Courtney Love seemingly woke up and chose violence as she offered a brutally blunt take on some of today’s biggest artists, including Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. Naturally, her take quickly had the internet up in arms.
Those unfamiliar with Love reacted by dismissing her music take and questioning her relevancy. However, her opinion isn’t as easily dismissable as, for example, Lily Allen’s bizarre take on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter because she actually is someone who has authority in the industry. She’s easily one of the most influential female artists in alternative rock. Love paved the way for other female artists in rock through her solo career and her band, Hole, which became one of the most successful female-fronted rock bands of all time. Additionally, anyone who’s already familiar with Love likely wouldn’t have been phased by her latest blunt takes.
Love has quite the reputation for speaking her mind and breaking the status quo. Some find her bold and unapologetic personality inspiring in a society where women aren’t often permitted to be loud and vocal. However, some feel her antics have gone too far at times, such as her volatile feud with Dave Grohl or the time she drunkenly crashed Madonna’s interview at the MTV Video Musics Awards. Needless to say, she’s a woman who commands attention, and she certainly caught everyone’s attention as she gave her honest take on today’s female artists.
What did Courtney Love save about contemporary female artists?
During an interview with the Evening Standard, Love weighed in on some of today’s biggest female artists and held nothing back. First, she noted that she’s generally supportive of modern female artists and the strides women have made in the industry. However, there are a few female artists she has no love for, including Swift. In a statement sure to leave Swifties fuming, Love said, “Taylor is not important. She might be a safe space for girls, and she’s probably the Madonna of now, but she’s not interesting as an artist.”
Then, she took aim at Lana Del Rey, suggesting that the indie pop artist take a lengthy “seven-year” break from music after covering a song by John Denver that turned Love away from her. Love did admit to initially liking Del Rey, though her opinion of her music has recently soured. As for Madonna, she hardly got into the music, just stating plainly, “I don’t like her, and she doesn’t like me.” Lastly, Love took on Beyoncé, admitting that she understood and loved the concept of Cowboy Carter but didn’t like the actual album. She explains, “I just don’t like her music.”
Wow. Love really didn’t mince words while laying into some of the most influential women in music. She didn’t give much evidence or clarity to support her opinions. She seemingly just personally dislikes all these artists and their music. The only unsurprising take was on Madonna. After Love crashed Madonna’s 1995 interview by throwing compact mirrors at her, Madonna famously quipped, “Courtney Love is in dire need of attention right now.” It’s quite expected that the pair don’t like each other much.
If this was another instance of Love wanting attention “right now,” she got her desire, given that she took on several of the most dedicated and powerful fanbases all at once and dissed their idols. The internet was quickly divided between Love fans supporting her opinion and pointing out her relevancy in the industry and those dismissing Love as irrelevant and attention-seeking.
Courtney Love is certainly entitled to her opinion but the issue, as one user mentioned, is less about what she said and more about how she said it. It’s concerning to see women like Allen and Love unable to articulate their opinions about fellow women in the industry without feeling the need to make cryptic, loaded comments or insult women in the process.
While many on the internet would like to debate her relevancy, Love is an influential figure and one would hope she would use her platform to elevate other women instead of tearing them down.
(featured image: Marc Piasecki / Getty / Neilson Barnard / Getty)
