Pop/Rock as Social Commentary: Garbage: “Breaking Up the Girl”

From Beautiful Garbage, 2001’s “Breaking Up the Girl” by the alternative-rock band, Garbage is a reflection on the difficulties and distractions “in a modern culture.” It’s as if the lead vocalist, Shirley Manson is “the girl,” reminding herself to stay strong, “walk away” from the “million ways to kill you.” The video features visual cues that signify the need to fit in: fancy cars; high-end style; front and center in front of a monstrous camera. At the start of the video, a rose, encased as if to be protected like a work of art, dissolves/breaks up, and by video’s end the flashiness that Manson portrays dissolves, at which point the rose begins to reassemble itself. It serves as commentary that still resonates almost 20 years later, a profound precursor to our current “modern culture,” of which social media, and all its blessings and complexities, plays a major part.

Pop Playlist: Garbage: “Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)”

A blend of rock and synth, with touches of mid-century pop, the 2001 song, “Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)” by Garbage surely makes for an interesting listen. Although the band’s familiar, no-holds-barred rock-guitar riffs tear through, there are sweet-sounding production elements (handclaps; church bells) and Shirley Manson’s (girl-group) vocal delivery that allow the track to feel reminiscent of a bubble-gum song from the ‘60s… gone wild.