In 1995, Garbage released “Only Happy When It Rains” as the lead single off their debut album, replacing “Queer” at the last minute. The album was recorded in their own studio, Smart Studios, in Madison, WI.
When the band first met they bonded over their love of dark music and this song is a great representation of that.
In a 1995 interview with
Addicted to Noise
, Steve Marker, the band's guitarist, said, “It's really just us poking fun of ourselves… We're poking fun at the alternate rock angst, wearing your heart on your sleeve thing and at ourselves for writing such dark songs.”
Singer Shirley Manson is from Scotland, where it rains a lot, she sees this song as a representation of the Scot's self deprecating humor.
The song charted at #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on the Alternative Songs Chart.
Garbage “Only Happy When It Rains” 1995
