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".
Metal Heart
Garbage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could cross the line
I wish that I was half as good
As you think I am
But now that we know for sure they´re telling lies when they say
No one gets hurt and therefore nobody dies
You know it´s hard to believe anything that you hear
Wish I was as big as you
You´d have to tell the truth
I´d be nothing you could hurt
Nothing you could use
But now that we know for sure they´re telling lies when they say
No one gets hurt and therefore nobody dies
You know it´s hard to believe anything that you hear
They say the world is round
The world is round?
I want to be dependable, I want to be courageous and good
I want to be faithful so that I can be heroic and true
I want to be a friend you can rely on you can lean on and trust
I want to understand so I can forgive and be willing to love
I wish I wasn't flesh and blood
I would not be scared
Of bullets built with me in mind
For then I could be saved
My sweet lord take care of me for I think i´m done
Kiss my mother on her cheek and lay my burden down
But now that we know for sure they´re telling lies when they say
No one gets hurt and therefore nobody dies
You know it´s hard to believe anything that you hear
They say the world is round
The world is round?
The world is round?!
The Garbage song 'Metal Heart' speaks to the idea of being powerful and invincible. The lead singer wishes she had a 'metal heart', an indestructible heart that could allow her to cross any line, take on any challenge and ensure that she never gets hurt or used by anyone. She is envious of those who seem to have the power to make others believe in them without much effort, as she herself feels like she struggles to inspire faith in others. The second half of the song changes in tone as the lyrics become more lamentful and dark, discussing death, fear, and the unknown. The lyrics "But now that we know for sure they're telling lies when they say no one gets hurt and therefore nobody dies" suggest a darker truth that death is unavoidable, and one's pain or challenges cannot be avoided by simply being 'invincible.' The song ends with a plea for guidance from a higher power, and a sense of acceptance of what's to come.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I had a metal heart
I desire a heart made of metal which would allow me to cross boundaries with ease.
I could cross the line
I would be able to surpass limitations and barriers created by society and life.
I wish that I was half as good
I aspire to possess half the qualities that others think I posses, for I feel flawed.
As you think I am
Others regard me as better than I feel I am.
But now that we know for sure they´re telling lies when they say
We now know that what we have been told in the past was false information.
No one gets hurt and therefore nobody dies
We cannot believe that there are no casualties in life for there will always be casualties.
You know it´s hard to believe anything that you hear
It is difficult to trust what is being said since the truth has been distorted in the past.
They say the world is round
People have been led to believe that the world is circular.
Wish I was as big as you
I wish I possessed a dominating presence as large as yours.
You´d have to tell the truth
If I was as influential as you, then you would have to speak the truth to me.
I´d be nothing you could hurt
I would be impenetrable to any pain or harm you could cause me.
Nothing you could use
You would be unable to manipulate or take advantage of me in any way.
I want to be dependable, I want to be courageous and good
My desire is to be reliable and to possess bravery and morally right actions.
I want to be faithful so that I can be heroic and true
So that I can enact virtuous and honorable behavior, I want to adhere to loyalty.
I want to be a friend you can rely on you can lean on and trust
I aspire to be a trustworthy confidant to those who need support in their lives.
I want to understand so I can forgive and be willing to love
I want to possess comprehension to be able to forgive and love others wholeheartedly.
I wish I wasn't flesh and blood
I regret being human with physical limitations and vulnerability.
I would not be scared
If I did not have a human body, I would not experience fear.
Of bullets built with me in mind
I would not fear bullets or mortal danger that could kill me because they would not target a human-made body.
For then I could be saved
I could be protected and rescued in the face of danger if I was not human.
My sweet lord take care of me for I think i´m done
A plea to a higher power for protection and guidance because the artist feels like they cannot continue.
Kiss my mother on her cheek and lay my burden down
If the artist cannot continue, they want their mother to be comforted, and they want to release their pain and worries.
The world is round?
A questioning of reality and the validity of past beliefs.
The world is round?
A questioning of reality and the validity of past beliefs.
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