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".
Empty
Garbage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll never be as great as
I want to be
Everyone that I run into
The ones you always seem so into
What's wrong with me?
They all seem to know exactly
They smile as they go
So I work at staying patient
Good things come to those that wait
Or so they say
I'm so empty
You're all I'm thinking about, about
Oh oh, about, about
Oh oh oh, about, about
Oh oh oh, about, about
I get tired of trying
Ideas die on the vine
And I feel like a fake
I lie awake believing
That somehow I keep failing
I rail and I ache
At the monsters and the demons
I've wrestled with for eons
And I want to destroy
I'm so empty
You're all I talk about
Oh oh-out
You're all I talk about
Every day, every hour of the night
You're all I think about
Every day, every hour of the night
You're all I dream about
Every day, every hour of the night
You're all I think about
You're all I think about
I'm so empty
I'm so empty
I'm so empty
You're all I'm thinking about
About, about, oh oh oh, about
I'm so empty
The lyrics to Garbage's song Empty seems to be a candid admission of the singer's feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty towards the world and society. Shirley Manson, who is known for her unapologetic and raw lyrics, sings about her frustration for not being great enough while looking up to everyone around her who seemed to have everything figured out. She even questions what was wrong with her for not knowing what she wanted or where she was going.
The song's chorus, "I'm so empty, you're all I'm thinking about" offers insight into Manson's psyche. She is consumed by her own self-doubt and her desire to be validated. The line "ideas die on the vine" implies her self-criticism and her doubts about the worth of her own ideas.
The next verse seems to delve further into Manson's inner battle with her demons and the monsters she has to constantly face in her life. The lyrics "I lie awake believing that somehow I keep failing, I rail and I ache" depict her struggles with insomnia, self-blame, and self-hate. "And I want to destroy" implies her desperation to disassociate herself from the negativity that she can't seem to escape from.
Overall, the song exposes Manson's vulnerabilities but also highlights her resilience and determination to keep going despite her self-doubt. The lyrics reflect an internal dialogue common to many people who have gone through similar struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been feeling so frustrated
I have been extremely unhappy and distressed lately
I'll never be as great as
I will never achieve greatness or become everything I desire to be
I want to be
I have aspirations and yearn to accomplish my goals
Everyone that I run into
Everyone that I meet
The ones you always seem so into
The people who seem to have your attention and affection
What's wrong with me?
I wonder what is causing me to feel inferior or not good enough
They all seem to know exactly
They all appear to be certain
What it is they want, they pass me
They have clear goals or desires which they pursue, while I am left behind
They smile as they go
They seem content, while I feel left behind and unnoticed
So I work at staying patient
I try hard to remain calm and endure the challenges and frustrations
Good things come to those that wait
I believe that eventually, my patience and persistence will pay off
Or so they say
I am skeptical of this claim, wondering if it is just a platitude
I get tired of trying
I become exhausted from continuously putting in effort and attempting to succeed
Ideas die on the vine
My ideas fail to be successful, and I am left disappointed
And I feel like a fake
I feel as if I am pretending to be someone I am not
I lie awake believing
I remain restless and unable to sleep, convinced
That somehow I keep failing
That in some way, I am persistently unsuccessful
I rail and I ache
I lament and am in emotional pain
At the monsters and the demons
Referring to the insecurities and fears within me which torment me
I've wrestled with for eons
That I have been struggling with for an extended period of time
And I want to destroy
I want to overcome and overcome these struggles and insecurities
Every day, every hour of the night
Constantly and without fail, throughout the day and during the night
You're all I think about
You are constantly on my mind
You're all I talk about
You are the subject of most of my conversations
You're all I dream about
You are the subject of most of my dreams
I'm so empty
I feel hollow and incomplete
You're all I'm thinking about, about
You are constantly on my mind, without end
About, about, oh oh oh, about
Repeatedly, over and over again
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Steve W Marker, Douglas Elwin Erickson, Bryan David Vig, Shirley Ann Manson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Henrique Ramos
"Empty"
[Verse 1]
I've been feeling so frustrated
I'll never be as great as
I want to be
Everyone that I run into
The ones you always seem so into
What's wrong with me?
They all seem to know exactly
What it is they want, they pass me
They smile as they go
So I work at staying patient
Good things come to those that wait
Or so they say
[Chorus]
I'm so empty
You're all I'm thinking about, about
Oh oh, about, about
Oh oh oh, about, about
Oh oh oh, about, about
[Verse 2]
I get tired of trying
Ideas die on the vine
And I feel like a fake
I lie awake believing
That somehow I keep failing
I rail and I ache
At the monsters and the demons
I've wrestled with for eons
And I want to destroy
[Chorus]
I'm so empty
You're all I talk about
Oh oh-out
You're all I talk about
[Bridge]
Every day, every hour of the night
You're all I think about
Every day, every hour of the night
You're all I dream about
Every day, every hour of the night
You're all I think about
You're all I think about
[Chorus]
I'm so empty
I'm so empty
I'm so empty
You're all I'm thinking about
About, about, oh oh oh, about
I'm so empty
Written By Shirley Manson / Steve Marker / Bryan Vig / Douglas Erickson
Album STRANGE LITTLE BIRDS (2016)
Angela Cheng
I still love the way Garbage finds the words for exactly how we all feel sometimes. Liberating those who don't have the words to express the more difficult and shameful feelings. Sharing in the communal human experience. Raising awareness for the quietly suffering. My hero <3
LYRICS:
I've been feeling so frustrated
I'll never be as great as
I want to be
Everyone that I run into
The ones you always seem so into
What's wrong with me?
They all seem to know exactly
What it is they want, they pass me
They smile as they go
So I work at staying patient
Good things come to those that wait
Or so they say
I'm so empty
You're all I'm thinking about, about
Oh oh, about, about
Oh oh oh, about, about
Oh oh oh, about, about
I get tired of trying
Ideas die on the vine
And I feel like a fake
I lie awake believing
That somehow I keep failing
I rail and I ache
At the monsters and the demons
I've wrestled with for eons
And I want to destroy
I'm so empty
You're all I talk about
Oh oh-out
You're all I talk about
Every day, every hour of the night
You're all I think about
Every day, every hour of the night
You're all I dream about
Every day, every hour of the night
You're all I think about
You're all I think about
I'm so empty
I'm so empty
I'm so empty
You're all I'm thinking about
About, about, oh oh oh, about
I'm so empty
Jorge Pacheco
It's so rare to have a band this good, to be around for this long and still have the original line up. I'm so glad they are still making music.
Jorge Pacheco
+slowSEVENTEENmotion I love you too.
Johnny Ciocca
+slowSEVENTEENmotion what a sad life that must be =p
+Jorge Pacheco, great answer! =D
Johnny Ciocca
uhhhhhhhhhh he called me ~peasant~, I'm terribly offended now... grow up, one day you may even be called a troll, slowmo =p
Ally
My jaw dropped. Garbage has been one of my favorite bands since I was a lil kid and I am SO grateful and lucky that they still rock this hard 22 YEARS LATER. Shirley looks and sounds incredible and the guys are as great as ever. This makes me so happy!
None of Your Business
@Cephas Stone Lewis "only proper rock and roll girls out there" -- oh for fuck's sake. you can like them without shitting on an entire gender outside of these two women
None of Your Business
@Cephas Stone Lewis Where do you remain, in the "no girls allowed" treehouse?
Ted Niceley
This song is really great, vid too.
Vetter Burns
Agreed! 😄 It's all I think aboot. 😆
Derrick0898
Proof that Garbage still makes kick ass music.