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Courtney Love’s 20 favourite singers of all time

Mon 1 July 2024 19:30, UK

Picking out your favourite singer of all time is a near-impossible task. Music history is full of talented vocalists worthy of the title, from skilful singers who exercise impressive control over their vocal chords to more emotionally evocative voices, singers who ensure their craft is steeped in emotion. From all-time greats like Freddie Mercury and Nina Simone to more recent additions to the conversation like Beyoncé and Adele, there are hundreds of names to consider. But if you’re particularly into grunge, Courtney Love might be a name that makes your list.

As the frontwoman of alt-rockers Hole, Love became one of the driving forces in the genre in the 1990s, reaching cultural icon status. Her iteration of grunge focused on ferocious femininity, as she tackled themes of identity, assault and innocence over gritty guitars. Love’s voice was sometimes soft, sometimes strong and scratchy, driving each of her words home. Many rockers would include the Hole vocalist as one of their favourite singers of all time, but which vocalists make up her list?

The ‘Celebrity Skin’ singer once divulged a list of her top 20 singers to Rolling Stone, including artists spanning a number of genres. From folk to pop to Merseybeat, she shows off a wide-ranging taste and appreciation for great vocalists far beyond her own grunge realm. She also gave her answers in a characteristically chaotic style, throwing in ties and crossing out and changing her picks as she went.

Refusing to limit herself to just 20 picks, Love included several honourable mentions in a number 21 spot, including Bono and The Boss, the nickname lovingly given to Bruce Springsteen. A number of other usual suspects make Love’s list – Paul McCartney and John Lennon take the 14th and 15th spots respectively, though the latter is tied with Dusty Springfield, while Bob Dylan comes in third.

Elton John also makes an appearance, having lent his voice to so many pop classics, as well as Rolling Stones rocker Mick Jagger. But Love also throws some more unexpected picks into the mix. Leonard Cohen, while always praised for his poeticism, was rarely helmed as a great singer. Still, Love was never one to follow the crowd. She designates him a place in the top ten, just behind PJ Harvey.

Cohen seems to have originally taken Love’s number four spot, but his name was crossed out and replaced with R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, who is also the godfather of her daughter. But Love reserves the top spots for herself and her husband, late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. It seems that initially she placed Cobain at number one, but then opted to scribble his name out and replace it with her own. “ME!” the top spot reads, “C LOVE!” Cobain comes in second.

From Leonard Cohen to Liam Gallagher, Love’s list is expectedly wide-ranging and eclectic. It includes singers that have a near permanent place on lists like these, but it also includes many more personal picks, from the melancholic musings of Elliott Smith to Bright Eyes singer Conor Oberst. It’s a list that is undoubtedly steeped in Love’s personality.