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".
Breaking The Up Girl
Garbage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My friend you must be careful
They've a million ways to kill you
In this dangerous world
There's an art to growing old
Taking chances
Magic happens
And your life has come undone
Walk away cause you're breaking up the girl
It's a drag
I know it's hard
But you're tearing her apart
Walk away cause you're breaking up the girl
I am afraid that there's much to be afraid of
Here today and gone tomorrow
Don't end up in the gutter
Just like the one before
You're just the same
Such a loser
You've go to let her go because you're breaking up
You're breaking up the girl
The song "Breaking Up the Girl" by Garbage is a cautionary tale about the dangers of modern culture and how easy it is to make mistakes that can ruin someone's life. The lyrics warn of the many ways that people can be hurt, and how there is an art to growing old and taking risks. The chorus urges the listener to walk away if they are breaking up the girl, as it is a difficult and painful thing to do.
The song's theme of modern culture and its dangers is an important one, as Garbage is well-known for exploring social and political issues in their music. The lyrics suggest that people need to be more careful in the modern world, as there are many ways to be hurt or taken advantage of. The idea of taking risks and growing old is also important, as it suggests that in order to live a fulfilling life, people must be willing to take chances and pursue their dreams.
The chorus of the song is particularly powerful, as it urges the listener to walk away if they are breaking up the girl. This could be interpreted in many ways, from a romantic relationship to a business partnership or friendship. The idea that breaking up something or someone can be a difficult and painful process is an important one, and Garbage explores it with sensitivity and insight.
Line by Line Meaning
In a modern culture
The current society is complex and intricate
My friend you must be careful
I advise you to be cautious
They've a million ways to kill you
There are numerous methods to harm or destroy you
In this dangerous world
Within this hazardous environment
There's an art to growing old
There is a skill to aging gracefully
Taking chances
Assuming risks for a potentially beneficial outcome
Magic happens
Extraordinary events can occur
One mistake's all it takes
A single error could lead to catastrophic consequences
And your life has come undone
Your existence has unravelled
Walk away cause you're breaking up the girl
It is best if you depart as you are tearing the woman apart
It's a drag
This situation is dreary and tiring
I know it's hard
I am aware that this is difficult
But you're tearing her apart
However, you are separating her into small pieces
I am afraid that there's much to be afraid of
I am concerned that there are many things to worry about
Here today and gone tomorrow
Things are fleeting and temporary
Don't end up in the gutter
Do not land yourself in a messy, unfortunate situation
Just like the one before
Like the similar predicament that came before
You're just the same
You have not changed from the previous time
Such a loser
You are a complete failure
You've go to let her go because you're breaking up
You must allow her to depart from your life as you are gradually disbanding the bond
You're breaking up the girl
You are causing the connection with the woman to fall apart
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DOUGLAS ELWIN ERICKSON, SHIRLEY ANN MANSON, STEVE W. MARKER, BRYAN DAVID VIG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Drewz
The most underrated Garbage single EVER! So good!❤️
Jesse Laurence Music
I agree. It’s their most underrated song.
Brent Peterson
I like this on and parade.
Atv off-road fury was the best game to introduce this band to me.
Craig H
This song never fails to put a lightness in my heart.
Fred Landry
One of my favorite songs from Garbage.
RicoLen1
That voice! Never mind her skills, or her looks, or anything, just that tone of her voice is so special. Add all that stuff back in to her as a singer, and she's beyond anything I'd ever want from a rock band's lead singer.
Garbage
We're celebrating the 20th anniversary of 'BeautifulGarbage'. We are all exceedingly grateful to still be here and be able to give our beloved album the tribute it so very much deserves.
Pre-order BeautifulGarbage, out 1st Oct: https://Garbage.lnk.to/beautiful-garbage
Avery Illies
Just bought the Deluxe Vinyl box set! I love Beautiful Garbage! Thank you for breathing new life to this masterpiece ❤️
Skip Callaham
I hate to say it but I only discovered you about 3 years ago. Since that day I've had like sensory overload on all your music and videos, every thing is great to me!
Brent Peterson
I love it.