"Androgyny" is a song released by American alternative rock group Garbage as the lead single from their third studio album, Beautiful Garbage. Released worldwide in 2001, "Androgyny" represented a shift in the group's style, overtly embracing current music elements into their repertoire. Drummer/producer Butch Vig explained: "To me, some of the most cutting edge music out there is in the Top 40. Some of the songs on Beautiful Garbage, like "Androgyny" and "Untouchable" are influenced by Timbaland and Dr. Dre."[1]
Promotion for "Androgyny" and its parent album were put on hold in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.[2] The mixed reaction from both critics and Garbage's fanbase to "Androgyny" also contributed to its underperformance in Garbage's home markets of the United Kingdom, where "Androgyny" stalled outside the top twenty, and in the United States, where it failed to register on any Billboard charts.[3] Across Europe, however, "Androgyny" gained significant traction at radio and video;[4] "Androgyny" was also a notable success in Australia, where it became their highest-charting single at the time.[5]
In 2016, Garbage performed "Androgyny" for the first time in fifteen years in Charlotte, North Carolina to highlight the controversial Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act that was being deliberated in the state at the time. The band are resolutely pro-trans rights.[6] Later that year, band leader Shirley Manson spoke of "Androgyny": "As it turns out, the song was way ahead of its time. The subject matter is now very pertinent. But back then, it was considered a little strange, I guess".[7]
Song profile
Garbage began the process of writing, recording and self-produced their third album in April 2000 at their own Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin. The sessions for the record would last well into the following year; "Androgyny" becoming realised sometime in January 2001.[8] Garbage had been making rough mixes of their work, and had moved a chunk from one musical piece into another to create what would end up as "Androgyny".[9] A classical guitar part written for another song on the album, "Untouchable", was matched with a sparse drum machine pattern written for "Androgyny" during tracking stages. Although it sounded a little crude, the band felt that the piece had character; the band edited it with Pro Tools software and matched it with a synthmelody.[10] "It's really three songs stuck together," guitarist Duke Erikson later recalled, "The way we do things is almost like Cubism. It's different viewpoints of the same thing, jammed together on the one canvas".[9] ""Androgyny" is a schizophrenic song", Steve Marker claimed, describing it as "lots of urban groove... then it's got a bit of that '60s fuzz guitar, loads of strings. There are like three or four different styles of music in it. It's basically just a weird song".[11]
Lyrically, "Androgyny" was described by Shirley Manson as a "third-sex manifesto" for gender expression, adding that she thought that the world was fascinated with gender-bending and cross-dressing, and that she felt that people had become sick of being categorised in binary terms: "this overt sexualisation [of society]... has become so un-erotic, so un-mysterious, and so un-sexy".[13] The band felt that "Androgyny" was a good choice as a lead single for Beautiful Garbage, as the song represented how the album veered to pop, more than the first two albums. "Starting off with something as quote unquote "poppy" as "Androgyny" was maybe where we wanted to go with this..." explained Erikson, "it sounds a lot different to what we've done before."[14] Later Erikson told VH1, "["Androgyny"] encapsulates the mood of the record... each part of the song has a very drastic change and the record is full of extremes like that."[15] He pointed out that despite the R&B verse, the song is recognisably Garbage because of the rock chorus; adding that the bridge also has a Philadelphia soul influence. "We combine different genres of music within a song... in that way, it's what we've always done."[16]
Single release
"Androgyny" received its world premiere radio broadcast on August 9, 2001, on Steve Lamacq's Evening Session on BBC Radio 1; this was followed up by pre-release broadcasts the next day on Nemone's Radio 1 show, and on Capital and XFM's breakfast shows.[17] "Androgyny" was officially serviced to UK radio on August 13.[17] "Androgyny" was C-listed at BBC Radio 1, Virgin, Red Dragon and Isle of Wight Radio.[17] XFM's Arthur Baker premiered the Felix Da Housecatremix of "Androgyny" on his show on August 19, while The Architechs remix premiered on the Dreem Team's Radio 1 show on August 26.[17] Both mixes were issued on 12" vinyl on August 20; the Felix Da Housecat mixes to nightclubs, while the Architechs remix was sent to specialist clubs.[17] The "Androgyny" music video premiered on both MTV UK and VH1 on September 10;[17] the following night's broadcast of the Mercury Music Prize event featured two teaseradverts during the commercial breaks to promote both "Androgyny" and Beautiful Garbage.[17] "Androgyny" was B-listed at Radio One. Garbage spent a week in the United Kingdom to promote the single and album from September 17; recording a performance of "Androgyny" for Pepsi Chart Show, Top of The Pops and The Base to be broadcast after the single release.[17] Shirley Manson co-hosted the Steve Lamacq Show on September 19.[17] Garbage made their first live televised performance in nearly two years on September 22; performing "Androgyny" on cd:uk and the following day a live performance on T4Popworld.[17]Mushroom Records UK issued "Androgyny" on September 24 on three formats; a 2×CD single set and a 12" vinyl. Woolworths made "Androgyny" its 'Single of the Week'.[17] "Androgyny" debuted at No. 24 on the UK Singles Chart, which was lower than any of the six singles Garbage released during the Version 2.0 album cycle.[18] "Androgyny" dipped to No. 52 the following week, before leaving the Top 75 altogether.[18]
In North America, Interscope scheduled "Androgyny" for impact on Modern Rock, Hot A/C, Mainstream Top 40, Adult Top 40 and AAA format radio stations from August 27.[19] Interscope announced that "Androgyny" had become the No. 1 'Most Added' track at Mainstream Top 40, Adult Top 40 and AAA, while picking up notable adds at CHR/Pop and Hot AC stations.[20] The music video for "Androgyny" was premiered on both VH1 and MTV on September 10. Interscope partnered with Yahoo! Messenger to promote the release of "Androgyny" around the launch of their new instant messenger initiative termed IMVironments that allowed users to play music and Flash Videoclips inside the IM window. Users were able to correspond within a Garbage-themed environment that included the "Androgyny" audio, a Flash montage of the band, a hyperlink to Launch.com to view the "Androgyny" video and a link to Yahoo! Music to purchase the new album.[21] Following September 11, "Androgyny" lost any momentum at US radio; barely hanging on at Triple-A, where it was averaging around 100-150 plays a week.[22] "[In the weeks following 9/11] radio banished all sorts of songs, anything weird at all. "Androgyny" wasn't going to fly for a second", Duke recalled.[2]
To set up the release of both "Androgyny" and Beautiful Garbage, PIAS France serviced the video for "Androgyny" to music stations on September 13;[23] "Androgyny" was playlisted by radio stations Europe 1, Europe 2, RTL, France Inter, Ouï FM, Sud Radio, FIP, WIT FM, Alouette FM, Le Moev' and Couleur 3, and by music channels MCM and MTV France, with specials broadcast by France 3 and M6[23] PIAS Germany serviced the music video to stations where it was playlisted by RTL II, VIVA, VIVA2, MTV Central and Onyx.tv; "Androgyny" was also well received by German radio, where it peaked at No. 57 on their airplay chart.[24] On September 24, PIAS released a maxi CD single across Europe. In some countries such as Netherlands and Italy, PIAS also issued a two-track CD single; PIAS France imported the 12" single from the UK to distribute to national music stores. After its fifth week at radio, "Androgyny" reached No. 17 on the European airplay chart;[25] the following week the song debuted and peaked at No. 70 on the European Hot 100 Singles chart.[26] In the weeks after the Beautiful Garbage album debuted at No. 2 across Europe, "Androgyny" peaked at No. 11 on the airplay chart.[4] In Russia, "Androgyny" peaked at No. 2 on Music & Media's airplay chart.[27]
For the release of "Androgyny" in Australia, FMR set a radio premiere date of August 24 across the two countries, confident from early album previews across airplay formats that the single would potentially receive massive radio support.[28] "Androgyny" became Garbage's first Top 10 Airplay hit in Australia.[29] The physical single was released on September 24 as a maxi single featuring "Begging Bone", and the two Felix da Housecat and The Architechs remixes.[28] "Androgyny" charted at No. 21 on the ARIA Charts[5] and at No. 36 on the RIANZ singles chart.[30] "Androgyny" stayed on the Australian chart for seven weeks,[5] and on the New Zealand chart for thirteen, eventually rising to No. 17 on its eleventh week.[30]
The music video for "Androgyny" was directed by Don Cameron over a three-day Londonstudio shoot commencing August 20, 2001.[17] The video was produced by Tsunami/Method Films and its visual effects overseen by Smoke & Mirrors. Collaborating on the music video were top hair / make-up / stylists, British '60s airbrush artist Peter Barry and digital matte artists.[31]
The concept for the "Androgyny" music video sought to redefine Shirley Manson as a fashion icon.[31] Cameron framed Manson's on-screen performance and the bands' cameos in several graphic art directed environments, as well as placing the band within a cast setting for the first time: interspersed throughout the video is footage of multiple fashionable twenty-somethings seen swapping clothes and kisses in a public restroom as the band look on. Cameron also used post effects to make Manson appear as a visualization of androgyny.[31] Clothing chosen by stylist were from Martine Sitbon, Benjamin Cho, Richard Saenz, and undisclosed designers. The creation of the "Androgyny" video involved the design of four different and individual effects.[32] The opening section of the video presented Manson in a similar style of the classic Vladimir TretchikoffBalinese girl paintings, created using matte painting and green screen. The footage was heavily treated and combined with multiple layers of painted elements to give Manson porcelain-like skin that is characteristic of Tretchikoff's work.[32] The second section of the video that involves the use of CGI featured Manson dressed half in a man's suit and half in a women's suit; as Manson rotates on a turning pedestal, elements of her body and clothing morph.[32] The limousine sequence, where Manson is seen chauffeuring a young couple down a stylised freeway, involved filming multiple motion control passes and painted/keyed elements. Motion control data was manipulated in post-production to remove the reflections of the set and creating reflections of the street lights and cityscape.[32] The final sequence sees Manson performing in front of a city backdrop; this involved multiple layers of matte painted elements to create.[32]
The music video began airing across Europe and North America on September 10, 2001.[33] Music station VH1 paired its broadcasts of "Androgyny" with the band's earlier single "Only Happy When it Rains". In 2002, a QuickTime format of the "Androgyny" video was included on a promotional sampler CD-ROM titled Garbage:Sampler, given away by Mushroom Records UK in conjunction with The Sun newspaper and Asda supermarket.[34] The "Androgyny" video was uploaded to VEVO in 2009.[35]
The CD format of Beautiful Garbage contained an enhanced element where users could remix four tracks from the album, of which "Androgyny" was one of. Created in conjunction with Sonic Foundry, using a customized version of their drag-and-dropACID Promusic sequencersoftware, the remixes utilized samples and loops taken directly from the actual songs. The enhanced section could be accessed when the user was online; a simplified version of the software featuring only "Androgyny" loops was accessible when the user was offline.[17] The offline 'soundtoy' featuring "Androgyny" loops and samples was later included on the Garbage:Sampler CD-ROM.[34]
Interscope Records and Sonic Foundry launched a competition in November 2001, in which fans were invited to remix "Androgyny" by downloading free ACID Xpress software. Entrants could then upload their work to a specially created website (www.acidgarbage.com) to stream their mixes online.[36] The winner received copies of Sonic Foundry's ACID Pro 3.0, Sound Forge 5.0, Vegas Audio 2.0, and five loop libraries.[36]
Remixes commissioned for the single release included club and dub mixes each from UK garage outfit The Architechs and Chicago house and electroclash DJ Felix da Housecat. His "Thee Glitz" remix was notably included on the 2003 2 Many DJs landmark mashup album As Heard on Radio Soulwax Pt. 2, and later remastered and included on the bonus disc of Garbage's 2007 greatest hits album Absolute Garbage.[37] Interscope paid $75,000 for a funk remix of "Androgyny" by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, an American production duo known as The Neptunes[2] with scheduled plans for it to be serviced to radio and clubs.[33] A remix by Missy Elliot[38] was also in the works; Butch Vig told NME: "We've talked about either "Androgyny" or "Untouchable". We'll send it off to her and say, Missy, do your thing, do whatever you want with it, because we love her and love her sensibility which she brings to it."[39]
Critical reception
"Androgyny" was met with a mixed reception upon its late 2001 release. In early press, Kerrang!'s Dom Lawson described it as "pretty collides with sterile" and "glistening";[40] while a reviewer for Heat claimed ""Androgyny" is a bewitching record, pirouetting between pop, rock and funk". Much comment was made on the songs notable genre-crossover from alternative rock. In an album review for Classic Rock, Jerry Ewing wrote: "With its playful "boys in the girl's room, girls in the men's room" refrain, ["Androgyny"] works its seductive rhythms very much into R&B territory, yet remains undeniably Garbage-like in sound."[41]Q' magazine's Paul Elliot wrote ""Androgyny"s R&B stutter evokes Destiny's Child, essentially pop, but not without depth", while in their album review, Ian Griffiths wrote that Beautiful Garbage was the band's best album to date, pointing out that "Androgyny" radiated "coy brooding".[42] David Stubbs of Uncut agreed that the album was the band's best yet, writing "Androgyny" recalls Prince at his most funkily fluid and puckish, imagining a world where gender barriers are broken down."[43] Barry Divola of WHO magazine wrote "Note to R&B stars who are having trouble getting Timbaland to free up his schedule: hire Garbage. They may technically be a rock band, but you wouldn't know it from "Androgyny", with its loops, syncopated rhythm and severely cut-up instrumentation".[44] In an album review for Rock Sound, Victoria Durham called the lyrics "tiresome", while comparing the song's intro to Madonna.[45] "If current single "Androgyny" is meant to be a new direction, it isn't a bad one, a chunky riff set to a nu-soul production job", wrote The List, "Lyrically though, the band are still confusing the deviant with the dull".[46]
Garbage is a Scottish and American rock band formed in 1993 in Madison, Wisconsin. The band's line-up consisting of Scottish singer Shirley Manson (vocals) and American musicians Duke Erikson, Steve Marker, and Butch Vig 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.
Beautiful Garbage is the third studio album by American rock band Garbage. It was released on October 1, 2001, by Mushroom Records worldwide, with the North American release by Interscope Records the following day. Marking a departure from the sound the band had established on their first two releases, the album was written and recorded over the course of a year, when lead singer Shirley Manson chronicled their efforts weekly online, becoming one of the first high-profile musicians to keep an Internet blog. The album expanded on the band's musical variety, with stronger melodies, more direct lyrics, and sounds mixing rock with electronica, new wave, hip hop, and girl groups.
"Stupid Girl" is a song by Scottish and American rock band Garbage from their self-titled debut studio album (1995). The song was written and produced by band members Duke Erikson, Shirley Manson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig. "Stupid Girl" features lyrics about a young woman's ambivalence and is a musical arrangement centered on a repetitive bassline and a drum sample from the Clash's 1980 song "Train in Vain".
"Shut Your Mouth" is a 2001 alternative rock song by Garbage, written and recorded for their third studio album Beautiful Garbage. "Shut Your Mouth" was the album opener; it was also released as its fourth and final single.
"Vow" is a song by alternative rock band Garbage. It was released as their debut single in early 1995 by Discordant, a label set up by Mushroom Records to launch the group, and Almo Sounds in North America.
"Only Happy When It Rains" is an alternative rock song written and produced by American alternative rock band Garbage for their self-titled debut studio album (1995). It was recorded at the band's own studio, Smart Studios, in Madison, Wisconsin, and is known for its tongue-in-cheek lyrics parodying the typically angst-filled themes of mid-'90s alternative rock.
"Special" is song by American rock band Garbage from their second studio album, Version 2.0 (1998). It was released as the album's third single. The track contains a vocal interpolation of a lyric taken from "Talk of the Town" by the Pretenders.
"When I Grow Up" is a 1998 song written, recorded and produced by alternative rock band Garbage. The song was released as the fourth international single to be taken from the band's multi-platinum second album Version 2.0 over the course of the following year.
"You Look So Fine" is a single released in 1999, and was the final single taken from Garbage's second album Version 2.0, where it was also the closing track. "You Look So Fine" closed either the main set or encore at every headlining show Garbage performed on the two-year-long Version 2.0 world tour.
"Push It" is a song by American rock band Garbage from their second studio album, Version 2.0 (1998). It was released on April 20, 1998, as the album's lead single. Lead singer Shirley Manson elaborated on the song's dreamy verse structure versus the confrontational chorus: "[It's about] the schizophrenia that exists when you try to reconcile your desires and demons with the need to fit in. It's a song of reassurance". The track contains a musical quotation of the Beach Boys' 1964 song "Don't Worry Baby".
"I Think I'm Paranoid" is a song written, performed and produced by rock band Garbage and was the second single released from their second album Version 2.0.
"Why Do You Love Me" is a song by alternative rock band Garbage, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Bleed Like Me (2005).
"Cherry Lips", also known as "Cherry Lips " is a song written, recorded and produced by alternative rock group Garbage for their third studio album, Beautiful Garbage. It was released in early 2002 by Mushroom Records as second single from the album, with the exception of North America, where Interscope issued "Breaking Up the Girl" instead. In the years since release, "Cherry Lips" has become an enduring track for the band, an alternative rock LGBTQ anthem, and after almost two decades continues to resonate, being used as the home run song of the Milwaukee Brewers and in advertisement campaigns for Microsoft's Surface Go laptop tablets.
"Breaking Up the Girl" is a 2001 alternative rock song written, recorded and produced by the band Garbage for their third studio album Beautiful Garbage. In North America, it was serviced to alternative radio as the second single from the album.
"#1 Crush" is a song by the American rock band Garbage, released internationally as a b-side to their debut single "Vow" (1995), and in the United Kingdom on the b-side to second single "Subhuman" (1995).
"Queer" is a song by American rock band Garbage from their self-titled debut studio album (1995). The song started as a demo during sessions between band members Butch Vig, Duke Erikson, and Steve Marker, and finished after singer Shirley Manson joined the band. Manson rewrote the sexualized lyrics to be more ambiguous, and rearranged the song into a subdued trip hop and rock crossover composition.
"Milk" is a song written and produced by American alternative rock band Garbage from their self-titled debut studio album (1995). The song was released internationally the following year as the album's fifth and final single. Garbage collaborated with trip hop musician Tricky on a new version of "Milk" for single release. Much media comment was made regarding a rumoured fall-out over the sessions, when it became known that Garbage produced a further mix of "Milk" that only incorporated Tricky's vocals from that session.
Garbage is a Scottish and American rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1993. The group's discography consists of seven studio albums, three compilation albums, one remix album, one extended play, 37 singles, four promotional singles, three video albums, and 38 music videos. The line-up consists of Scottish vocalist Shirley Manson and Americans Duke Erikson, Steve Marker, and Butch Vig. They have amassed worldwide album sales of over 17 million units.
The Beautiful Garbage World Tour was the third world concert tour cycle by American/Scottish alternative rock group Garbage, which took the band throughout North and Central America, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand in support of its third album Beautiful Garbage.
This is a list of the discography of Scottish recording artist Shirley Manson, who has performed as the lead singer of American rock band Garbage since 1993. Prior to joining Garbage, she was a backing vocalist and keyboard player for Goodbye Mr Mackenzie from 1981–1992. The band had one UK Top 40 single, "The Rattler", and a string of UK Top 100 singles – "Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie", "Love Child", "Blacker Than Black" and "Now We Are Married".
References
↑ Garbage; beautifulgarbage, Out Oct 2. New York. October 1, 2001.
↑ Garbage (September 26, 2001). "Garbage interview" (Interview). London, United Kingdom: VH1. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
↑ Garbage (September 28, 2001). "Garbage interview" (Interview). London, United Kingdom: The Interview Channel. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Mushroom Records UK Beautiful Garbage & "Androgyny" promotion, marketing, tools and schedule campaign itinerary, published Sept 2001
1 2 Q, "Garbage: Slipping Away, November 2001 issue
↑ Sólo éxitos. Año a año. 1959-2002, by Fernando Salaverri, published by the Foundation Author of the General Society of Authors and Editores (SGAE), 2002
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