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".
Queer (Rabbit in the Moon remi
Garbage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do-do do do do do, do-do do do do do
Do-do do do do do, do-do do do do do
Do-do do do do do, oh
Hey, boy, take a look at me
Let me dirty up your mind
Do-do do do do do, do-do do do do do
And see what I can find
Do-do do do do do, do-do do do do do
The queerest of the queer, the strangest of the strange
The coldest of the cool, the lamest of the lame
The numbest of the dumb, I hate to see you here
You choke behind a smile, a fake behind the fear
The queerest of the queer
Do-do do do do do, do-do do do do do
Do-do do do do do, do-do do do do do
Do-do do do do do, do-do do do do do
Do-do do do do do, oh
This is what he pays me for
I'll show you how it's done
Do-do do do do do, do-do do do do do
You learn to love the pain you feel
Like father, like son
Do-do do do do do, do-do do do do do
The queerest of the queer, hide inside your head
The blindest of the blind, the deadest of the dead
You're hungry 'cause you starve while holding back the tears
Choking on your smile, a fake behind the fear
The queerest of the queer
I know what's good for you (you can touch me if you want)
I know you're dying to (you can touch me if you want)
I know what's good for you (you can touch me if you want)
But you can't stop
The queerest of the queer, the strangest of the strange
The coldest of the cool, the lamest of the lame
The numbest of the dumb, I hate to see you here
You choke behind a smile, a fake behind the fear
The queerest of the queer
The strangest of the strange
The coldest of the cool
You're nothing special here, a fake behind the fear
The queerest of the queer
Do-do do do do do, do-do do do do do
Do-do do do do do, do-do do do do do
Do-do do do do do, do-do do do do do
Do-do do do do do, oh
I know what's good for you (do-do do do do do)
I know you're dying to (do-do do do do do)
I know what's good for you (do-do do do do do)
I bet you're dying to (do-do do do do do)
You can touch me if you want (do-do do do do do)
You can touch me if you want (do-do do do do do)
You can touch me, you can touch me
But you can't stop (do-do do do do do)
The song Queer by Garbage (Rabbit in the Moon remix) is a song about embracing one’s unconventional and unique qualities, even if they make others uncomfortable. The song begins with a seductive introduction where the singer, Shirley Manson, invites the listener to let her dirty up their mind. The chorus features the phrase “the queerest of the queer” which is repeated multiple times. Here, Garbage is taking a term usually used to oppress the LGBTQ+ community and turning it into an empowering phrase for those who feel different. Throughout the song, Garbage portrays the struggles of those who do not fit societal norms and are often forced to hide their true identity. The song challenges the listener to embrace their quirks and embrace the pain that may come with it.
The second verse of the song particularly highlights the struggles that come with being different. The line “choking on your smile, a fake behind the fear” refers to the forced smile that those who feel out of place often wear to avoid judgement from others. The bridge of the song is particularly interesting as it portrays the dominant power dynamic in the song. Manson sings “this is what he pays me for, I’ll show you how it’s done” which can be interpreted as her taking on the role of a dominatrix, guiding the listener towards embracing their unconventional identity.
Overall, the song Queer is a powerful anthem for those who feel out of place in society. It encourages its listeners to embrace their unique qualities and not fear judgement from those who are uncomfortable with these differences.
Line by Line Meaning
Do-do do do do do, do-do do do do do
The repetition of this line represents the idea of something building up or escalating.
Hey, boy, take a look at me
The singer is calling out to someone directly, asking them to pay attention.
Let me dirty up your mind
The singer wants to challenge the listener's thinking, to push them out of their comfort zone.
I'll strip away your hard veneer
The artist will expose the listener's true identity that they might be hiding behind a facade.
And see what I can find
The artist is curious to know what lies beneath the listener's exterior.
The queerest of the queer, the strangest of the strange
The singer is describing themselves as someone who is unique, different, and not part of the norm.
The coldest of the cool, the lamest of the lame
The singer is contradicting themselves by calling themselves both 'cold' and 'cool,' while also acknowledging their own insecurities and shortcomings by calling themselves 'lame.'
The numbest of the dumb, I hate to see you here
The artist is addressing the listener as someone who is not living up to their full potential, and the artist doesn't want to be around those types of people.
You choke behind a smile, a fake behind the fear
The artist is saying that the listener is hiding something and doesn't want to reveal their true emotions.
This is what he pays me for
The artist is acknowledging that they are doing something for someone else's benefit or pleasure.
I'll show you how it's done
The singer is confident in their abilities and is willing to demonstrate or teach the listener.
You learn to love the pain you feel
The artist is suggesting that the listener will eventually embrace their own suffering.
Like father, like son
The singer is drawing a comparison to someone else, indicating that the listener is following in someone else's footsteps.
hide inside your head
The singer is suggesting that the listener is not living in the real world, but instead is retreating into their own thoughts and imagination.
The blindest of the blind, the deadest of the dead
The singer is making a harsh judgment of the listener, saying that they are completely unaware of their own situation and have no hope of changing it.
You're hungry 'cause you starve while holding back the tears
The artist is indicating that the listener is suppressing their own emotions, leading to a sense of emptiness or unfulfillment in their life.
But you can't stop
The artist is suggesting that the listener is addicted to their own pain and cannot break free from it.
You're nothing special here, a fake behind the fear
The singer is saying that the listener doesn't stand out, and is just like everyone else who is hiding their true selves behind a mask of fear.
Contributed by Elena M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.