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".
Afterglow
Garbage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Focus on the galaxy
Sweep away your expectations
And recognize your enemies
But here you're talking to yourself
You're stripping off for someone else
You've got to learn to love yourself
There's little else
You're always looking for affection
And all its possibilities
Your sense of searching for attention
In urgent need of gravity
I think you think you're someone else
You've got to learn to save yourself
Before you find there's nothing left
But bitterness and hollowness
And afterglow
And afterglow
In Garbage's song "Afterglow," the lyrics focus on the idea of self-love and the importance of recognizing oneself in a world that constantly demands attention and conformity. The opening line – "Center on the wide horizon" – signifies the need to drop one's small, narrow-minded worldview and see the bigger picture, vast and infinite like a galaxy. The second line – "Focus on the galaxy" – further emphasizes the importance of recognizing oneself as part of a larger, complex universe.
The following lines – "Sweep away your expectations / And recognize your enemies" – encourage the listener to let go of unrealistic and harmful expectations and to acknowledge the things that hold them back. The chorus then drives home the central message of the song: "You've got to learn to love yourself / It's all that counts / There's little else." The verses describe the singer's struggles with self-acceptance and the pitfalls of seeking validation from external sources.
The second verse – "You're always looking for affection / And all its possibilities / Your sense of searching for attention / In urgent need of gravity" – touches on the desperation that can come from seeking love and attention, often at the cost of one's own self-worth. The line "I think you think you're someone else" points to the confusion that arises from living up to others' expectations rather than being true to oneself. The final lines – "Before you find there's nothing left / But bitterness and hollowness / And afterglow / And afterglow" – warn of the consequences of neglecting oneself and the inevitable emptiness that follows.
Overall, "Afterglow" is a powerful song about the importance of self-love and the struggles of finding oneself in a world that often promotes conformity and external validation over personal growth and acceptance.
Line by Line Meaning
Center on the wide horizon
Focus on the bigger picture, and not just your immediate surroundings.
Focus on the galaxy
Think beyond your limited perspective and consider the vastness of the universe.
Sweep away your expectations
Let go of preconceived notions of what should be and embrace what is.
And recognize your enemies
Be aware of those who may not have your best interests at heart.
But here you're talking to yourself
You are alone and forced to confront your true feelings and thoughts.
You're stripping off for someone else
You are being vulnerable and exposing your inner self to others.
You've got to learn to love yourself
You need to accept and appreciate yourself, flaws and all.
It's all that counts
Self-love is the foundation for living a fulfilling life.
There's little else
Without self-love, other accomplishments and experiences will feel hollow and meaningless.
You're always looking for affection
You yearn for connection and validation from others.
And all its possibilities
The potential for love and acceptance is alluring and exciting.
Your sense of searching for attention
You feel a deep need for recognition and validation.
In urgent need of gravity
You crave stability and grounding in your life.
I think you think you're someone else
You are not living authentically and true to who you are.
You've got to learn to save yourself
You need to take care of yourself and be your own advocate.
Before you find there's nothing left
If you continue to neglect yourself, you will eventually have nothing left to give.
But bitterness and hollowness
The result of neglecting yourself is a sense of bitterness and emptiness.
And afterglow
The lingering, residual effects of allowing yourself to be vulnerable and authentic.
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