| "Breaking Up the Girl" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byGarbage | ||||
| from the albumBeautiful Garbage | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | November 19, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | April 2000–May 2001 | |||
| Studio | Smart Studios (Madison,Wisconsin, US) | |||
| Length | 3:33 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriter(s) | Garbage | |||
| Producer(s) | Garbage | |||
| Garbage singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Breaking Up The Girl" onYouTube | ||||
"Breaking Up the Girl" is a 2001alternative rock song written, recorded and produced by the bandGarbage for their third studio albumBeautiful Garbage. In North America, it was serviced toalternative radio as the secondsingle from the album.[1]
The song was licensed out as thetheme tune to the television filmIs It College Yet? (2002), which served as the series finale of the long-runninganimated seriesDaria.[1] "Breaking Up the Girl" was subsequently released internationally in April 2002, where it supported the band'sUK and European tour. The single reached the top forty in Australia[2] and the United Kingdom.[3]
"Breaking Up the Girl" was written and recorded by Garbage between April 2000 and May 2001 atSmart Studios inMadison,Wisconsin during the year-long writing sessions forBeautiful Garbage.[4] At some point in this period of time,Shirley Manson had overheard the rest of the band working on the body of the song, and was inspired to write themelody andlyrics.[5]
During the development of the song, Garbage experimented withBeatles-likeharmonies andad-libs over thecoda.[6] and layered a vocal from Manson onto a matching guitar part.[7] "We sampled her going 'aah' and Duke played guitar,"Butch Vig explained,"and that made it sound like a weird little melodic quote, not necessarily a vocal part".[7] Although it was one of the album's straightforwardrock songs, Garbage couldn't agree on thebass/kickdrum pattern in thechorus, trying various transmutations of aone-barphrase. Using hisFender Precision Bass andpick, session musicianDaniel Shulman created aMcCartney-esquebassmovement for theverse.[8] Vig felt that thestrumming of theguitar chords gave the song aBig Star feel.[5]
A decade earlier, when her Scottish bandAngelfish were struggling, Manson had lived inSouth Queensferry where her friends includedAndrew Greig, the poetIain Banks,Duncan McLean andAlan Warner. At the time she felt washed up, and became reclusive withdepression."It was Andrew who came by every morning and knocked on my door. He forced me out of bed and dragged me along the beach. He'd say "If you just keep going along the beach you'll get back on track", Manson later recalled. "He kept me moving. And I did get back on track. Very shortly after that, I got the call to go and join Garbage".[9] Manson credited Greig with saving her career, a debt she tacitly acknowledged by quoting the line "I'm afraid there is much to be afraid of" from his 1994long poemWestern Swing.[9] Lyrically Manson felt that "Breaking Up the Girl" was "a cautionary tale. It's basically saying the world we're living in is harsh and you've got to live in the moment. Focus on the now. If there's something in your life that isn't good then get rid of them."[10]Duke Erikson expanded, "the light, poppy, melodic feel to the song belies the seriousness of the lyrics".[5]
Interscope Records released "Breaking Up the Girl" as the second North American single fromBeautiful Garbage, to theTriple Aradio format from the week of November 19, 2001.[1] Garbage were booked on thesupport slot onU2'sElevation Tour throughout December;[11] the band then spent December promoting theBeautiful Garbage album in theUnited States, recording aVH1Behind The Music special (for broadcast after thenew year) and performing "Breaking Up the Girl" onThe Tonight Show on December 12.[1] Ahead of theDaria premiere, "Breaking Up the Girl" began to pick up station adds. Interscope re-serviced the song to adult radio[12] where it peaked at #12 on theTriple A chart.[13]
The UK release of "Breaking Up the Girl" was scheduled to follow the band'sconcert tour in April 2002. The band performed the song oncd:uk prior to the commencement of the live dates, which ran for eight consecutive nights. On April 8,Mushroom Records issued the single as a3×CD single set backed with threeb-sides: "Confidence", anout-take fromBeautiful Garbage and featureddrums performed byMatt Chamberlain;[14] "Happiness Pt.2", a discardeddemo reworked byButch Vig while he was recovering from aHepatitis infection the previous year;[15] and acover version ofVelvet Underground's "Candy Says", featuring abass guitar part by the band'sengineerBilly Bush and recorded during tour rehearsals. The three tracks were spread out over the three discs, as were anacoustic version[16] and aQuickTimemusic video of the title track,[17] and tworemixes of "Breaking Up the Girl" produced byBrothers In Rhythm[17] andTimo Maas;[18] and a version of "Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)" byEli Janney.[16] The single peaked at #27 on theUK Singles Chart.[3] The following week,Pepsi Chart Show broadcast a live recording of Garbage performing "Breaking Up the Girl" on-stage at theBrixton Academy during the tour, whileTop of the Pops broadcast a performance of the single pre-recorded by the band the previous November.[19]
In Europe,PIAS Recordings issued "Breaking Up the Girl" across the continent as a five trackenhanced CD maxi collecting together both remixes, "Use Me" (an album out-take released earlier in the United Kingdom and Australia on the b-side of "Cherry Lips") and an enhanced music video section;[20] as a two-track CD single backed with aradio edit of the Timo Maas remix;[21] and an exclusive12" vinyl format of multiple remixes.[22] Garbage returned to tour Europeanrock festivals in June 2002 (follow-up single "Shut Your Mouth" was released to support these dates).[23] Prior to these shows, Garbage performed a special concert forLos 40 Principales and completed a mini-tour ofSpain sponsored bytelecom companyMovistar inSalamanca,Madrid,Bilbao andBarcelona.[24] During this time, "Breaking Up the Girl" reached #33 on theSpanish airplay chart.[25]
Following up Garbage's first Australian top ten hit ("Cherry Lips"),[26]FMR scheduled the release of "Breaking Up the Girl" to begin low-key, with the remixes impactingclubs from March 1, 2002, eight weeks in advance of the single's street date.[27] The song was serviced to Australian radio stations and the music video to television networks on March 25.[27] FMR issued "Breaking Up the Girl" to stores on April 29.[28] The single was issued as 2×CD single set, backed with "Candy Says", "Confidence" andEli Janney's remix of "Cherry Lips" on the first disc,[29] and the acoustic version, Brothers in Rhythm and Timo Maas mixes on alimited edition second disc.[30] At the start of May, "Breaking Up the Girl" debuted on theARIA Charts at #19,[31] the band's second single to reach the top twenty in Australia.[2] The single also debuted at #2 on the ARIA Alternative chart.[2] FMR launched atelevision ad campaign during May, with heavy emphasis on "Breaking Up the Girl";[32]Beautiful Garbage recharted and reclimbed thealbum charts chart to #27.[33] At the end of June, "Breaking Up the Girl" eventually bowed out of the Top 100 at #96 after an eight-week run.[34] InNew Zealand,Beautiful Garbage rebounded on theRIANZ album chart during April, reaching #16.[35]"Breaking Up the Girl" did not make the RIANZ singles chart.[36]
Garbage began a two-month North American tour in mid-April, which was routed into theSoCal area and intoMexico by June;[37] at that time "Breaking Up the Girl" went into heavy rotation onMTV en Español.[38] Garbage's tour ended at the start of June with a concert atMexico City'sNational Auditorium;[39] "Breaking Up the Girl" was subsequently released in Mexico throughUniversal as a five-trackCD maxi.[40]
Thepromotional video for "Breaking Up the Girl" was directed byFrancis Lawrence and shot over December 5/6, 2001 inLos Angeles.[41]
Two version of the video were made. The first version released containedfootage lifted from theDaria series mixed withmontage footage of Garbage performing and shots of the band filming the video. The video was premiered on January 21, 2002, onMTV during the intermission to the first showing of theDaria movieIs It College Yet?.[42]MTV Europe playlisted the video at the end of March.[43]
The second released version, which became the main edit of the video, which was broadcast worldwide from February 2002.[44] The video began with aCGI shot of a shatteredrose, which disintegrated as the band appear. While Manson features heavily during the verses, the band perform together during the choruses. For the latter part of the video, all of the montage shots of Garbage disintegrate like the rose at the beginning, and the video ends with the rose reforming. The pace of the video is kept up using aggressive editing and cutting between shots filmed withzoom andfisheye lenses.
The international edit of the "Breaking Up the Girl" music video was first made commercially available inQuickTime format on theCD-ROMenhanced section of the "Breaking Up the Girl" singles.[45] The video, like the song, did not appear on 2007'sAbsolute Garbage.[46]
TheCD format ofBeautiful Garbage contained anenhanced element where users could remix four tracks from the album, of which "Breaking Up the Girl" was one. Created in conjunction withSonic Foundry, using a customized version of theirdrag-and-dropACID Promusic sequencersoftware, the remixes utilizedsamples andloops cut direct from thealbum masters.[47] 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.[48]
In 2007, the Timo Maas remix of "Breaking Up the Girl" wasremastered,edited and included on theAbsolute Garbagegreatest hits album bonus discGarbage Mixes.[46] Four rejected mixes by Jimmy Caulty and Black Dog Productions surfaced in May 2011.[49]
"Breaking Up the Girl" received a mixed response from contemporary music journalists. Paul Elliot ofQ, who had the chance to listen to the track as soon as it was mixed, described the song as being "redolent of vintageBlondie".[50] Jerry Ewing ofClassic Rock wrote that the song was "wonderful, guitar-based rock, with a magic sprinkling of melody"[51] "This serene delight showcases Garbage's softer side," wroteSunday Mail's Billy Sloan, "Its soft sound contrasts against the spurned vocals; a testament to thechameleon-like style that is the glory of Garbage"[52]
A review included inSmash Hits! claimed: "[It's] not as instantly memorable as ["Cherry Lips"]... this radio-friendly rock-tinged pop will have your toes tapping away to the beat in no time". Chuck Taylor ofBillboard compared the song toRepublica's "Ready to Go" writing "this track conjures up images... of Manson frolicking in a daisy patch. It's all back to Earth with the lyric, which pretty much calls the subject to a loser for hurting a girl. You've been warned, now just enjoy the pace."[12] Jason Arnopp ofKerrang! described "Breaking Up the Girl" as "[It] glides along sultry, sad and dreamy, driven by a practically recognisableacoustic guitar."[5]
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| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[2] | 19 |
| Scotland (Official Charts Company)[53] | 26 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[3] | 27 |
| UK Indie (OCC)[54] | 4 |
| USTriple A Songs (Billboard)[13] | 12 |
| Territory | Release date | Record label | Format(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | November 19, 2001 | Interscope | Modern rock,Active rock &AAA[55] |
| February 2002 | Mainstream Top 40 &Adult Top 40 | ||
| Australia | March 25, 2002 | FMR | Airplay |
| Europe | April 8, 2002 | PIAS Recordings | 12" vinyl,CD maxi,CD single |
| United Kingdom | Mushroom Records UK | 3×CD single set | |
| Australia | April 29, 2002 | FMR | 2×CD single set |
| Mexico | June 2002 | Universal | CD maxi |
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| Related articles | |
