History Music / Garbage

* MaleBandFemaleSinger: Shirley Manson is also TheFaceOfTheBand.

* HelloNurse/ HospitalHottie: The video for "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYQjR22Edow Bleed Like Me]]".

For their follow-up, ''Version 2.0'', Garbage continued with the same electro-rock sound but added a denser production, more techno and trip-hop influences and more EarWorm melodies. ''2.0'' became another well-received success and gave them a few more hit singles as well, such as the technoey "Push It", the super-heavy EpicRiff-driven "I Think I'm Paranoid", and the [[SurprisinglyGentleSong ballad]] "You Look So Fine". Around this time, they were recruited to perform the theme to ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'', on which they worked alongside composer Music/DavidArnold.

* RhymingWithItself: "Drive You Home".
-->''Walk on shells tonight / Can't do right tonight.''
** Also this couplet from "Bad Boyfriend:"
-->''Keep you on ice so I can show all my friends / C'mon baby be my bad boyfriend.''

** The breathy vocals that start off, and are scattered throughout, "#1 Crush", Music/{{Madonna}}'s. They are originally found on "Bedtime Story".
* RuleOfPool: "Big Bright World"

** The breathy vocals that start off, and are scattered throughout, "#1 Crush", are those of Music/{{Madonna}}'s. They are found in "Bedtime Story".

** As part of a Creator/HowardStern tribute to Music/DavidBowie, they covered "Starman", which was later released as the B-side to their 2018 single Destroying Angels.

* TakeThat[=/=]SexIsLiberation: "Sex Is Not The Enemy" is very much aimed at MoralGuardians and UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush criticizing their attitudes about love and sex. (Shirley declared that a major inspiration was the outcry following Music/JanetJackson's WardrobeMalfunction).

Garbage was formed in 1994 by RecordProducer Butch Vig, noted for his work on with famous alternative rock acts like Music/{{Nirvana}} (''Music/{{Nevermind}}''), Music/SonicYouth, Music/TheSmashingPumpkins and Music/{{L7}}. Vig took up the position of drummer and brought in some old bandmates and fellow producers, guitarist/keyboardist Steve Marker and bassist Duke Erikson. The lineup was completed with the recruitment of Scottish vocalist Shirley Manson, formerly of alt-rock bands Angelfish and Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie. Their bandname comes from somebody commenting that Vig's remix work sounded "[[ItWillNeverCatchOn like garbage]]", a quote frequently attributed to [[Music/NineInchNails Trent Reznor]] for some reason.

Garbage was formed in 1994 by famous RecordProducer Butch Vig, known for his work on with famous alternative rock acts like Music/{{Nirvana}} (''Music/{{Nevermind}}''), Music/SonicYouth, Music/TheSmashingPumpkins and Music/{{L7}}. Vig took up the position of drummer and brought in some old bandmates and fellow producers, guitarist/keyboardist Steve Marker and bassist Duke Erikson. The lineup was completed with the recruitment of Scottish vocalist Shirley Manson, formerly of alt-rock bands Angelfish and Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie. Their bandname comes from somebody commenting that Vig's remix work sounded "[[ItWillNeverCatchOn like garbage]]", a quote frequently attributed to [[Music/NineInchNails Trent Reznor]] for some reason.

After gaining a bit of attention through demo tapes, the band signed to Mushroom Records and began to work on its debut, the self-produced ''[[SelfTitledAlbum Garbage]]''. Released in 1995, its hybrid electronic-alternative-industrial-rock sound was favourably received and quickly gained a large audience, managing to come up with a few hits in the process such as the StealthParody (or open parody, really) of grunge angst "Only Happy When It Rains", "Vow" and the [[Music/TheClash Clash]]-{{sampling}} "Stupid Girl" (not the Music/{{Pink}} song, though lyrically similar).

The band's gravy train slowed down somewhat after TheNineties ended, thanks to record label problems and a mixed reception towards ''beautifulgarbage'' that frequently included charges of both TheyChangedItNowItSucks and ItsTheSameNowItSucks, reception that translated into poor sales. During the TroubledProduction of their next album, they nearly broke up due to intra-band tensions in 2003, but managed to regroup and finish ''Bleed Like Me'' in 2005, which once again suffered a mixed reception but did slightly better on the charts. They went on a hiatus for five years afterwards, during which Manson played a regular dramatic role as the liquid metal Terminator known as Weaver in ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles''. Despite generally positive reaction, she didn't continue with acting. Manson announced in October of 2010 that the group had reformed and was working on a fifth album, which was released in 2012 as ''Not Your Kind of People''. The title track was used in the trailer for ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Metal Gear Solid V]]'', so the group has at least [[Creator/HideoKojima one Japanese fan]]. ''Strange Little Birds'' followed in 2016, and the band were reported to be working on another album as of 2019 (but Manson admits that they’re not the fastest creators in the business).

* {{Fanservice}}: Played straight most of the time but is zigzagged on occasion. Videos such as "Vow", "Queer", "Run Baby Run" and "Blood for Poppies" downplays this by have Shirley in normal attire while other videos feature her in short dresses. "I'm Think I'm Paranoid" (see PantyShot below), "Cherry Lips" (An invisible Shirley sees her [[DressHitsFloor clothes fall off]] and walks naked to the bathroom) and "Bleed Like Me" turn this UpToEleven. Also, the video for "Androgyny". To quote: "It has men who look like attractive women, women who look like attractive men, Shirley Manson wearing a rather sexy outfit that looks like a weird hybrid between suit and a dress, Shirley Manson wearing suspenders and the aforementioned androgynous people, in various states of undress, doing vaguely hinted at things with each other in a tightly-packed environment. Something for everyone, really."

* {{Bifauxnen}}/ {{Bishonen}}: The "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVs6Fekh0RY Androgyny]]" video, which was kind of the point.

* TheCameo: Music/DaveGrohl plays drums in "Bad Boyfriend".

* CoolOldLady: Shirley, born in 1966, also fit once TheNewTens kicked it. Not [[OlderThanTheyLook that she looked]] [[http://paranoid13xforever.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/screen-shot-2012-01-29-at-18-39-08.png aged 45]] or [[http://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/619/35/Q_S15-16_02-06-2016_1280x720_2500kbps.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&downsize=560px:* near 50]].

* CreepyChild: Shirley's persona is the grown-up version.
** When it's not [[WildChild something]] [[FemmeFatale else]] [[BrokenBird entirely]]...
** See in particular her role as an especially icy T-1000 in ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles''.

** "Happy Home", the final song on ''Bleed Like Me'', is especially depressing, as the lyrics seem to imply that the song is the narrator's suicide note. The [[PlayingTheHeartStrings strings]] don't help either.
*** Or the band breaking up, as the group were quite open about how, at the time, they didn't know if the band would continue.

* {{Fanservice}}: Played straight most of the time but is zigzagged on occasion. Videos such as "Vow", "Queer", "Run Baby Run" and "Blood for Poppies" downplays this by have Shirley in normal attire while other videos feature her in short dresses. "I'm Think I'm Paranoid" (see PantyShot below), "Cherry Lips" (An invisible Shirley sees her [[DressHitsFloor clothes fall off]] and walks naked to the bathroom) and "Bleed Like Me" turn this UpToEleven.
** Also, the video for "Androgyny". To quote: "It has men who look like attractive women, women who look like attractive men, Shirley Manson wearing a rather sexy outfit that looks like a weird hybrid between suit and a dress, Shirley Manson wearing suspenders and the aforementioned androgynous people, in various states of undress, doing vaguely hinted at things with each other in a tightly-packed environment. Something for everyone, really."

* LittleBlackDress: Shirley often wears versions of these on stage and in videos though they are not always black (blue in "Only Happy When It Rains", black with white polka dots in "I Think I'm Paranoid" for example).

-->What is real? Is real reason?
-->What is real? Is real reason?
-->What is real? Is real reason?
-->What is real?

** ''Bleed Like Me'''s been roundly bashed by audiophiles the world over for its lifeless, dynamic-deficient and horribly clipping sound. A real bad moment considering three of the band members are producers and their previous albums had dynamics despite all the distortion and loudness. It should be noted that this is done in the mixing and mastering phase of production, not the recording phase. It's out of the producer's hands by that point.

* TakeThat / SexIsLiberation: "Sex Is Not The Enemy" is very much aimed at MoralGuardians and UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush criticizing their attitudes about love and sex. (Shirley declared that a major inspiration was the outcry following Music/JanetJackson's WardrobeMalfunction).

* {{Bifauxnen}}/ {{Bishonen}}: The "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I2S_29IbuM Androgyny]]" video, which was kind of the point.

* "[[Music/PattiSmith Because the Night]]" (with Music/ScreamingFemales) (2013)

* "The Chemicals" (featuring Brian Aubert) (2015)

* "Destroying Angels" (featuring [[Music/{{X}} John Doe and Exene Cervenka]])

The band's gravy train slowed down somewhat after TheNineties ended, thanks to record label problems and a mixed reception towards ''beautifulgarbage'' that frequently included charges of both TheyChangedItNowItSucks and ItsTheSameNowItSucks, reception that translated into poor sales. During the TroubledProduction of their next album, they nearly broke up due to intra-band tensions in 2003, but managed to regroup and finish ''Bleed Like Me'' in 2005, which once again suffered a mixed reception but did slightly better on the charts. They went on a hiatus for five years afterwards, during which Manson played a regular dramatic role as the liquid metal Terminator known as Weaver in ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles''. Despite generally positive reaction, she didn't continue with acting. Manson announced in October of 2010 that the group had reformed and was working on a fifth album, which was released in 2012 as ''Not Your Kind of People''. The title track was used in the trailer for ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Metal Gear Solid V]]'', so the group has at least [[Creator/HideoKojima one Japanese fan]].

* CoverVersion: One of their B-sides is an electronic cover of "Thirteen" by Music/BigStar.

* CreepyChild: Shirley's persona is the grown-up version of this.

* TheFatalist: "Control"

* InDaClub: "Run Baby Run" plays this straight, but "The Chemicals" plays with the trope - the patron are young and quite attractive, but they are drunk/on drugs and a few of them are quite aggressive (it is a rave bar afterwards)

* LighterAndSofter: Subverted with ''beautifulgarbage''. Although musically lighter and softer with the incorporation of hip hop and electronica influences into the songs, the lyrics are more melancholic, with Manson having [[CreatorBreakdown just gone through a divorce]].
** The SelfTitledAlbum is quite easily the band's darkest and angriest album [[note]]Since several of its songs were written before Shirley joined the band, she modified the lyrics and music (most notably "Vow") to sound more feminine[[/note]], so the rest of their discography is essentially this in comparison.

* MohsScaleOfLyricalHardness: On the other hand, aside from rare optimistic songs such as "Big Bright World" and "Not Your Kind of People", the lyrics usually rank from 6 to 8 given sadness, sex and overall mental instability are recurrent (the latter two in particular peak to the point of violence in "Vow" and "#1 Crush").
* NonAppearingTitle: "Supervixen", "Vow", "Parade," "Blood For Poppies".

* PrecisionFStrike: Played straight with "Bleed Like Me" ("fuck"), "Cherry Lips", "Why Do You Love Me" and "Boys Wanna Fight" ("shit") and "Shut Your Mouth" and "What Girls are Made Of" ([[BreadEggsBreadedEggs both]]).

* RealSongThemeTune: "#1 Crush" was the ThematicThemeTune for the UK TV show ''Series/{{Hex}}''. Given that it's a downright creepy song about a StalkerWithACrush, it fitted the show's premise quite well. Bonus points to the show for using the original B-side, and not the remixed chart-bothering version.
** "Control" is the theme for the video game adaptation of ''VideoGame/TheAmazingSpiderMan''. It was even used in the trailer.

* ShoutOut; A lot:

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Usually ranges from 1 (such as "So Like a Rose" and "You Look so Fine") to 5 (such as "Why Do You Love Me" and "Subhuman"), with a couple songs being a 6 (such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb7fLA5ccWg "Vow"]] and "Battle in Me").

* ItMakesSenseInContext: The twist ending of "Cherry Lips", if oyu were paying attention to the lyrics.

* FakeGuestStar: [[Music/JanesAddiction Eric Avery]] is basically all but a full time member now, having toured for Not Your Kind of People, and recorded and toured Strange Little Birds.

** Taken UpToEleven with the ''Strange Little Birds'' bonus track "Fucking With You", which is not only the title, but also starts nearly every line in the song's chorus.

** "Sleep Together" ("If we sleep together, will you like me better?") has a clear homage to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x0fPZrPV3M Romeo Void's "Never Say Never"]] ("I might like you better if we slept together!").

* TitleDrop: The song "Even Though Our Love Is Doomed" slips in the line ''"Strange Little Birds"'', the name of the album it was released under.

* AnachronismStew: The music video for "The World Is Not Enough", the theme for the [[JamesBond/TheWorldIsNotEnough Bond movie of the same name]], is a sort of mini spy-fi movie, apparently set in Chicago 1964, except for the fact the cars look ''pretty obviously'' contemporary to the 1990s. [[spoiler:Oh, and also Shirley Manson is an apparently sentient, sexy, bisexual robot. With a bomb inside her!]]

* GuestStarPartyMember: Usually a bassist (for instance, the Not Your Kind of People tour featured Music/JanesAddiction's Eric Avery), though at times a drummer too (Matt Walker of Music/TheSmashingPumpkins, Music/PearlJam and Music/{{Soundgarden}} touring drummer Matt Chamberlain).
* {{Main/Guyliner}}: Donned by Butch, Duke and Steve in "Only Happy When It Rains".

* LittleBlackDress: Shirley often wears versions of these on stage and in videos though they are not always black (blue in "Only Happy When It Rains", black with white polka dots in "I Think I'm Paranoid for example).

** OohMeAccentsSlipping: Except in "Stupid Girl", where she pronounces the word "stupid" as "stju-pid" as opposed to the American pronunciation as "stoo-pid", and adds some TrrrillingRrrs to "girl"" ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJD21xh9Bto&t=89s something that confused the rest of the band]]). This isn't a one-off either, with the same pronunciation also present in the songs "Breaking up the Girl", "Boys Wanna Fight", "If I Lost You" and "Night Drive Loneliness".

* ReligionRantSong: "As Heaven is Wide" is a Type 1 [[note]]Although it's really more about somebody who has been hurt by a (supposedly) religious man than about God or religion themselves, so shades of Type 3 are also present[[/note]].

* TakeThat / SexIsLiberation: "Sex Is Not The Enemy" is very much aimed at MoralGuardians and UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush criticizing their attitudes about love and sex. (Shirley declared that a major inspiration was the outcry following Music/JanetJackson's WardrobeMalfunction).
** The album also has a ProtestSong against [[TheWarOnTerror Dubya and friends' foreign policies]], "Boys Wanna Fight".
** [[https://youtu.be/8ynWWrFXQok ''I betcha glad your girlfriend's doesn't cheat like me. Betcha, I betcha.]] [[Music/PussycatDolls I betcha glad your girlfriend's not a slut like me. Betcha, I betcha'']]

* PrecisionFStrike: Played straight with "Bleed Like Me" ("fuck"), "Cherry Lips" "Why Do You Love Me", "Boys Wanna Fight" and "What Girls are Made Of" ("shit") and "Shut Your Mouth" ([[BreadEggsBreadedEggs both]]).

!!! "I'm only happy when it tropes":

* {{Fanservice}}: Played straight most of the time but is zig zagged on occasion. Videos such as "Vow", "Queer", "Run Baby Run" and "Blood for Poppies" downplays this by have Shirley in normal attire while other videos feature her in short dresses. "I'm Think I'm Paranoid" (see PantyShot below), "Cherry Lips" (An invisible Shirley sees her [[DressHitsFloor clothes fall off]] and walks naked to the bathroom) and "Bleed Like Me" turn this UpToEleven.

* GreatestHitsAlbum: ''Absolute Garbage'', but it wasn't composed solely of their previous songs, as "Tell Me Where It Hurts" was released on it. Five year later, their Australian record company released a repackaged and resequenced version titled "The Absolute Collection" which omitted "You Look So Fine" and "The World is Not Enough" and added two of their singles from ''beautifulgarbage'' and ''Not Your Kind of People'' apiece, as well as "Supervixen" from their debut.

** ''Not Your Kind of People" hasn't fared much better in the war either.

* PrimAndProperBun: Shirley frequently donned this look around the time Not Your Kind of People was released.

* RecordProducer: The band is always credited for producing its own albums. (the only outside producers were David Arnold in "The World Is Not Enough", and [[Music/TheDustBrothers John King]] in "Bad Boyfriend" and B-side "Space Can Come Through Anyone" — the other ''Bleed Like Me'' songs they worked on with him were re-recorded).

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Shirley and GwenStefani.