You should learn how to say no...Go on take everything, take everything, I want you to. It's very cathartic if not a bit deranged on my part.
Many musicians write lyrics that strike a cord within their soul or speak of their experiences. I believe Love's music is a hauntingly violent, artistic portrayal of her life. I wonder where she would be today without her music. I recently noticed that she has her own blog. Her drug abuse is still blatantly apparent in her writing.
*photos courtesy wireimage.com
8 comments:
I followed that link, read the (sometimes less than coherent) post and then read some of the comments. The feeling I get is a life full of chaos and sycophants and psychopaths. I hope she can find a solid anchor before she goes down in flames. Unfortunately, people in her position seldom do.
lou - pretty scary, huh? I am surprised she has lasted this long.
She is actually a highly intelligent, yet I am not surprised. After her makeover from her grunge phase, I thought she would actually do something more constructive than that.
Can`t say I blame her, she`s been through a lot. She could have a lot of potential if she clean up her act. Hollywood seems to be willing to give away second chances.
I don't listen to her songs often, however, I do believe that lyrics are a reflection of the artist's inner feelings. When writing from the soul, the song tend to stick with the listener because it probably struck something inside him/her.
linda - good point - I think her songs appeal to my rebellious side that is under wraps :) and possibly the fact that I am a slave to house cleaning!
The fascination of Courtney Love (as well as Brit, Lindsey, etc) is similar to that of a car wreck on teh side of the road...we know we are supposed to drive on (if we are not qualified to help) but we still seem to slow down to gawk.
When she has her act together she looks so beautiful, and her experiences give her such depth. I think she is honestly trying to be a healthier person, she has an illness. I think what I love most about her, is her honesty. She can be such a powerful woman who exudes such a good energy to other women. An energy that projects the - " hey I'm not perfect, and I'm going to pick myself up off the floor and try to go forward". There's just something about her that I wish I had more of. I wish her well! Great post!
Java - Very true and if it weren't for these types of people, the gossip blogs and tabloids would be out of business!
Jean - Well said. She manages to push on despite her addiction and she is certainly an aspiring lady and quite talented.
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