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".
Automatic Systematic Habit
Garbage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You love those lies,
You tell them straight,
Straight to my face
They feel so right
They keep you safe
And you're so...
Lies more lies
I can tell they're lies
I can see right through,
You have see-through eyes
Knocked down like a?
This time I won't be your dirty little secret
Not for you, not for me, not for your other lover
I won't be your dirty little secret
Oh a man like you
Keep me up at night
You want your women at home
And your bed on the side
You've got a telephone girl that you carry around
In your jean back pocket with a?
And you're so...
Sly about it, oh it feels automatic
Yeah, you're so good at it
Oh it feels automatic
Sly about it, oh it feels automatic
Yeah, you're so good at it
A systematic habit
Knocked down like a?
This time I won't be your dirty little secret
Tell mother, tell your father, tell your friends, tell your teacher
I won't be your dirty little secret
I won't be your dirty little secret
Automatic systematic habit x10
Knocked down like a?
This time I won't be your dirty little secret
Not for you, not for me, not for your other lover
I won't be your dirty little secret
I won't be your dirty little secret
Knocked down like a?
This time I won't be your dirty little secret
Tell your mother, tell your brother, tell your friends, tell your teacher
I won't be your dirty little secret
I won't be your dirty little secret
I won't be, I won't
I won't be, I won't
I won't, I won't
I won't be knocked down
The lyrics in "Automatic Systematic Habit" by Garbage are about being in a toxic relationship with someone who is a habitual liar. The singer expresses their frustration and hurt due to the lies they have been told by their partner, and reveals that they are done being dragged down by their deceitful behavior. The partner is described as being incredibly skilled at lying, and seemingly unable to help themselves from doing so. Despite this, the singer can see right through them and recognizes the lies for what they are. The chorus emphasizes the singer's determination to stop being a secret and to stand up for themselves, which is highlighted by the repetition of "I won't be your dirty little secret."
Throughout the song, there is a sense of confrontation and defiance, as the singer refuses to be knocked down any longer. The partner is painted as a manipulative character who keeps women on the side, and even carries around a phone for that purpose. The singer recognizes that they cannot change their partner, but they can choose to remove themselves from the situation and refuse to tolerate any more lies.
Ultimately, "Automatic Systematic Habit" is a song about empowerment and taking control of one's own life. The lyrics encourage listeners to recognize when they are being mistreated and to take steps to change that situation. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the singer's determination to break free from the toxic relationship and start a new chapter in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
The lies lies lies
There are so many lies
You love those lies,
You enjoy telling lies
You tell them straight,
You tell lies directly to my face
Straight to my face
Lies are told to me directly
They feel so right
Lies make you feel good and comfortable
They keep you safe
Lies protect you
And you're so...
You possess these traits
Good at it, oh it comes automatic
You are skilled at lying, it comes naturally
I can tell they're lies
I can distinguish lies from the truth
I can see right through,
I can detect the deception
You have see-through eyes
Your eyes reveal your falseness
Knocked down like a?
This question is not clear and leaves the meaning open to interpretation
This time I won't be your dirty little secret
I refuse to be a hidden secret
Not for you, not for me, not for your other lover
I won't be a secret for anyone
Oh a man like you
You are a type of man
Keep me up at night
I worry about you at night
You want your women at home
You desire a woman at home
And your bed on the side
You want another woman in your bed on the side
You've got a telephone girl that you carry around
You have a girl at your beck and call
In your jean back pocket with a?
This question is not clear and leaves the meaning open to interpretation
Sly about it, oh it feels automatic
You are sneaky and it comes naturally
Yeah, you're so good at it
You are skilled at being sneaky
A systematic habit
Being sneaky is a regular routine for you
Tell mother, tell your father, tell your friends, tell your teacher
I refuse to keep being a secret, so tell everyone
Automatic systematic habit x10
Repeating previous lines about sneaky behavior
I won't be knocked down
I won't be defeated or kept a secret
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Bryan David Vig, Douglas Elwin Erickson, Shirley Ann Manson, Steve W Marker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind