"Jennifer's Body"

I'm surprised at how few people seem to remember that "Jennifer's Body" was a Hole song before it was a Megan Fox vehicle. In hindsight, I'd forgotten that Courtney Love's fame has almost nothing to do with her music.



Before she was the world's most publicized music-world trainwreck outside of the Jackson family, Courtney Love was in a sometimes-incredible band named Hole. They were usually incredible with a little help--by far Hole's most enduring albums are the ones Kurt Cobain (Live Through This) and Billy Corgan (Celebrity Skin) contributed to. But it's hard to imagine lyrics like "Found pieces of Jennifer's body/Just relax, just relax, just go to sleep" growled by anyone other than Frances Bean's unfortunate mother. Like Live Through This and Ms. Love herself, the unsettling lyrics and effortless melody of "Jennifer's Body" is impossible to ignore. Hole weren't as consistent as their greatest grunge contemporaries, but Live Through This is a better listen than any full-length by Mudhoney, L7 or Stone Temple Pilots.

Screenwriter Diablo Cody is clearly invested in Live Through This, having written a performance of "Doll Parts" into Juno before nabbing the title of "Jennifer's Body" for her latest flick. For all I know, Jennifer's Body could be even worse than it looks, but hopefully it'll remind viewers that Courtney Love used to have some artistic worth.