Initially, Garbage was an informal jam session between the three producers held in Marker's basement. Steve Marker saw the music video of "Suffocate Me" by Angelfish on MTV, recorded it and showcased it to his band mates. They invited the Scottish vocalist Shirley Manson to join Garbage, she accepted, and soon Angelfish disbanded. According to Vig, Garbage was named before Manson joined the band, after the percussionist Pauli Ryan walked in while Vig was working on a remix for Nine Inch Nails and said it sounded like "garbage".
In August 1995, the group released their debut album Garbage, preceded by their first single "Vow" in March 1995. This album was an unexpected smash, selling over 5 million copies and reaching double platinum status in the UK (#6), USA (#20), Australia. Also it received great reviews from critics and featured on the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die." They released five singles from this album: "Vow", "Only Happy When It Rains", "Queer", "Stupid Girl", and "Milk". A non-album single entitled "Subhuman" was issued on 7 August 1995.
In 1996, the band released a short-form VHS and Video CD entitled "Garbage Video" (also known as "Home Video"), that included all of Garbage's promotional music videos filmed up until that point.
In 1997, Garbage were nominated at Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal for "Stupid Girl", Best Rock Song for "Stupid Girl". In the same year, the remixed version of "#1 Crush" (original version released in 1996) was included on the multi-platinum movie soundtrack William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. Also it was nominated for Best Song From a Movie at the 1997 MTV Movie Awards.
They spent over an year working on their follow-up album Version 2.0, which was released on May 1998 and hit #1 in the UK and #13 in the US. It was supported by six singles: "Push It", "I Think I'm Paranoid", "Special", "When I Grow Up", "The Trick Is to Keep Breathing" and "You Look So Fine". The music video of "Push It" featured state of the art effects and it costs over $400,000 to make. Version 2.0 sold over 5 million copies, almost the same as their debut.
In 1999, they performed the theme song to the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough. That year, they also contributed the song "When I Grow Up" to the Adam Sandler movie Big Daddy. Version 2.0 was nominated at Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Rock Album, and "Special" was nominated for Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal and Best Rock Song.
In October 2001, Garbage issued their third and most pop album beautifulgarbage, preceded by the single "Androgyny" in September 2001. All four singles released ("Androgyny", "Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)", "Breaking Up the Girl" and "Shut Your Mouth") were moderately successful. This album got 6th place at Rolling Stone's Top 10 Albums of The Year. The world tour from October 2001 to November 2002 was affected by Butch's health problems.
The band struggled to remain together and almost split in 2003, before returning with the fourth studio album Bleed Like Me in April 2005, peaking at a career-high #4 in USA. Four singles promoted the album: "Why Do You Love Me", "Sex Is Not the Enemy", "Bleed Like Me", and "Run Baby Run". Garbage cut short their 2005 world tour, and announced an indefinite hiatus, but emphasized it was not a break-up.
In July 2007 the group released a greatest hits album and a DVD entitled Absolute Garbage. The compilation featured a selection of their singles, a new single "Tell Me Where It Hurts" (#50 UK), and a remixed version of "It's All Over But the Crying" (the limited edition had also a remixes disc). The DVD included most of their music videos and a documentary related to the band.
In 2008 a new track called "Witness to Your Love" was issued on a charity compilation in the USA. Shirley Manson recorded a solo album but her label refused to release it considering it to be "too noir". In the same year she started to play a regular role on US TV show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
According to a post from Shirley's Facebook profile, the band returned back to studio in 2010. On 14 May 2012, Garbage released their fifth studio album, Not Your Kind of People. The album was supported by the singles "Blood For Poppies", "Battle in Me", "Automatic Systematic Habit" and "Big Bright World".
On June 10th 2016, Garbage released their 6th album "Strange Little Birds".
A Stroke Of Luck
Garbage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could have stayed that way forever
Bad blood and ghosts wrapped tight around me
Nothing could ever seem to touch me
I lose what I love most
Did you know I was lost until you found me?
A stroke of luck or a gift from god?
From below or saints above
You came to me
Here comes the cold again
I feel it closing in
It's falling down and all around me, falling
You say that you'll be there to catch me
Or will you only try to trap me?
These are the rules I make
Our chains were meant to break, you'll never change me
Here comes the cold again
I feel it closing in
You're falling down and all around me, falling
Stroke of luck or a gift from god?
Hand of fate or devil's claws?
From below or saints above, you come to me now
Don't ask me why
Don't even try
A stroke of luck or a gift from god?
The hand of fate or devil's claws?
From below or saints above
You came to me
Here comes the cold again
I feel it closing in
It's falling down and all around me, falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
The lyrics of Garbage's A Stroke of Luck paints a vivid image of a person who has been living in isolation because of their fear of being hurt. The persona describes themselves as hanging by thin threads of pale silver and mentions that they could have stayed like that forever. This line alludes to their emotional instability and the fragile state their life was in before they found someone who became their savior. The reference to bad blood and ghosts wrapped around them highlights how the person has been living in fear and emotional turmoil for an extended period. Despite feeling untouchable, the persona realizes they have lost what they loved most and only realized they were lost when the savior came and found them. The persona reflects on this as either a stroke of luck or as a gift from God.
The storyline of the lyrics takes a new turn when the persona questions the motive of their savior's intentions. The confusion stems from the persona's belief that the chains that were once intended to protect them are meant to break free eventually. They question their savior's intentions and whether they genuinely want to help them or trying to trap them. The last two lines of the song say, "Don't ask me why, don't even try." This could be interpreted as the person giving up on trying to rationalize things or attempting to make sense of their life circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Hanging by threads of palest silver
I was in a precarious and fragile state, barely holding on to life.
I could have stayed that way forever
I was so lost in my own misery that I didn't see a way out, and was resigned to living that way indefinitely.
Bad blood and ghosts wrapped tight around me
I was haunted by past mistakes and negative experiences, and these were affecting my ability to move on.
Nothing could ever seem to touch me
I had become so numb and disconnected from the world that nothing could make me feel anything anymore.
I lose what I love most
I have a pattern of losing the things that matter to me most, and it feels like a curse that I can't escape.
Did you know I was lost until you found me?
You have given me a sense of purpose and direction that I was missing before, and I am grateful for your presence in my life.
A stroke of luck or a gift from god?
I am trying to figure out if what we have is a random lucky occurrence or something that was meant to be, caused by a higher power.
The hand of fate or devil's claws?
I wonder if our connection is part of a greater plan, or if it has been orchestrated by something sinister.
From below or saints above
I question whether our relationship is coming from a dark, earthly place or from a place of purity and righteousness.
You came to me
You have been a source of light and a guide for me through my darkest moments and I am grateful for your presence.
Here comes the cold again
I can sense that something bad is about to happen, and I am bracing myself for the impact.
I feel it closing in
I am overwhelmed by the sense of impending doom, and feel trapped and helpless.
It's falling down and all around me, falling
Things are falling apart and there seems to be no escape from the chaos.
You say that you'll be there to catch me
You have promised to be my support and to help me through tough times, but I am afraid that you might not be able to follow through.
Or will you only try to trap me?
I am questioning whether your help is genuine, or if you are trying to control me and keep me under your influence.
These are the rules I make
I have created my own set of guidelines and standards, and I am not willing to compromise on them.
Our chains were meant to break, you'll never change me
I am determined to break free from any constraints and limitations that I have set for myself, and I will not allow anyone to change who I am.
Don't ask me why
I am not able to explain why I feel the way I do, and asking me will not lead to any answers.
Don't even try
You will not be able to understand what I am going through, and trying to do so will only lead to frustration and misunderstanding.
Falling
I am experiencing a sense of loss and despair, and everything seems to be spiraling out of control.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DOUGLAS ELWIN ERICKSON, SHIRLEY ANN MANSON, STEVE W. MARKER, BRYAN DAVID VIG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dooei94
Hanging by threads of palest silver
I could have stayed that way forever
Bad blood and ghosts wrapped tight around me
Nothing could ever seem to touch me
I lose what I love most
Did you know I was lost until you found me?
A stroke of luck or a gift from god?
The hand of fate or devil's claws?
From below or saints above
You came to me
Here comes the cold again
I feel it closing in
It's falling down and all around me, falling
You say that you'll be there to catch me
Or will you only try to trap me?
These are the rules I make
Our chains were meant to break, you'll never change me
Here comes the cold again
I feel it closing in
You're falling down and all around me, falling
Stroke of luck or a gift from god?
Hand of fate or devil's claws?
From below or saints above, you come to me now
Don't ask me why
Don't even try
A stroke of luck or a gift from god?
The hand of fate or devil's claws?
From below or saints above
You came to me
Here comes the cold again
I feel it closing in
It's falling down and all around me, falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling
@Chemical99
I had to dig, deep
Into my not, so empty pocket
So mad, I'm losing sleep.
You can see it in my left eye socket....
But THEY DEMANDED
I
Get reprimanded
I
Had no choice
I
Because it's always all about
Me
No voice
Screaming
As I fall
Into dirt again
@khristianrainford
I personally think this is the best song Garbage ever wrote on their best album. The atmosphere on this is brilliant, superb lyrics.
@Walamonga1313
Definitely the same vibe that As Heaven Is Wide oozes. Both are easily the best songs in the album!
@bradleyhenderson1198
I entirely agree with you.
@khristianrainford
@@bradleyhenderson1198 Thanks :)
@bradleyhenderson1198
@@khristianrainford You are most welcome. It is rare to find someone who really hears music.
@Sindollx666x
Always loved this track. Such a great album.
@lori9276
No one reaches me like Shirley. Her strength authenticity and honesty move me . She has comforted me for many many years and still does!!!
@svetastrezeva4521
Comforted, yes. Precisely. She was the raw, primordial mother I didn't have... The epitome of the Fierce Feminine.
@pascaltremblay7921
Most underrated song of Garbage, ever.
@BothHands1
Pascal Tremblay not as good as "Heaven is Wide"