Hole singer Courtney Love protested the Golden Globes back in 2000 for not nominating R.E.M. for the award of Best Original Song. While presenting the award to Genesis’ Phil Collins for his song ‘You’ll Be In My Heart,’ Love made Collins beg, and she sang the chorus of R.E.M.’s ‘The Great Beyond,’ which the rockers had written for ‘Man on the Moon’ to show her stance.
In a 2019 interview with Interview Magazine, Courtney was asked what was ‘one of her favorite uses of a piece of music in a movie.’ The Hole singer recalled the 2000 Golden Globes ceremony as she answered and said:
“I remember the night of the Golden Globes in, like, 2000, when I was asked to read the winner for Best Song. I had gone on that show sober and been really angry that R.E.M. hadn’t been nominated for ‘Man on the Moon.'”
To show off her anger, Love made Phil beg her to hand over the award. Love recalled:
“Phil Collins won the award, and I was very rude. I made him beg for his Golden Globe, and they never asked me back. I even sang a little R.E.M. at the podium.”
After her reaction on stage, Love also spoke about the significance of R.E.M.’s ‘The Great Beyond.’ She added:
“There was an original song in that soundtrack called ‘The Great Beyond.’ A producer asked me to go to Michael [Stipe] and ask him whether or not they could have that song for less. I went to Michael, and he was like, ‘Why are they sending you? That’s so horrible. You should not be sent for this.’ That song meant so much to me.”
The rocker also recalled a moment after the Golden Globes that she felt defeated for taking a stance. Courtney continued:
“Then I remember very specifically some time after the Golden Globes, I was out with a bunch of people, and Paul Thomas Anderson looked at me and went, ‘You know, if you were really punk when you read Best Song, you would have read Aimee Mann for the Magnolia thing.’ I was like, ‘What?’ I remember feeling just crushed because I had risked some shit. I’m damned if I do, and I’m damned if I don’t.”
Love pointed out that her generation was much more harsh. She recalled:
“Kids today don’t get yelled at by the voice of their generation because they didn’t pull a Jack Palance, allegedly, and read off Aimee Mann. A kid who’s made a lot of money like Justin Bieber doesn’t even understand that concept. Selling out to him means there’s no more tickets to Madison Square Garden. He’s a sweet kid, though.”
The singer has recently shown her support for Michael Stipe once again by promoting his latest single ‘Give Me A Hand,’ which was part of a special compilation album that was released to celebrate Earth Day 2023. Love’s Instagram post read:
“My friend, Michael Stipe, has released a song, ‘Give Me A Hand,’ to celebrate Earth Day. His voice —which has been missed! —is so vulnerable and beautiful on this —go buy it and save the Earth. Link in bio! ‘He’s got a few trips left indeed,’ to quote the song.”
You can read Courtney Love’s 2019 interview with Interview Magazine here and listen to ‘The Great Beyond’ as well as ‘You’ll Be In My Heart’ below.
