Live Through This is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Hole. It was released by Geffen Records on April 12, 1994, just four days after frontwoman Courtney Love's husband, Kurt Cobain, was found dead in their home. It is Hole's last album to feature bassist Kristen Pfaff before her death in June 1994.
Musically and lyrically, the album differed greatly from the band's debut, Pretty on the Inside (1991), which was heavily influenced by punk and noise rock. For Live Through...
Live Through This is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Hole. It was released by Geffen Records on April 12, 1994, just four days after frontwoman Courtney Love's husband, Kurt Cobain, was found dead in their home. It is Hole's last album to feature bassist Kristen Pfaff before her death in June 1994.
Musically and lyrically, the album differed greatly from the band's debut, Pretty on the Inside (1991), which was heavily influenced by punk and noise rock. For Live Through This, Hole sought a more accessible rock sound, focusing more on melody and dynamics and utilizing less of the distortion and experimental touches that dominated their previous record. Lyrically, the album heavily reflected Love's life at the time, her transition into public notoriety, and her role as a wife and mother, as well as articulating a "third-wave feminist consciousness".
The album was extremely well received by music critics, garnering rave reviews and "best album of the year" awards in major periodicals, such as Rolling Stone, Spin, and The New York Times. The album was also a major financial success, selling over two million copies worldwide and going multi-platinum within just a year of its release. It also spawned four singles, including "Doll Parts" and "Violet", with "Doll Parts" reaching number 58 in the Billboard's Hot 100 as well as peaking at number 4 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.
In recent years, Live Through This has often been considered a contemporary classic of alternative rock, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. The album's title is derived from a monologue by Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939).
Included in Rolling Stone's Essential Recordings of the '90s
Ranked #6 in Spin's 90 Greatest Albums of the '90s
Voted Best Album in Rolling Stone's 1995 Critic's Poll
Included on Jon Pareles' (New York Times) list of the Top 10 Albums of '94
Ranked #1 in Spin's list of the 20 Best Albums of '94
Ranked #1 in the Village Voice's 1994 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll
Ranked #9 in Spin's Best Albums since 1985
Ranked #12 in NME's list of the Top 50 Albums of 1994.
Ranked #20 in Rolling Stone's 50 Essential "Women In Rock" Albums Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
