Courtney Love (10,935 views)

[IhateMana]

Associated Acts: Pagan Babies (1985 - 1986), Hole (1989 - 2002, 2010 - 2012, 2019 - Present)
Vocal Range: G♯2 - F♯5

SPOILER: Click to show

{Vocal Summary}
Vicious, snarling and confronting, Courtney Love was one of the most prominent figures at the forefront of girl power in the 90s. As the frontwoman of Hole, Love wrote brutal cuts about body image, eating disorders, drug addiction, violence against women and the general pressures injustices every women and girl is subjected to and expected to accept every waking hour of their lives.

Love's voice is enourmous and unrelenting. Adopting the punk shout as a proud weapon, Love sings pretty much exclusively in a chesty howl, a rattling rasp adorning every note. Her lower register is strong and carries excellent tone, especially as she has gotten older and the effects of her vocal abuse have caught up with her. Interestingly, the only real difference in her voice, at least in the studio, seems to be that her lower register has expanded.

Significant High Notes

F♯5 ("Dicknail", "Life Despite God")
F5 ("Babydoll", "I Think That I Would Die")
E5 ("But Julian, I'm a Little Bit Older Than You", "Life Despite God", "Plump", "Rock Star", "Sunset Strip")
E♭5 ("Beautiful Son", "Phonebill Song")
D5 ("Asking For It", "Burn Black", "Drown Soda" John Peel Session 1991, "Forming/Hot Chocolate Boy" John Peel Session 1991, "Good Sister/Bad Sister", "Honey", "I Think That I Would Die", "I'll Do Anything", "Killer Radio", "Loser Dust", "Mono", "Mrs. Jones", "Never Go Hungry", "Plump", "R** Girl", "Uncool", "Violet", "Whose Porno You Burn (Black)" Live ("Violet" single UK version))
C♯5 ("Babydoll", "Berry", "Blood" Live in San Francisco 1984, "Dicknail", "Garbadge Man", "Good Sister/Bad Sister", "Hello", "Letter to God", "Phonebill Song", "Plump", "Pretty on the Inside", "R** Girl", "Season of the Witch" Live on MTV Unplugged 14/02/1995, "She Walks Over Me", "Skinny Little Bitch", "Turpentine", "Wedding Day", "You Know My Name", "Zeplin Song")
C5 ("All the Drugs", "Almost Golden", "Be a Man", "Beautiful Son", "Clouds", "Doll Parts", "Fly", "Happy Ending Story", "Hold On to Me", "Loaded", "Mono", "Northern Star", "Sassy", "Softer, Softest", "Sunset Marquis", "Sunset Strip", "Teenage Whore", "Turpentine", "The Void")
B4 ("Babydoll", "Burn Black", "But Julian, I'm a Little Bit Older Than You", "Clouds", "Drown Soda" John Peel Session 1991, "Fly", "Garbadge Man", "Good Sister/Bad Sister", "Honey", "Forming/Hot Chocolate Boy" John Peel Session 1991, "Jennifer's Body", "Life Despite God", "Loser Dust", "Mrs. Jones", "Phonebill Song", "Playing Your Song", "R** Girl", "Rock Star", "Samantha", "Sassy", "Someone Else's Bed", "Sunset Marquis", "Take Me to the River", "Teenage Whore", "Uncool", "Violet", "Wedding Day", "Whose Porno You Burn (Black)" Live ("Violet" single UK version))
B♭4 ("20 Years in the Dakota", "How Dirty Girls Get Clean", "I'll Do Anything", "Rat a Tat", "Reasons To Be Beautiful", "Someone Else's Bed", "Surprise" Live in San Francisco 1984, "Zeplin Song")
A4 ("All the Drugs", "Awful", "Be a Man", "Beautiful Son", "Boys On the Radio", "Car Crash", "Celebrity Skin", "Closing Time", "Gold Dust Woman", "Gutless", "Hold On to Me", "How Dirty Girls Get Clean", "Letter to God", "Malibu", "Never Gonna Be the Same", "Nobody's Daughter", "Northern Star", "Pacific Coast Highway", "Pale Blue Eyes" Live at the Whiskey 02/11/1992, "Playing Your Song", "Quiet Room", "Softer, Softest", "Stand Up Motherfucker", "Sunset Strip", "Turpentine", "Uncool", "The Void", "Zeplin Song")


Significant Low Notes

A3 ("All the Drugs", "Awful", "Beautiful Son", "Burn Black", "Forming/Hot Chocolate Boy" John Peel Session 1991, "Garbadge Man", "He Hit Me (And it Felt Like a Kiss)" Live on MTV Unplugged 14/02/1995, "Jennifer's Body", "Killer Radio", "Malibu", "Mrs. Jones", "Northern Star", "Samantha", "She Walks Over Me", "Surprise" Live in San Francisco 1984, "Turpentine", "The Void", "Walk Out on Me")
G♯3 ("Bernadine", "Best Sunday Dress" Pagan Babies demo version, "Cold Shoulders", "Hungry Like the Wolf" Live at the Hollywood Palladium 09/11/1994, "Love, Love, Love", "Phonebill Song")
G3 ("20 Years in the Dakota", "Almost Golden", "Asking For It", "Babydoll", "Be a Man", "Boys On the Radio", "Car Crash", "Clouds", "Credit In the Straight World", "Codine", "Doll Parts", "Garbadge Man", "Good Sister/Bad Sister", "Hold On to Me", "How Dirty Girls Get Clean", "I Think That I Would Die", "Killer Radio", "Miss Narcissist", "Miss World", "Mrs. Jones", "Never Gonna Be the Same", "Northern Star", "Petals", "Pretty on the Inside", "Reasons To Be Beautiful", "R** Girl", "Sassy", "Softer, Softest", "Sunset Marquis", "Sunset Strip", "Take Me to the River", "Teenage Whore", "Use Once & Destroy", "Violet", "Walk Out on Me")
F♯3 ("Beautiful Son", "Celebrity Skin", "Closing Time", "Dicknail", "Don't Mix the Colors", "Drag", "Dying", "Good Sister/Bad Sister", "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", "Jennifer's Body", "Loser Dust", "Miss World", "Plump", "Season of the Witch" Live on MTV Unplugged 14/02/1995, "You Know My Name")
F3 ("20 Years in the Dakota", "Asking For It", "Heaven Tonight", "Loaded", "Mrs. Jones", "Pale Blue Eyes" Live at the Whiskey 02/11/1992, "Reasons To Be Beautiful", "Zeplin Song")
E3 ("Almost Golden", "Babydoll", "Berry", "Boys on the Radio" Live at the Electric Factory 1999, "Burn Black", "But Julian, I'm a Little Bit Older Than You", "Celebrity Skin", "Credit In the Straight World", "Dicknail", "Drown Soda" John Peel Session 1991, "Fly", "Forming/Hot Chocolate Boy" John Peel Session 1991, "Hit So Hard", "Life Despite God", "Loaded", "Mono", "Never Gonna Be the Same", "Nobody's Daughter", "Old Age", "Petals", "Rock Star", "She Walks Over Me", "Take Me to the River", "To Bring You My Love" Live at Curran 07/03/2015, "Turpentine", "Violet", "Wedding Day", "You Know You're Right" Live on MTV Unplugged 14/02/1995)
E♭3 ("Do it Clean" Live at the Clapham Grand, London 15/07/1993, "Drown Soda" Live at Brixton Academy, London 04/05/1995, "For Once in Your Life", "Letter to God", "Miss Narcissist")
D3 ("Asking For It" Live on MTV Unplugged 14/02/1995, "Doll Parts", "Dying", "Happy Ending Story", "Hold On to Me", "Mono", "Never Go Hungry", "Reasons To Be Beautiful", "Rio Grande", "Samantha", "Stand Up Motherfucker", "Sunset Marquis", "Sunset Strip", "Uncool")
C♯3 ("Playing Your Song", "Skinny Little Bitch", "Someone Else's Bed")
C3 ("All I Ever Wanted" Live at Here Arts Centre 08/01/2017, "For Once in Your Life", "Honey", "Pacific Coast Highway", "Playing Your Song")
B2 ("Nobody's Daughter", "Sunset Marquis")
B♭2 ("For Once in Your Life")
A2 ("Happy Ending Story", "Rio Grande")
G♯2 ("Letter to God")

.......................................................
Blue marks falsetto or whistle notes.
Underlines mark notes that are obscured in the song mix.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes that are considered to be particularly notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}
C6 ("Rock Star" [2])
F5 ("Garbadge Man" [1])
E5 ("Burn Black" [1]

D3 ("Asking For It" [5])
G2 ("All I Ever Wanted" Live at Here Arts Centre 08/012017, [5]

.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Album Ranges}
Pagan Babies

(1985) 4-track demo - (G♯3 - A4) IhateMana

Hole

(1990) The First Session - (E3 - E♭5) IhateMana
(1991) Pretty on the Inside - (E3 - F5) IhateMana
(1994) Live Through This - (D3 - F5) rebaru
(1995) Ask for It - (E3 - D5) IhateMana
(1998) Celebrity Skin - (C3 - C5) rebaru / IhateMana (10 -12)
(2010) Nobody's Daughter - (G♯2 - D5) IhateMana

(1990-1995) My Body, The Hand Grenade - (E♭3 - F♯5) IhateMana

Solo

(2004) America's Sweetheart - (D3 - F♯5) IhateMana

SPOILER: Click to show

{Bolds}
E3 ("Hit So Hard", "Old Age")
D3 ("Doll Parts")
C♯3 ("Playing Your Song")
B♭2 ("For Once in Your Life")

[glo]

Ugh, that G#2 in “Letter to God” is so alluring. Haunting vocalist, like many rock contraltos. Simply haunting.

[Lopan01 7]

And she was one the original singers. of Faith No More.

[IhateMana]

yeah for like 5 minutes in 1982. not sure it's the kind of thing I'd list as an associated act.

[Zedd Squared]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIk90s0OnPA&t=194
Extra E3 in this live version of Boys on the Radio (Electric Factory 1999). Also gotta love how Melissa unintentionally becomes the lead voice for a few seconds around this timestamp lol.

[motorist]

The song is called "She Walks On Me", not "She Walks Over Me", though I get the confusion because the lyrics say the latter many times

Also I'm surprised to see no high bolds.

SPOILER: Click to show

{For example this B4}

I know she does a lot of screams like this but surely a few are worthy of bolds right? But bolds are optional anyway I suppose.

E3 "Awful": youtu.be/85nWO5aE3vs?t=153
C#5 "Drag": youtu.be/UnF7_nje2mw?t=119

['S]

Jul 8, 2022 7:26:29 GMT motorist said:

The song is called "She Walks On Me", not "She Walks Over Me", though I get the confusion because the lyrics say the latter many times

lol IhateMana freudian slip?

[IhateMana]

that album was Reb's, so that's all him

I think I avoided bolded highs because they were all pretty much the same quality