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".
So We Can Stay Alive
Garbage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So beautiful, we cling tonight
To all our dreams, we pin them up
We lose our minds if we lose our hope
We swear to change, but we bottle it
Stick to our guns and all our sins
We bury fear, we drink to it
We might cheat death if we worship it
So we can stay alive
Our sex, our power, our drive
We lose ourselves inside
So we can feel alive
You're the one who should be on trial
For all your hate and your denial
Be careful what it is you break
Every broken thing can't be fixed
And all those fragile things we are
They find their voice, they find their power
They take a grip around your throat
They keep squeezing till your life runs out
So we can stay alive
Our sex, our power, our drive
We lose ourselves inside
So we can feel alive
(Masochistic victim sadist
Victor vanquish valour sadness
Lust and love, our lives, our blindness)
All alone we fight the fear (we can feel alive)
By ourselves in every way (we can feel alive)
All our lust, all our greed
All our hate, we're on our knees
Hear us beg, hear us pray (we can feel)
We can stay alive
We can stay alive
We can stay alive
We can stay alive
We can stay alive
In Garbage's song "Can," the lyrics tackle the idea of how life doesn't always go according to plan, despite our best efforts. The opening lines express the desire to create a sense of structure and control through setting a bedtime, hoping that everything will work out - but reality is never as simple as a movie where the good guy always wins. The lyrics assert that we must learn to live without stories that have happy endings, and acknowledge that everyone is fighting against half-truths, unrealistic expectations, and broken dreams.
The song's chorus repeats the notion that "nobody can win," emphasizing the idea that life is a constant struggle, and anyone's success is always met with challenges and setbacks. Through this message, Garbage suggests that our view of success and happiness should not come from external factors or societal expectations, but instead from ourselves and our own desires. This perspective is reinforced in the final lines of the song, as the phrase "nobody can win" is repeated with a sense of acceptance and resignation.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I set myself a bedtime this time with a notion
I made a decision to regulate my sleeping pattern, hoping that it would improve my life's efficiency
That you try your best then
If one uses their best efforts, according to popular belief, it leads to success
Everyone wins
There is a false notion of success and victory that permeates our society which assumes that everyone can win
But nothing ever goes that smoothly
Despite our best efforts or plans, life's complexities often thwart us
And it won't end like a movie
Life does not follow a pre-written script with a happy ending
Where the good guy always wins
The world does not necessarily reward goodness, morality or virtue
Until you figure out
Unless you come to the realization or understanding
A way that you can live without
A path to navigate life without being influenced or deceived by false expectations
Stories with happy ends
Tales that reassure us that everything will work out find a way to finish positively which is an unrealistic and unhelpful aspiration
Everybody I know is trying to get by
All the people I encounter are attempting to cope or manage their lives
Fighting all the half-true lies
The world is full of half-truths and false perceptions which are battled against daily
They fill you up with expectations, innovations and predictions
Expectations, innovations and predictions are given to you by society to foster hope in a better future, but they are often not delivered on
That can't possibly fly
Most aspirations promoted by society are not feasible or sustainable
Cinderella's waiting tables
The dreams of fairytale endings held as a child do not reflect the financial difficulty that many people experience
And the princess never did wake up
The pure and perfect life the princess lived was never attainable nor practical
That's how it begins
This is how the innocent childhood hopes meet the harsh reality of the world
Nobody can win
Success is subjective, therefore, no one can truly win in the game of life
Nobody can win
Success is subjective, therefore, no one can truly win in the game of life
Nobody can win
Success is subjective, therefore, no one can truly win in the game of life
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
@daniellewindsor4520
[Verse 1]
Imagine this: we make things right
So beautiful, we cling tonight
To all our dreams, we pin them up
We lose our minds if we lose our hope
We swear to change, but we bottle it
Stick to our guns and all our sins
We bury fear, we drink to it
We might cheat death if we worship it
[Chorus]
So we can stay alive
Our sex, our power, our drive
We lose ourselves inside
So we can feel alive
[Verse 2]
You're the one who should be on trial
For all your hate and your denial
Be careful what it is you break
Every broken thing can't be fixed
And all those fragile things we are
They find their voice, they find their power
They take a grip around your throat
They keep squeezing till your life runs out
[Chorus]
So we can stay alive
Our sex, our power, our drive
We lose ourselves inside
So we can feel alive
[Bridge]
(Masochistic victim sadist
Victor vanquish valour sadness
Lust and love, our lives, our blindness)
(We can feel alive)
All alone we fight the fear
By ourselves in every way
(We can feel alive)
All our lust, all our greed
All our hate, we're on our knees
(We can feel)
Hear us beg, hear us pray
[Chorus]
We can stay alive
We can stay alive
We can stay alive
We can stay alive
We can stay alive
We can stay alive
@darkomarkovic4211
I'm surprised in a bad way that they don't have more fans.😢 They are one of the best. Love you Garbage ❤
@Jillian1950
how can they perform for so many years and still be this good is beyond me. this album is life.
@lunamoth7044
That just goes to prove how good they are.
@Jpeg13759
GOOD Music will always prevail...
@dominicjohnston1168
It's almost like each member of the band put his best in this track.
Simply stunning and amazing album !
This is Garbage.
@bartdehaan-yf6em
2022 still the same energy incredible go shirley & gents another umpteen years pls am 63 myself still blown away by them
@rkarlmehl7449
MOST DEFINITELY THE BEST SONG ON THE ALBUM! TRY GETTING THIS OUT OF YOUR HEAD ANYTIME SOON.
@vkess1
Most awesome song. Garbage is one of those timeless bands who’s music will be jamming on Mars 100 years from now
@CMANIS69
"They keep squeezing 'til your life runs out." Thanks!
@hannkatt
Definitely one of their best tracks. Ever.