Garbage Songs Ranked
Garbage is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Madison, Wisconsin. The band’s lineup—consisting of Scottish singer Shirley Manson (vocals) and American musicians Duke Erikson (guitar, bass, keyboards), Steve Marker (guitar, keyboards), and Butch Vig (drums, production)—has remained unchanged since its inception. All four members are involved in the songwriting and production process. Garbage has sold over 17 million albums worldwide. Garbage’s third album Beautiful Garbage was also critically acclaimed, but failed to match the commercial success of its predecessors. Garbage quietly disbanded amidst the troubled production of their fourth album Bleed Like Me, but regrouped to complete the album, which was released in 2005 and peaked at a career-high number four in the U.S. The band cut short their Bleed Like Me concert tour and announced an indefinite hiatus, emphasizing that they had not broken up but rather wished to pursue separate interests. The hiatus was briefly interrupted in 2007, when the band recorded new tracks for their greatest hits album Absolute Garbage. The band reunited in 2011, and self-released their 2012 album Not Your Kind of People on their own label Stun volume to positive reviews. Their next album, Strange Little Birds, followed in 2016. Their seventh studio album, No Gods No Masters, was released in 2021. Here are all of Garbage songs ranked.
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10. Special (Version 2.0, 1998)
“I think we can all relate to this song. It’s about meeting someone who you totally click with, but after a while, you realize they’re just a sheep like everyone else. They’re not special, they’re not unique, and they’re not worth your time. And you feel extremely disappointed because you thought there was something magical happening.”
9. Stupid Girl (Garbage, 1995)
“The single is worth having. Todd Terry’s mix is not too adventurous, but it is decent. But if you don’t already have Driving Lesson, than you need the domestic Stupid Girl disc. It’s an awesome song.”
8. #1 Crush (Garbage, 1995)
“Sexy, gothic and creepy at the same time. I love the part when she says she’ll twist a knife and bleed her aching heart and tear it apart. Anyone who can combine trip hop with industrial with alternative rock deserves serious props. Garbage is my favorite band for a good reason”
See more: Garbage Albums Ranked
7. The World is Not Enough (The World is Not Enough, 1999)
“Probably the biggest disparity in quality between Bond theme and film- a far better theme than any Brosnan Bond deserved, let alone the worst one. Basically blatantly reincarnates Shirley Bassey through a newer Shirley, but no issues with cosplay when it’s this wildly successful.”
6. I Think I’m Paranoid (Version 2.0 1998)
“Though the band had some issues in making great albums from start to finish, the band had a great capacity in making singles. The quality is great, the guitar melody is really enjoyable during the verses and switches to a grungy and energetic guitar chords during the hook. The singing is great as usual, really catchy hook makes the song very enjoyable.”
5. Supervixen (Garbage, 1995)
“A song that suffers from the classic “I’ll give a fuck about the verses but I’m going to write a great chorus to compensate because people only cares about hooks and danceable sections today”. Somehow that’s a remarkable shoegaze riff.”
See more: U2 Albums Ranked
4. Push It (Version 2.0, 1998)
“It is really another great Garbage tune, it has great singing, great catchy hooks, and amazing guitar riffing for a seemingly normal mainstream pop rock song. The hook is amazing, but the song flows very well from start to finish. Again, the bass line is great as well, and the switch between bass to guitars in terms of main lead during the hook is really interesting.”
3. Vow (Garbage, 1995)
“I like Garbage a lot, but (at least in my opinion) it’s undeniable they peaked with this first song. That’s not an insult at all because Vow is an absolute masterpiece, but it’s so damn good that it overshadows even the best material on their amazing debut.”
2. Only Happy When It Rains (Garbage, 1995)
“Garbage always sounded to me the band that Hole was supposed to be. Either way “only happy when it rains” is pretty much the pop side of grunge, showing that female vocals can actually do very well in this genre. The song is incredible catchy, and the performance of both the singer and the even the guitars are pretty amazing. Overall one of the most memorable songs of the 90s”
1. Queer (Garbage, 1995)
“I miss the songs from Garbage (like this one) that had more of a point and deeper meaning. I mean, sure, all their songs have meanings, but this ones was deep somewhat. When this song was first out, it was still very much in to refer to people as queer, gay, fag as insults and reasons to hate others, and I think this had a great message. I’m very sure it’s being sarcastic, also, so don’t take it literally.”
