Stupid Girl (Garbage song)

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“Stupid Girl”
“Stupid Girl” cover
Single by Garbage
from the album Garbage
B-side "Driving Lesson"
"Alien Sex Fiend"
Released February 28, 1996 (Europe)
March 11, 1996 (UK)
May 25, 1996 (U.S.)
Format 7", 12",
CD maxi, cassette single
Recorded 1994 - 1995
Smart Studios,
Madison, Wisconsin
Genre Alternative rock
Length 4:18
Label Mushroom (Worldwide)
Almo Sounds (North America)
Writer(s) Garbage, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon
Producer Garbage
Garbage singles chronology
"Queer"
(1995)		 "Stupid Girl"
(1996)		 "Milk"
(1996)
Alternate cover
International CD2 cover
International CD2 cover

"Stupid Girl" was a single released in 1996 from Garbage's 1995 self-titled debut album. It became Garbage's highest charting single in many territories, including in the US Billboard Hot 100 and in the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at #4. It's success was driven by an innovative music video and cutting-edge remixes which gained massive airplay across the world.

The success of "Stupid Girl" propelled sales of parent album Garbage into the top twenty of the Billboard 200 and into the UK Albums Chart top ten. In 1997 the song was nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group.

Written by Garbage members Duke Erikson, Shirley Manson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig, the song is based upon a drum sample from The Clash's 1980 hit "Train in Vain", whose writers Joe Strummer and Mick Jones were given a co-writing credit for the song.

In 2007, "Stupid Girl" was remastered and included on Garbage's greatest hits album Absolute Garbage.[1]

Contents

[edit] Song

"Stupid Girl" began as a rough demo in January 1994, during sessions between Vig, Erikson and Marker in Marker's basement recording studio in Madison, Wisconsin.[2] The band had been jamming with numerous instruments, an eight-track and samplers. Marker created the bassline, while Erikson wrote a jangly guitar riff. The whole song came together when Vig brought both parts together over a drum sample from The Clash's "Train In Vain".[3]

"It's impossible to predict what will be a hit. But subconsciously, I knew the song was good when I kept playing the same rough mix over and over again on my car stereo for months."
Butch Vig[3]

After Marker saw Manson's group Angelfish on 120 Minutes, the band invited her to Vig and Marker's Smart Studios to sing on a couple of tracks. After a dreadful first audition, she returned to Angelfish.[4] Manson eventually returned to Smart for a successful second time, where she began to work on the then-skeletal "Queer", "Vow" and "Stupid Girl"[5] Working on the lyrics, "Stupid Girl" became an "anthem for a girl who won't settle for less than what she wants".[6]

Additional percussion is performed by Pauli Ryan, and bass guitar by Mike Kashou.[7]

Reflecting on the success of the song in 2002, Butch Vig admitted: "People still ask us who the "Stupid Girl" is, and that's impossible to answer. The song is sort of meant to be a wake up call. It could be about an ex-girlfriend. It could be about a rock diva that we all know, it could be about your sister. It could also be called "Stupid Boy".[3]

[edit] Single release

"Stupid Girl" was first released in Australia and New Zealand as a two-part CD single set. Spread across both formats were "Queer" remixes and studio tracks "Trip My Wire" and "Butterfly Collector", b-sides previously included on the U.K. release of "Queer".[8] The single charts at #47 in Australia[9] and #32 in New Zealand.[10] A commercial release across Europe followed on February 28,[11] on two CD formats, one with both "Queer" b-sides, and the other featuring an exclusive radio edit by Oliver Sitl.[12]

The release of "Stupid Girl" in the UK was scheduled for March 11 to support Garbage's first headline U.K. tour.[13] "Stupid Girl" received massive pre-release video and radio airplay (A-listed at Radio One, Virgin and Capital), reaching #5 in the UK Airplay chart.[14] Garbage also performed "Stupid Girl" live on Top of The Pops and TFI Friday (along with a performance of "Only Happy When It Rains").

Continuing their theme of special edition 7" vinyl releases, Mushroom chose to release the "Stupid Girl" vinyl in a fabric sleeve. Two colours, red and blue, were released, each with a plastic "G" logo stitched on the front. This vinyl was limited to 10,000 copies. The CD single release was a two disc set, featuring b-sides "Driving Lesson", "Alien Sex Fiend", a Garbage remix of "Dog New Tricks" and remixes of "Stupid Girl" by Red Snapper and Dreadzone.[15] "Stupid Girl" debuted at #4, the band's first UK top 10 hit, spending two weeks in the top ten and seven weeks in the top 75,[14] selling 135,000 copies.[16] On the back of the success of the single and tour, Garbage reaches the top 10, peaking at #6.[14]

Trade advertisement for "Stupid Girl" published by Almo Sounds in Billboard magazine.
Trade advertisement for "Stupid Girl" published by Almo Sounds in Billboard magazine.

On May 25, "Stupid Girl" is released to U.S. Modern Rock radio as Garbage begin supporting Smashing Pumpkins on their Mellon Collie arena tour.[13] "Stupid Girl" will eventually peak at #2 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.[17] The band perform "Stupid Girl" on Late Show with David Letterman on July 11, the night before the tour is postponed due to the overdose of Pumpkins' keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin. "Stupid Girl" begins to quickly ascend the Hot 100 and Airplay charts, as the single is released commercially on CD, cassette and 12" vinyl. A remix of "Stupid Girl" by Todd Terry is serviced to Top 40 radio, as the video for "Stupid Girl" is given Buzz Clip status by MTV, guaranteeing heavy airplay.[18]

The album, Garbage, ascends the Billboard 200 as the success of the single sees its sales increase and on July 30 is certified platinum for 1,000,000 sales.[19] Garbage will peak at #20 on the Billboard 200, as "Stupid Girl" reaches a peak of #24 in September,[20] and its remixes make it a substantial hit at #5 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.[21] Garbage perform "Stupid Girl" at the VH1 Fashion Awards, which makes headlines when Manson suffers a "wardrobe malfunction".

"Stupid Girl" is released in France in August, as Garbage return to Europe to perform at rock festivals, reaching #36, becoming their first hit there.[22] A Remix E.P. is released in Australia and New Zealand, featuring the Dreadzone and Red Snapper mixes, and "Alien Sex Fiend"[12]

In 2005, "Stupid Girl" was featured as the theme song to Curtis Hanson's In Her Shoes[23] while later that year, Alexz Johnson recorded a cover version of the track for her album Songs from Instant Star.[24]

[edit] Music and structure

The main riff and chord progression used throughout "Stupid Girl"
The main riff and chord progression used throughout "Stupid Girl"

"Stupid Girl" is a moderately fast song set in common time in the key of F♯ major. It is built on a I-IV change in F#, with both chords, F#7 and B7, turned into dominant 7s. The dominant 7s are in blues, and are used in this way to give "Stupid Girl" a sulk edge. This chord change is used for the intro, verse, chorus and the instrumental sections. "Stupid Girl" is mainly carried by this arrangement, along with drum beats, sampled from "Train In Vain".[25]

On the intro, four bars set the rhythm, adorned by only a guitar pick-slide and audio effects. The verse adds Manson's vocals and a bass riff which uses flattened blues notes to give "Stupid Girl" an R'n'B feel. The eight-bar prechorus abruptly cuts in with minor chords and sampled feedback replaces the bass which drops out. This, coupled with Manson singing high in her range, creates tension and enables the presence of the bass to be felt when it re-enters on the chorus. The guitar figures in the bridge include a phrase played low and rhythmic guitar stabs on the opposite side of the audio mix. On the chorus, Manson's main vocal is answered by an "aah-ah" of voice and guitar together. The word "girl" lands on a flattened bass note (A against the F# chord, instead of A#).[26]

[edit] Music video

Shirley Manson performing in the "Stupid Girl" music video.
Shirley Manson performing in the "Stupid Girl" music video.

The promotional video for "Stupid Girl" was filmed on January 16, 1996 in Los Angeles by director Samuel Bayer. The video for single "Only Happy When It Rains" was shot at the same time.[27] The video for "Only Happy When It Rains" was given a higher budget than the video for "Stupid Girl", because Almo Sounds believed that the former would be a bigger hit than the latter.[28] MTV certified "Stupid Girl" a Buzz-clip, the band's third video in a row to be guaranteed heavy airplay on the network.[18]

The video for "Stupid Girl" is a performance piece, inspired by the title sequence from David Fincher's 1995 movie Se7en.[29] The clip was shot in just four hours[29] entirely within a warehouse.[27] Bayer cut the film into pieces, and soaked it in his bath, applying deliberate fingerprints and abrasions to the footage before putting it back together by hand.[30] Bayer later re-edited a second version of the video, with alternative footage from the original shoot for a remix version of "Stupid Girl" by Todd Terry.[31]

The "Stupid Girl" video was first commercially released on VHS and Video-CD on 1996's Garbage Video, along with "making of" out-take footage.[32] A remastered version was later included on Garbage's 2007 greatest hits DVD Absolute Garbage.[1]

[edit] B-sides

Garbage recorded a number of tracks in January 1996 during rehearsals for their first full-length concert tour.[33] During the rehearsals, Garbage remixed their own "Dog New Tricks", from Garbage,[34] and record "Driving Lesson", "Alien Sex Fiend" and "Kick My Ass", a Vic Chesnutt cover for inclusion on Sweet Relief II: The Gravity of the Situation.[35] Daniel Shulman plays bass on all four tracks.[36]

On October 14, 1998, Garbage, Electronic Arts and Broadcast.com would promote a live webcast from Garbage's headline show at Dallas Bronco Bowl by offering a free digital download of "Driving Lesson". The song registered over 6,000 downloads.[37]

[edit] Official remixes

For the initial single release of "Stupid Girl", remixes were commissioned from Dreadzone, who completed two mixes and Red Snapper. All three versions appeared on the CD singles for "Stupid Girl"[12] (the Red Snapper remix also appeared on European release of "Only Happy When It Rains").[38] An instrumental version of the Red Snapper remix was later released on the compilation Big Beat Elite.[39]

For the U.S. release of "Stupid Girl", the song was remixed for clubs by Danny Saber, Rabbit in the Moon ("Future Retro mix") and Jason Bentley, Bruno Guez and Blue ("Shoegazer mix").[12] Todd Terry completed two remixes for club play ("Freeze Club" and "In-House Dub")[12] while his "Tee's Radio mix" was released to Top 40 radio.[18] Both this remix and Danny Saber's were later released internationally on "Milk".[40]

Red Snapper and Danny Saber's remixes were then used on Garbage Video,[32] while two additional remixes from Todd Terry ("Bonus Beats" and "Capella") were released in 1997 on the Stupid Girl Remixes 12" in the U.K.[12] In 2007, Todd Terry's radio mix was remastered and included on the Absolute Garbage bonus disc Garbage Mixes.[1]

List of official remixes

  • LP Version - 4:18
  • Radio edit - 3:39
  • Danny Saber remix - 4:26
  • Dreadzone Vocal mix - 6:24
  • Dreadzone Dub version - 6:09
  • Future Retro mix - 5:20
  • Red Snapper mix - 7:38
  • Red Snapper instrumental - 7:38
  • Shoegazer mix - 5:53
  • Tee's Radio mix - 3:50
  • Todd Terry Freeze Club - 5:53
  • Todd Terry Bonus Beats - 3:11
  • Todd Terry In House Dub - 6:11
  • Todd Terry Capella - 3:34

[edit] Critical reception

"Stupid Girl" received an overwhelmingly positive response from music critics both upon the release of Garbage and on its eventual single release. Selects Ian Harrison called the song "Duran-like, describing it as "mighty doomy pop neatly tailored to enhance one's natural discontentment",[41] Vox magazine's Craig McLean called it "malignant, dirty, devious, sneering pop",[42], while Metal Hammer's Pippa Lang compared Manson's "ever-so-sexy, sibilant" vocals to Trent Reznor's.[43] Kerrang! described "Stupid Girl" as "a classy piece of predatory pop perfection that wields an iron punch beneath it's velvet glove".[3]

In addition to its Grammy nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, in 1996, "Stupid Girl" was also nominated for a Danish Grammy for Best Rock Song,[37] an MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist[44] and an MTV Europe Music Award for Best Rock Song.[45] In 1998, "Stupid Girl" won a Best Pop award by Broadcast Music Incorporated.[46] The song was ranked at number 405 in Blender magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".

[edit] Comprehensive charts

Year Single Chart Peak Position
1996 "Stupid Girl" Australia ARIA Singles Chart 47 [9]
1996 "Stupid Girl" France SNEP Singles Chart 38 [22]
1996 "Stupid Girl" Ireland IRMA Singles Chart 16 [47]
1996 "Stupid Girl" Lithuania Singles Chart 40 [48]
1996 "Stupid Girl" New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart 32 [10]
1996 "Stupid Girl" UK Airplay Chart 5 [49]
1996 "Stupid Girl" UK Singles Chart 4 [49]
1996 "Stupid Girl" U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks 2 [17]
1996 "Stupid Girl" U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay 26 [50]
1996 "Stupid Girl" U.S. Billboard Hot 100 24 [20]
1996 "Stupid Girl" U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play 5 [21]
1996 "Stupid Girl" U.S. Billboard Hot Singles Sales 33 [51]
1996 "Stupid Girl" U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream 25 [52]
1996 "Stupid Girl" U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 39 [53]
1996 "Stupid Girl" U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales 30 [54]
1996 "Stupid Girl" U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 36 [55]
1996 "Stupid Girl" U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles 19 [56]
1996 "Stupid Girl" U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 10 [57]
2007 "Stupid Girl" (Remastering) UK Singles Chart 197 [58]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c "New Best Of Album". Garbage.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
  2. ^ "Q (issue 09/01/1996)" (Retrieved - 2008-02-05)
  3. ^ a b c d ""Stupid Girl", Kerrang!, November, 2002 issue (retrieved 2008-02-25)
  4. ^ "Garbage: Behind The Music, VH1, aired March 31, 2002"(Retrieved - 2008-02-05)
  5. ^ ""Modern Life Is Rubbish", Melody Maker magazine, March 18, 1995 issue (Retrieved 2008-02-05)
  6. ^ "Shirley Manson, as quoted in "Stupid Girl" press release, Mushroom Records, January 1996. Retrieved 2008-02-25
  7. ^ "Garbage sleeve credits
  8. ^ "Garbage : "Queer" discography". Garbage-discography.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
  9. ^ a b Garbage - Stupid Girl. Australian-Charts.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  10. ^ a b Garbage - Stupid Girl. Charts.org.nz. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  11. ^ ""Stupid Girl" music video press release (February 1996)" (Retrieved - 2008-01-28)
  12. ^ a b c d e f "Garbage: "Stupid Girl" discography". Garbage-discography.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
  13. ^ a b 1996 Setlists. GarbageBase.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  14. ^ a b c "beautifulgarbage promotional history press release" (Retrieved - 2008-01-28)
  15. ^ "Record Collector #209" (Retrieved - 2008-02-06)
  16. ^ ""Top 200 of 1996", Music Week, issue dated Jan 4, 1997
  17. ^ a b "Stupid Girl" Modern Rock Tracks Listing For The Week of June 8, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  18. ^ a b c ""Hits (Stupid Girl trade ad)"" | (Retrieved - 2007-05-15)
  19. ^ Gold & Platinum searchable database. RIAA.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  20. ^ a b "Stupid Girl" Hot 100 Airplay Listing For The Week of June 22, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  21. ^ a b "Stupid Girl" Hot Dance Music/Club Play Listing For The Week of July 27, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  22. ^ a b GARBAGE - STUPID GIRL (CHANSON). LesCharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  23. ^ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388125/soundtrack Soundtracks for In Her Shoes (2005)]. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
  24. ^ Instant Star TV Series soundtrack. InstantStar.CTV.ca. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
  25. ^ "Garbage sheet music, published by IMP. Retrieved 2008-02-25
  26. ^ ""Stupid Girl": How the Garbage hit single is constructed, The Band, May 1998. Retrieved 2008-02-25
  27. ^ a b ""More Than A Woman", Spin, ...1996 issue (Retrieved 2008-02-05)
  28. ^ "Pop Up Video, ("Stupid Girl"), VH1 (Retrieved 2008-02-05)
  29. ^ a b "Australian Tour 1996". Alternative Melbourne (Written by Carmine Pascuzzi, reproduced @ Garbage.net/Articles. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  30. ^ ""Stupid Girl" Single/Tour news press release, Mushroom Records, January 1996 (Retrieved 2008-02-05)
  31. ^ "Thirty Frames Per Second: The Visionary Art of the Music Video, written by Steve Reiss and Neil Feineman, published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc,. Publishers ISBN 0-8019-4357-3 (accessed 2008-02-25)
  32. ^ a b ""The Screens Are Full of Garbage", Melody Maker, issue dated December 7, 1996" (Retrieved - 2008-02-05
  33. ^ ""The Bin Crowd", Guitarist magazine, May 1996 issue (Retrieved 2008-02-25)
  34. ^ ""Stupid Girl" press release, Mushroom Records, January 1996 (Retrieved 2008-02-25)
  35. ^ "Various Artists Sweet Relief II: Gravity Of The Situation". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
  36. ^ "Stupid Girl" and The Gravity of the Situation sleeve credits
  37. ^ a b Garbage Fast Facts. Garbage.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-25.
  38. ^ "Garbage: "Only Happy When It Rains" discography". Garbage-discography.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
  39. ^ "Various: Big Beat Elite"). Discogs.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-25.
  40. ^ "Garbage: "Milk" discography". Garbage-discography.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
  41. ^ "Garbage review, Select, October 1995 issue (retrieved 2008-02-25)
  42. ^ "Garbage review, Vox, October 1995 issue (retrieved 2008-02-25)
  43. ^ "Garbage review, Metal Hammer, October 1995 issue (retrieved 2008-02-25)
  44. ^ "1996 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS". RockOnTheNet.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-18.
  45. ^ "Version 2.0 press release, May 1998, published by Mushroom Records. Retrieved 2008-02-25
  46. ^ "Stupid Girl" (Legal Title). BMI.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-25.
  47. ^ The Irish Charts (Search). Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  48. ^ "Lithuanian Chart Archive (31 Kovo, 1996 edition)". M1.fm. Retrieved on 2007-02-09.
  49. ^ a b "beautifulgarbage promotional history press release, Mushroom Records, July 2001" (Retrieved - 2008-02-06)
  50. ^ "Stupid Girl" Hot 100 Listing For The Week of July 27, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  51. ^ "Stupid Girl" Hot Singles Sales Listing For The Week of August 4, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  52. ^ "Stupid Girl" Top 40 Mainstream Listing For The Week of August 4, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  53. ^ "Stupid Girl" Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks Listing For The Week of August 24, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  54. ^ "Stupid Girl" Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales Listing For The Week of August 24, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  55. ^ "Stupid Girl" Adult Top 40 Listing For The Week of October 5, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  56. ^ "CASH BOX TOP 100 SINGLES Week ending August 3, 1996". Cash Box magazine (Reproduced). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  57. ^ Artists: Garbage. RockOnTheNet. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  58. ^ ChartsPlus newsletter - August 4, 2007 issue (Received 2008-02-06)

[edit] External links


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