Billy Corgan bids on Courtney Love’s 'Violet' lyrics in charity auction

Billy Corgan, the iconic leader of the Smashing Pumpkins, has entered a charity auction to win Courtney Love’s handwritten lyrics to Hole’s 1994 hit "Violet."

The auction supports the Ellis Park Wildlife Sanctuary, which rescues and rehabilitates wild animals. The 2024 auction (which people can participate in online) also includes signed musical manuscript score page from Philip Glass, a "Bespoke Gucci suit jacket" donated by Nick Cave, "Flea’s 'road worn' Signature Fender Jazz Bass," an Iggy Pop photograph by Mick Rock, a signed Eddie Vedder photograph, a "Sopranos shooting script, a signed photograph by Norman Reedus, and other goodies.

In a recent video, Corgan expressed his excitement about the chance to own the lyrics, joking about the song: "I think it’s about a guy I know a little bit," referring to their brief romance in the early 1990s. Released as part of Hole’s critically acclaimed Live Through This album, "Violet" became one of the band’s standout tracks (in addition to "Miss World" and "Doll Parts"), blending raw emotion with grunge aesthetics.

Love clarified to NME that the song reflects more than just her relationship with Corgan, though, in her dismissal, she semi-paradoxically cited memories of evenings in his Chicago apartment while the sun set into "a bejeweled amethyst sky."

A piece of rock history

Technically, Corgan's potential link to the song lyrics make it a bigger piece of music history, as it would involve both the leaders of Hole and Smashing Pumpkins. In January 2002, Corgan told "Guitar World "We [Smashing Pumpkins] were completely into the sad-rock, Cure kind of thing."

However, this is a reminder that Corgan was also influenced by his contemporaries in the United States, and his relationship with Courtney Love reminds us the Pumpkins were at least grunge-adjacent (some online comments are quick to claim Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots are not grunge bands, for the silly reason that they were not Seattle bands).

To emphasize his connection to Courtney Love, Corgan playfully added in his video that he contributed a "heart-rending couplet" to the lyrics and called the song one of his favorites, signing off with affection for Love. Their connection, both personal and creative, has long intrigued fans, especially as the auction sheds light on their shared history, whatever its nature. Running until December 15, the auction also highlights their mutual commitment to art and philanthropy, and is worth checking out and maybe bidding on (if you have the money).