Stupid Girl
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"Stupid Girl" was the fourth single from Garbage's 1996 self-titled debut album. It has been their biggest hit single in many countries, including the UK.
Song profile
"Stupid Girl" was written and recorded at Smart Studios during the 1994 sessions for the debut album. The basic track had been written before Shirley Manson joined the group and was one the first songs Shirley worked on."Stupid Girl" kicks off with the sure-stomp drum loop, and slides into a gloomy, driving melody played in the key of E major. It makes use of a lush soundscape of ambient electronics and grinding samples under a guitar hook.
"Stupid Girl" features bass by Mike Kashou and additional percussion by Pauli Ryan, as well as a drum loop from "Train In Vain" by The Clash. Thus the song is credited to Garbage/Strummer/Jones. A rumor circulated that the song also samples the opening drum beat from R.E.M.'s "Orange Crush", but this has not been proven nor credited.
Single release
In the UK it was issued in March 1996, with US release in July 1996. It was also issued in Australia and Europe a few months before that (Nov 1995), however a 'Stupid Girl Remixes' single was issued in Australia in August 1996.The vinyl format in the UK for "Stupid Girl" was in a TakTile TM cloth bag, with a plastic G on the front. It was limited to 13,000 copies, half of them in red and half in blue.
Music video
The promo video for "Stupid Girl" was shot in Smart Studios in January 1996 with director Samuel Bayer in just four hours on a tiny budget. The band's record label, Almo Sounds, believed "Only Happy When It Rains" would be the more successful hit and wouldn't fork out. Bayer later took the film and cut it up, put it in his bath, and applied deliberate scrathes and marks, then pasted it back together for the final result.The "Stupid Girl" video has been nominated for a number of industry awards including an MTV Video Music Award for 'Best Video'.
Remixes
A radio edit of Stupid Girl was completed for the band by Oliver Sittl for airplay use on European radio.Remixes of "Stupid Girl" were completed by NY DJ Todd Terry, the UK's jungle artists Red Snapper, UK producer Jason Bentley, US act Rabbit In The Moon, UK house act Dreadzone, and US producer Danny Saber.
The radio mix by Todd Terry became successful in its own right, a hit on the Billboard dance charts in August 1996.
These remixes can be found on various 'Stupid Girl' and 'Milk' formats.
Awards
"Stupid Girl" was nominated for an MTV Europe Music Award for 'Best Song' in 1996, a Danish Grammy in 1996 for 'Best Song, and US Grammies in 1997 for 'Best Rock Song' and 'Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal'."Stupid Girl" won a BMI Award for Best Pop Song in 1998.
On the episode "No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn" on the Canadian teen drama Instant Star, Jude is scheduled to perform a cover of "Stupid Girl" but fails to comply the first time.
Live performances
"Stupid Girl" was first performed live at Garbage's first gig in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 5 1995. It has been performed regularly throughout the band's four world tours. The song was remixed slightly for the 'beautifulgarbage' tour — with a half-time feel during the pre-choruses.During live performances Shirley has been known to ad-lib lines on the outro from different songs, including Deee-Lite's "Groove Is in the Heart", the Spice Girls' "Wannabe" and Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time".
"Stupid Girl" was performed live by Garbage at the VH-1 Fashion Awards in New York — the infamous show where Shirley's nipple became accidentally exposed. It has also been performed on The Late Show with David Letterman (US), Top Of The Pops, Later with Jools Holland and TFI Friday (UK).
A live version of the song appeared on the Version 2.0 Special Live Edition, recorded live at the band's performance at the Roskilde Festival, Denmark on June 26 1998. It also appeared on the 'Live Edition' EP.
Another live version of "Stupid Girl" appeared on the KROQ: Almost Acoustic Christmas CD, released on Time Bomb Records in November 1999.
Trivia
This song is not to be confused with Stupid Girls, Pink's song, the title of which one could easily assume was just "Stupid Girl".The cartoon characters The Smurfs made their own version of "Stupid Girl" entitled "Stupid Smurf" for their 1997 covers album.
"Stupid Girl" appears in the 2005 film In Her Shoes; it plays during the opening credits.
Stupid Girl quote, unquote
Butch Vig: "'Stupid Girl' was born when we started jamming over The Clash sample. Steve started playing the loopy baseline, and Duke came up with the little jangly guitar riff. The song really only has two chords – the song is basically about the groove, a really simple arrangement, and Shirley's amazing singing. 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'.Shirley Manson: "It became an anthem for a girl settling for less than what she wants or deserves."
Comprehensive charts
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Stupid Girl" | UK Singles Chart | #4 |
| 1996 | "Stupid Girl" | US Billboard Hot 100 | #24 |
| 1996 | "Stupid Girl" | US Modern Rock | #2 |
| 1996 | "Stupid Girl" | US Mainstream Rock | #39 |
| 1996 | "Stupid Girl" | US Adult Top 40 | #36 |
| 1996 | "Stupid Girl" | US Top 40 Mainstream | #25 |
| 1996 | "Stupid Girl" | US Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #5 |
| 1996 | "Stupid Girl" | US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | #30 |
| Garbage |
| Butch Vig | Shirley Manson | Duke Erikson | Steve Marker |
| Discography |
|---|
| Albums and extended plays: Garbage | Version 2.0 | beautifulgarbage | Bleed Like Me | Absolute Garbage |
| Singles: "Vow" | "Subhuman" | "Only Happy When It Rains" | "Queer" | "Stupid Girl" | "Milk" | "Number One Crush" | "Push It" | "I Think I'm Paranoid" | "Special" | "The Trick Is to Keep Breathing" | "When I Grow Up" | "You Look So Fine" | "The World Is Not Enough" | "Androgyny" | "Cherry Lips" | "Breaking Up the Girl" | "Shut Your Mouth" | "Why Do You Love Me" | "Bleed Like Me" | "Sex Is Not the Enemy" | "Run Baby Run" |
| Related articles |
| Alternative rock | Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie | Angelfish | The World Is Not Enough | Mushroom Records | Almo Sounds | Interscope Records |
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