Gay4Grunge: My Top 20 Garbage Songs
When people think of the band Garbage they most likely think of the band's first two albums from the 90s, when they were on the cutting edge of Alternative Rock and received heavy rotation from both MTV and rock radio. That said, over the last three decades Garbage has released seven studio albums, a Greatest Hits and various soundtrack singles too. While none of their post 90s albums recaptured the public's imagination like their first two albums did, Garbage has released some very solid material that deserves another listen for those who lost track of the band after the 90s ended. I've been a dedicated fan myself since Version 2.0 came out in 1998 and I've stuck with the band ever since. I've spent a lot of time listening to their music over the years and including their music on various mix tapes, mix CDs, iTunes playlists, YouTube playlists and now Spotify playlists. I've seen them live twice in 2012 & 2016 and they were phenomenal.
Garbage's sound takes bits and pieces from various eras and subgenres of Alternative rock including Grunge which is why I've decided to cover them on Gay4Grunge. Still the band is also influenced by New Wave, Dreampop, Shoegaze, Trip Hop, Electronica, Riot Grrrl and more. Garbage's albums always have top notch production too, because three of the band members have a background in music production and sound engineering. Butch Vig in particular seems to take all he learned from producing such classic Grunge albums like Nevermind, Siamese Dream, Bricks Are Heavy and then applied that to Garbage. Since Garbage's sound is so multifaceted the band has been able to change and evolve over the years while staying true to who they are as a band.
When putting this list together it was clear that the first two albums were going to have the most inclusions, but I made sure to try and touch upon all their albums after the 90s as well. The one exception is their latest album No Gods No Masters from 2021. I'll admit it's the first Garbage album that hasn't really grabbed me and there are no songs as of yet off No Gods No Masters that I listen to regularly. Hopefully as time wears on I'll come around to the album and appreciate it more, but for now it's the one album I'm going to leave off this list. So let's jump in!
20. Sex Is Not the Enemy (2005)
The Bleed Like Me album saw Garbage go into stripped down rock and roll more than any other album they have released, but it was still packed with hooks and interesting production. Sex is Not the Enemy was one of the record's highlights where Shirley sings about how the sexual revolution never fully took off like it should have and how damn depressing that is. She starts off singing
"No evolution
Sometimes it depresses me
The same old same
Oh we keep repeating history
The institution curses curiosity
It´s our conviction
Sex is not the enemy
A revolution is the solution"
At a time where we are seeing our country take steps backwards in terms of women's reproductive rights and queer rights, these lyrics hit harder than ever before for me and yeah it definitely depresses me too. When I saw Garbage live the second time, they dedicated this song to queer community and when you listen to the song you can hear Shirley taking on the role of someone who feels as if society does not accept their sexuality but she won't be shamed for it:
"I won´t feel guilty
No matter what they´re telling me
I won´t feel dirty and buy into their misery
I won´t be shamed cause I believe that love is free
It fuels the heart and sex is not my enemy"
It's a call to arms that became more resonant for me after seeing Garbage dedicate the song to their queer fans and especially living through the last 6 years as well.
19. Bleed Like Me (2005)
The title track to Bleed Like Me recalls Lou Reed's song Take a Walk on the Wild Side, where Shirley sings about a cast of various outsiders and misfits who are all struggling in their own way. First, we meet Avalanche, who starves herself to the point that she is mostly just bones and skin. Then we meet Chrissie who we think is a girl until Shirley sings "He's trying to figure out if he's a girl or if he's boy" which shows Shirley once again writing about the queer community in her lyrics. We then meet Doodle who is a cutter and Speedie who is in therapy because they probably tried to kill themselves. It's a dark song but Garbage at heart is a dark band, but one that shows empathy and grace to those who are struggling the most. I think this is why the people who are fans of Garbage are so dedicated, because they truly feel seen and understood by Shirley. While this song didn't burn up the charts it did get lots of play on my local college rock station 955WBRU when I was living in Rhode Island in the 2000s and I always turned it up every time it came on.
18. Tell Me Where It Hurts (2007)
Tell Me Where It Hurts was the new song off Garbage's 2007 Greatest Hits album and it most recalls the retro flavored pop of their 2001 album Beautiful Garbage. Tell Me Where It Hurts has an orchestral pop sound that reminds of the girl groups Phil Spector used to produce back in the '60s. The music video heightened this feeling by looking like a 60s film with 60s fashion and coloring. Lyrically the song is about a man Shirley is in love with, but his friends and family do not approve of Shirley one bit. Shirley could care less though and says to him
"Tell me where it hurts and to hell with everybody else
All I care about is you and that's the truth
They don't love me, I can tell
But you do, so they can go to hell."
Shirley Manson is someone who knows who she is and her own personal worth and she doesn't let anyone else tell her otherwise. It helps give this very poppy song an edge that feels very Garbage.
17. Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go) (2001)
Cherry Lips was the third single off Beautiful Garbage and while it failed to chart, it has since become one of the group's most beloved songs. First off, the song is a bop! It's so catchy and fun and it really is one of the purest pop moments in the group's catalogue. That synth line will be bubbling along in your head for days after you hear it. When I saw Garbage live the first time this was the song they dedicated to their queer fans and it's clear why when you listen to the lyrics:
"You're such a delicate boy
In the hysterical realm
Of an emotional landslide
In physical terms
With your cherry lips and golden curls
You could make grown men gasp
When you'd go walking past them
In your hot pants and high heels
They could not believe
That such a body was for real
It seemed like rainbows would appear
Whenever you came near the clouds would disappear
Because you looked just like a girl
Your baby blues would flash
And suddenly a spell was cast"
This song is clearly about a queer person who is possibly trans or gender queer. The song is surprisingly upbeat for Garbage, but it works and it feels like such a feelgood anthem for queer kids everywhere and I can't help but love it even more for that as well.
16. Push It (1998)
As the first single off Garbage's second album, there was a lot riding on Push It to deliver the way the first album had a few years prior. Push It is sort of like a Frankenstein's Monster as it pulls a lot of disparate threads together from industrial rock to borrowing Don't Worry Baby by The Beach Boys for one its repeated lyrics. I remember when this first came out in the summer of 1998 there was nothing else like it on MTV or radio at the time. It sounded like the future and that's what made those early Garbage albums so great. I remember tapping this music video off MTV and watching it endlessly since it was a darkly bizarre video that warranted repeated viewings in order to catch everything that's going on, trying to process it and then trying to make sense of it all in the end. Push It was nominated for a whole bunch of awards at the 1998 VMAS, but it ended up losing in all of its categories which is a shame, because it was one of the best music videos of that year. Also, this song was most definitely a highlight when I saw the band live. It really brought the house down.
15. Empty (2016)
Garbage's 6th studio album Strange Little Birds is probably their darkest album ever. While Garbage had always trafficked in dark themes and sounds, Strange Little Birds took it to an extreme where the songs sounded more like dark sonic soundscapes than the sharper pop/rock songs they are typically known for. As a result, it's a more difficult album to get into, especially if you're new to Garbage. None of that applied though to the album's lead single Empty, which is easily the album's catchiest and most commercial song. Empty sounds like classic Garbage and I loved it as soon as I first heard it and it sounded even better live when I saw them on The Strange Little Birds tour. Again, for those new to Garbage I recommend starting off with one of their earlier albums, but this song you can get into right now. So get into it!
14. My Lover's Box (1995)
I first bought Garbage's debut album in the summer of 2002 during my initial flush with Grunge & 90s Alternative and I fell in love with it immediately. On top of its five flawless singles, Garbage's debut is filled with some many deep cuts that are lost gems from the height of the Alternative Nation. My Lover's Box is one of those gems and I just love the production on this one so much, especially at the end where the song gets more and more intense as the feedback keeps getting louder and louder before suddenly dissipating at the very end. When I saw Garbage for a second time live in 2016 I was five rows back from the stage and as soon as I heard the intro to this song start I yelled "YES!" Everyone in that theater suddenly turned and looked at me as a result. I was fine with it, because it's My Lover's Box. This song always deserves cheers and applause!
13. Battle In Me (2012)
Garbage's 4th studio album Not Your Kind of People is my third favorite Garbage album after their first two albums, because like those first two albums it balances the group's pop and rock sides perfectly while delivering expertly crafted songs along the way. Battle in Me was the lead single in the UK and it's definitely one of the harder rocking and more in your face songs off the album. I not only love the guitar riff here, but I also love Butch Vig's drumming, which sounds massively powerful. Honestly this could have been a single in the U.S. as well though the lead single we got I thought was even better, but more on that song later.
12. Breaking Up the Girl (2001)
The second single off Beautiful Garbage is the only song I remember getting any kind of promotion from MTV and that's mostly because the video was going to be debuted alongside the Daria series finale film "Is It College Yet?" I remember animated versions of the band talking about it with Daria and honestly that made a lot of sense to me because I think Daria would be a Garbage fan. Breaking Up the Girl is probably the most straightforward single off this album and it should have been bigger than it was. Like the rest of Beautiful Garbage, Breaking Up the Girl is very poppy and very catchy with expert production that keeps your ears at full attention throughout. I also love that slide guitar that you hear throughout the song, especially at the end of each chorus. This song is ripe for rediscovery.
11.The Trick is to Keep Breathing (1998)
Version 2.0 has my two favorite ballads by Garbage and this is the first one. This song has a very atmospheric trip hop vibe to it that I find extremely appealing. I also really like the way Shirley sings on this track, which feels a bit breathier. When I saw the band live for the first time in 2012 they did perform this song, which was a pleasant surprise since it's a deep cut that not everyone really talks about but they should.
10. You Look So Fine (1998)
My other favorite ballad by Garbage was the 5th and final single off Version 2.0 over in Europe. The song wasn't released as a single out here in the U.S. and maybe because of that reason I kind of overlooked this song for years until it showed up on their greatest hits. Again, the atmosphere on this song is incredible and I love the way Shirley sings here too. There's a quiet desperate plea to her vocals here that always hits me emotionally whenever I listen to it. I also love the drawn-out dramatic outro, which acts as a nice way to conclude the Version 2.0 album as a whole. Garbage's ballads tend to get overlooked for the most part, but each of their albums contain at least 1 or 2 ballads that every fan should get to know and you should start with this one right here.
9. When I Grow Up (1998)
The 4th single off Version 2.0 and the final single off that album in America got a nice boost by also being included on the soundtrack to the Adam Sandler comedy Big Daddy. Adam Sandler movies are not something I seek out anyone (Besides the Wedding Singer which is genuinely great), but back in the late 90s I did end up seeing most of his films and I remember seeing this one in theaters. I also remember the music video for this song being played every morning on MTV throughout the summer of 1999 too. When people think about pop music in the summer of 1999 you typically think of teen pop classics such as I Want it That Way, Genie in a Bottle, Sometimes and Summer Girls, but MTV was still playing a lot of Alternative Rock in between all that teen pop such as Ana's Song by Silverchair, Come Original by 311, You Wanted More by Tonic and this Garbage song. When I Grow Up is one of Garbage's best bops and it's probably why a queer artist such as AlexZone likes this Garbage song the most. I also remember that the lyrics about golden showers always made my mom chuckle. Sometimes potty humor is funny no matter how old you are.
8. Run Baby Run (2005)
The 3rd single off Bleed Like Me was only released as a single overseas, but it's always been my favorite song off this album. From the moment I first listened to the album, Run Baby Run jumped out the most for me. The production on this one feels a bit more akin to their earlier albums and the main chorus is definitely very hooky. My brother also happens to love this song too and we both agree that it's the best song off Bleed Like Me.
7. Special (1998)
The release of Special as the third single off Version 2.0 turned out to be quite interesting for two reasons. The first being the music video, which depicted the band in fighter jets with Shirley Manson shooting down the other band member's planes leading to their onscreen deaths. MTV felt the video was too violent for the network and as a result the video was banned from MTV and I wouldn't see the full video myself until years later. The other music videos off Version 2.0 had received such heavy rotation so to have Special banned felt like it would sink that song as a single. The opposite turned out to be true, because even though the video got banned the song itself is probably the most radio friendly single off Version 2.0 and as a result it received a lot of radio play in 1999. My local Adult Alternative Station at the time didn't play Garbage's other singles because that was too edgy for them, but they could play Special and I remember hearing it on the radio a lot throughout 1999. So, whereas the other Version 2.0 singles I think about their music videos and watching them on MTV, Special I think more of as a radio hit that I heard a lot in the car while driving around with my parents that year. My husband btw loves this song and my good friend Will thinks it's the best song off Version 2.0 as well so it's definitely a fan favorite for sure.
6. Blood for Poppies (2012)
Blood for Poppies was the lead U.S. single off Garbage's 2012 album Not Your Kind of People and it turned out to be the last Garbage song I remember hearing on rock radio. I didn't hear it a lot mind you, but I heard it at least a half a dozen times on DC 101, which is the rock radio station here in Washington DC. In fact, I remember a huge hurricane came through and knocked out all the power in 2012, but I had this indestructible Discman that only ran on 2 batteries and headphones loud enough to hear from a distance. So, I remember putting on DC 101 all day while I was with my mom to hear updates on the power outage and I remember hearing Blood for Poppies that day, which was a request from a listener. Blood for Poppies I think features one of Garbage's most underrated hooks and I think it's one of the best singles they've ever done. This was another instance of me loving a Garbage song immediately and me always appreciating hearing it on the radio whenever it came on. After this Garbage seemed to be completely forgotten at rock radio so I kind of consider this the end of their commercial era.
5. Only Happy When It Rains (1995)
If there's one Garbage song that everyone seems to know and remember it's this one. Each single off Garbage's debut was bigger than the last and Only Happy When it Rains was the third single, which was released in early 1996. This song is the one that really broke Garbage through to a mass audience and it kind of defines the group as a result. It also features some memorable guitar work that feels very Grunge and therefore makes it very palatable to rock radio. Even the title sounds very Gen X and Grunge and I think that's helped keep the song alive in the public consciousness, since it can be easily lumped in with other Grunge classics of the era. Going back to that hurricane I was just talking about I remember in the lead up to the hurricane DC 101 played a lot of rain and storm themed songs that day and Only Happy When It Rains is one of the songs they chose. I also love Shirley's look in this music video, which felt very 60s Mod meets Rachel from friends, but with a darker goth vibe to it. I think Shirley Manson is kind of an underrated fashion icon and her look in this video is one of her most iconic in my mind.
4. Vow (1995)
As Garbage's debut single, Vow really sees the influence of Shoegaze come to forefront. The song reminds me a bit of Curve, a female fronted shoegaze band that often gets compared to Garbage in music reviews. Vow is Shoegaze, but with a bit of an industrial undercurrent and I really love it. I especially love the bridge and outro where Butch Vig really amps up the distortion and layering, which always keeps me interested every time I listen to it. Lyrically the song seems to be about an ugly breakup but Shirley is giving zero fucks!
"You burned me out but I'm back at your door
Like Joan of Arc coming back for more
I nearly died
I nearly died
I nearly died
I came to cut you up, I came to knock you down
I came around to tear your little world apart
I came to shut you up, I came to drag you down
I came around to tear your little world apart and break your soul apart"
Shirley is out for blood and this ex better run for the hills if he knows what's good for him. My good friend Will, who I've brought up a few times, absolutely loves this song, especially since it became an anthem for him after his own ugly breakup. Both times we've seen Garbage together Will recorded video of Vow on his phone because it's his favorite.
3. Supervixen (1995)
Supervixen is the opening track off Garbage's debut album and honestly it might be one of the greatest introductions in pop music history. The song captures what Garbage is all about, which is a glossy version of hard rock that plays as pop with a female singer who is commanding attention right from the start. While many of the male Grunge artists shied away from being adored, many of the female acts of the time went the opposite way where they were talking more frankly about sex and their own self-worth. Supervixen sees Shirley demanding worship from someone as if she is a god.
"Make a whole new religion
A falling star that you cannot live without
And I'll feed your obsessions
There is nothing but this thing
That you'll never doubt
This thing you'll never doubt
It'll feed your obsessions
The falling star that you cannot live without
I will be your religion
This thing you'll never doubt
You're not the only one
You're not the only one
Bow down to me"
Worshipping someone else is something that is very prevalent in the queer community especially when it comes to muscular men. In queer pop there are multiple songs referencing worship from Tommy Bravos' Adonis, to Idol Worpship by cultofciaran to Worship by Years & Years and many more. In a lot of ways Supervixen feels like a precursor to all that. Supervixen reinforces the ways that Shirley integrates feminism and queerness into Garbage's songs in ways that have made them popular among queer people of a certain age. Also, the guitar solo in this song rules!
2. I Think I'm Paranoid (1998)
Push It got me interested in Garbage over the summer of 1998, but it wasn't until I Think I'm Paranoid got released as a single in the fall that I truly became a Garbage fan. To me this song represents everything Garbage does well from the juxtaposition of the heavy guitars in the pre-chorus which drop out and give way to an extremely melodic vocal hook during the chorus. There's also a frenetic bridge, polished production that makes all the twists and turns flow together smoothly and Shirley's vocal performance, which comes off as both vulnerable and tough at the same time. I remember watching the music video for I Think I'm Paranoid on MTV all the time to the point that I finally bought Version 2.0. The song also ended up on Now 2, which I listened to all the time back then as well. Over the years I have added I Think I'm Paranoid to countless mix tapes, mix CDs, iTunes playlists and now Spotify playlists. Anyone who hangs out with me enough, from friends to family, has probably heard me play this song quite often. This song has never left regular rotation for me since its release in 1998 and I expect it will continue to receive regular listens from me until I'm dead. Easily in the top 5 best songs of 1998 in my opinion.
1. Stupid Girl (1995)
While Only Happy When It Rains is the most endearing Garbage song, Stupid Girl was probably their biggest hit off the debut album at the time. The song peaked at #2 on the Alternative Rock Chart and it managed to crossover to 26 on the pop charts, which I think makes this Garbage's only top 40 hit in the U.S. (They had more top 40 hits in the UK). The song starts off with the drum sample from my favorite Clash song Train in Vain, but soon the song veers off in a completely different direction that sounds nothing like that Clash song. I'm someone who is not against sampling, but I always appreciate when artists sample other artist's songs but use it to build something completely different from what they are sampling, which is what Garbage does here. Butch's skills as a producer shine here as the song keeps adding more and more layers of production and instruments as the song unfolds, reaching a peak during the bridge. Garbage songs in general I think get better and better as they unfold because of this. The song has a strong dance beat to it, which is something the band has fun with live where they remix the song and add other song samples to it. When I saw them live, they remixed Stupid Girl and mashed it up with Donna Summer's I Feel Love. When my friend Brandon saw Garbage live he says they remixed and mashed up Stupid Girl with Madonna's Erotica. This is the kind of thing you didn't get from Grunge or most other 90s Alternative Acts in general, but Garbage isn't like most of their peers. Garbage definitely has an appreciation for not just pop but underground dance culture as well, which is another reason their appeal reaches outside of rock music. Stupid Girl not only remains one of the best songs of the 90s, but it's malleability also means it can constantly be updated and reinvented every time Garbage performs the song live. No matter how much Garbage changes Stupid Girl when performing it live, the core of the song always remains, because Stupid Girl has a great melody that never gets old no matter how many times you listen to it.
