Violet

"Violet"
Single by Hole
from the album Live Through This
B-side	He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)
Released	January 1995 (1995-01)
Format	CD single
Recorded	1993 (1993)
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	3:24
Label	Geffen
Writer(s)	Courtney Love, Eric Erlandson
Producer	Paul Q. Kolderie, Sean Slade
Hole singles chronology
"Doll Parts" (1994) "Violet" (1995) "Softer, Softest" (1995)

"Violet" is the seventh single by the American alternative rock band Hole, released in January 1995 by Geffen on CD format. It is the third single to be released from their second album, Live Through This, following "Doll Parts" and "Miss World." This song was released after an extensive touring period by the band, throughout 1994 and 1995.

"Violet" is a song reputedly about Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, with whom vocalist/guitarist Courtney Love had a relationship in the early nineties. Courtney introduced the song on the Jools Holland show in 1995 as "This song's about a jerk, I hexed him and now he's losing his hair," which might refer to Corgan's hair loss. Lyrics such as "When they get what they want, then they never want it again", and "Go on, take everything, take everything, I want you to", portray the end of a bitter relationship. In any event, Corgan and Love subsequently came to enjoy cordial relations. However there is some evidence that the song alludes to Courtney's days as a stripper. Courtney herself has on occasion made reference to the violet lights in a strip club she used to work in. The video itself is also set in a seedy strip club, and Love herself dances on a pole, adding further imagery to the song's subject matter.^[1]

Songwriting

The songwriting credits on the record goes collectively to Hole, though BMI's website shows that "Violet" was written only by Eric Erlandson and lyrics by Love. "He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)" is originally written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and was first recorded by producer Phil Spector in the 1960s.

Track listing

UK CD single

1. Violet (LP Version) - 3:25
2. Old Age (Previously Unreleased) - 4:23
3. He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss) (Previously Unreleased) - 3:48
4. Whose Porno You Burn (Black) (Live Version - Previously Unreleased) - 3:44

The video

The video for "Violet" was filmed in 1994, and was directed by Mark Seliger and Fred Woodward. The video is artistic and in black and white at times, with pole dancing and implied seediness. Courtney also dances around in a tutu for much of the video. Melissa Auf der Maur has said about the video, 'This video reflects a very well thought out art project.'

Charts

Trivia

This song is the background music in the part of Mark Appleyard in the Skateboarding video Really Sorry produced by Flip Skateboards. It was also used for the Tank Girl movie trailer.

It has been noted that the album cover for the CD release of the single features an anonymous memorial photograph. Most likely either a daguerreotype, or a tintype post-mortem photograph of a young girl.

The song is featured in the end credits of the 2009 black comedy film Jennifer's Body starring Megan Fox.

References