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".
Silence Is Golden
Garbage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But if I speak up then no one will hear
If I wear a mask there's somewhere to hide
Silence is Golden
I have been broken
Safe in my own skin
So nobody wins
If I raise my voice will someone get hurt
And if I can't feel then I won't get touched
If no truths are spoken then no lies can hide
Silence is Golden
Nobody gets in
Safe in my own skin
So nobody wins
Did you hear me speak
Do you understand
Did you hear my voice
Will you hold my hand
Do you understand me
Won't someone listen
Nobody gets in
My body's a temple
But nothing is simple
Silence is golden
I have been broken
Something was stolen
Safe in my own skin
The lyrics of Garbage's "Silence Is Golden" delve into the theme of silence and its implications on one's identity and relationships with others. The first verse talks about the fear of not being perceived as real if one remains silent, even though speaking up can lead to being unheard. The line "if I wear a mask there's somewhere to hide" implies that hiding behind a mask or persona is sometimes easier than confronting one's true self.
The chorus, "Silence is Golden, I have been broken, safe in my own skin, so nobody wins" is a recurrence that highlights the desire to remain in a safe and secure place away from others, which could be interpreted as a coping mechanism that one develops after being hurt. The second verse continues with the theme of silence and its consequences. The fear of potentially hurting someone by raising one's voice shows a fear of vulnerability, and the fear of not getting hurt if one can't feel implies that pain and emotional distress could be avoided by remaining numb.
The bridge, "Did you hear me speak, do you understand, did you hear my voice, will you hold my hand, do you understand me, won't someone listen" expresses the longing for communication and understanding, but the fear of being rejected or misunderstood. In conclusion, "Silence Is Golden" could be interpreted as a reflection on the different ways one deals with pain, trauma, and possible rejection, and how this impacts a person's relationship with themselves and others.
Line by Line Meaning
If I am silent then I am not real
Being quiet makes me feel like I'm not even a real person.
But if I speak up then no one will hear
If I try to express myself, nobody will care enough to listen.
If I wear a mask there's somewhere to hide
Wearing a disguise gives me a way to hide from the world.
Silence is Golden
Not saying anything at all can be peaceful and comforting.
I have been broken
Something in my life has left me feeling damaged and hurt.
Safe in my own skin
I feel secure in who I am, but it also makes it hard for anyone to get close to me.
So nobody wins
In the end, all of these strategies for coping with life leave me feeling alone and disconnected.
If I raise my voice will someone get hurt
I'm afraid that speaking up will cause harm to someone, either myself or others.
And if I can't feel then I won't get touched
If I stay emotionally detached from everything, I don't risk getting hurt by anyone.
If no truths are spoken then no lies can hide
If nobody says what they really feel, then there's no risk of anyone lying or hurting each other.
Did you hear me speak
I'm desperate for someone to acknowledge and validate my voice and experiences.
Do you understand
I need someone to really listen and empathize with me.
Will you hold my hand
I want someone to comfort and support me through my struggles.
Won't someone listen
I feel like nobody pays attention to me or cares about what I have to say.
My body's a temple
I value and respect myself, but it also makes it difficult to let anyone else in.
But nothing is simple
No matter how much I try to protect myself, life is still complicated and messy.
Something was stolen
There was something important taken from me, and I don't know if I can ever get it back.
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
Garbage
Our ‘BeautifulGarbage’ 20th Anniversary edition is out now! It features remastered original recordings, b-sides, demos, remixes, and exclusive memorabilia. Get it here while stocks last! https://Garbage.lnk.to/beautiful-garbageID
Scott Lape
An overlooked masterpiece in my opinion. Shirley's singing at the climax of the song is incredibly powerful - singing doesn't get any better than that!
Day Vid
One of the better songs on the album. Can't believe it's been 20 years.
Jay
This song brings back nice and horrible memories.
Alan Fletcher
This song always makes me remember that pit in my stomach I felt when I first heard it. It's my favorite song off the album, but I don't listen to it often for reasons.
Andre Coutinho
My favorite from this album 💛
Friday Ray
Just f' ing awesome.....hard sweet and sincerely witchy...
Mike Sniadecki
This one had to grow on me but is as great as the rest of this album!
Mike Calvert
Fabulous.I just love it when Shirl stretches herself vocally especially when she gets angry here near the end and pushes herself.Nice guitar work too
Robert Jene
I didn't get this album till a couple of years ago but I love it