Courtney Love looked back on her relationship with Kurt Cobain while reflecting on the 33rd anniversary of Hole’s debut album, ‘Pretty on the Inside,’ in a recent Instagram post.
The singer mentioned how she created the album with intention, knowing the impact it would have on people. Then, she wrote, “I like being in total control like that, then I hooked up with Kurt Cobain at some point, and everything lost control. He—lovely, but the nonsense? Well, I’m still battling Kurt’s dammed demons. When do I get to battle mine? ‘POTI’ differentiated me and gave me a ‘brand’ that I’m still trying to shed off of myself. I’m not 24 and spitting bile anymore! Damn!”
Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and Gumball’s Don Fleming produced ‘Pretty on the Inside.’ The record came out in September 1991, a year before Love and Cobain tied the knot.
The couple made the headlines with their drug use throughout their marriage that lasted until Cobain passed away in 1994. Hole’s debut album touched on Love’s personal demons, as she explained in her recent post, “My own weaknesses and impurities; things about myself that I hate … paranoias, petty concerns, and pithy, pathetic things that are inside of me. I try to place beautiful imagery next to fucked up imagery because that’s how I view things.”
‘Pretty on the Inside’ explored themes such as abortion, prostitution, suicide, murder, and self-destructiveness. It peaked at Number 59 on the UK Charts while the lead single, ‘Teenage Whore,’ reached No. 1 on the UK Indie Singles Chart.