Supervixen

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"Supervixen"
Promotional single by Garbage
from the album Garbage
ReleasedOctober 15, 1996 (1996-10-15)
Recorded1994–1995
StudioSmart Studios
(Madison, Wisconsin)
GenreAlternative rock[1]
Length3:56
LabelAlmo Sounds
Songwriter(s)Garbage
Producer(s)Garbage

"Supervixen" is an

sexploitation film Supervixens[2] but was influenced by Pier Paolo Pasolini's period horror art film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, which had been playing on a monitor above the soundboard at Smart Studios when the band were working on it.[3]

In the United States, "Supervixen" was released as an

alternative radio in October 1996.[5] At the time, "Stupid Girl" was still charting highly on the Billboard Hot 100, and the band's debut album had been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping a million units within the United States.[6]

Composition

Shirley Manson recorded her vocal for "Supervixen" at Smart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin

"Supervixen" was written by Garbage in 1994 during sessions between band members

backing vocal towards the end of the song.[10] Another part ("yeah, you worry too much, now it's got to be stopped") did not.[11]

Much of the song was built around repeated silences peppered throughout the instrumental sections. The idea for the silences came when the tracking tape kept slipping during mixing.

mastering of "Supervixen" to emphasize the silences.[13] Reflecting back on this effect 25 years later, Manson stated: "These really incredible stops at the beginning of that song... Nowadays that’s so easy to replicate because we’re all recording digitally, but what’s so astounding about "Supervixen" was [that] it was all done on analog. It was quite difficult to do when you couldn’t just flip a button."[9]

Lyrically, Manson stated that "Supervixen" "is all about saying 'idolise me, I'm going to give you everything you want, but you have to do something in return'. It's a bargaining song about a relationship. I'm not saying "I'm a wee Scottish lass fae Edinburgh and I'm great". It's actually about this supervixen, this Russ Meyer-type woman."[14] Vig and Manson declared that the song's controlling tone is tongue-in-cheek, but Vig made sure to point out that during the live performances Manson's domination "[was] also kind of becoming real every night."[15]

Release

Following the success of "Stupid Girl" at

KROQ in Los Angeles, KNDD in Seattle and KOME in San Diego; upon official servicing the track was added to a further 45 station playlists. "Supervixen" debuted at #50 on industry publication R&R's Alternative chart after its second week at radio.[17]

After Garbage's manager Shannon O'Shea gave a couple of stations the jump by providing early copies of the track,

airplay chart.[22]

"Supervixen" was initially licensed to the soundtrack of the 1997 horror movie Nightwatch as a song that the main character listened to on a headphones while working in a morgue.[23] The release of the movie was delayed by 18 months; in the released version, R.E.M.'s "The Wake Up Bomb" soundtracks the specific scene instead.[24]

In 2015, an early demo mix of "Supervixen", with alternate chorus lyrics, was included as a previously unreleased bonus track on Garbage (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition).[25]

Critical reception

Supervixen" received a largely positive response from music critics, many of whom chose to single out the track in their reviews of the Garbage album.

Pixies-lite and a "strangely appealing" exception.[30] Rolling Stone wrote, "Immediately, as the mangy riffs of "Supervixen" begin to chum through space, Garbage drags you someplace else. As Manson's violet throatiness offers to create "a whole new religion," beats chatter, and delicate acoustic guitar notes and those opening riffs float in and out of the songs gently pounding rhythmic foundations. At times the main riff pauses to halt the music altogether."[31]

Peter Murphy of Hot Press wrote of "Supervixen" in his biography for 2007's Absolute Garbage sleeve notes: "The song used silence in a way I'd never heard before. When the music stopped, it wasn't a pause for effect. There was no residual cymbal swish or reverberation or amp hum. That silence was total. It meant business. It was a sort of black hole implosion into which you feared your soul might be sucked."[32]

Credits and personnel

References

  1. ^ McLean, Craig (April 29, 2012). "Shirley Manson interview: Breaking up the garbage girl". The Observer. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  2. ^ Dinello, Dan (1995-12-01). "Pop And All That Junk". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 2001-02-12. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  3. ISBN 978-1-61775-550-7
    .
  4. ^ Watson, Rob. ""Supervixen" US CD". Garbage-Discography.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
  5. ^ Supervixen impacting Modern Rock radio. USA: Hits. 1996-10-01. Supervixen is now playing on KROQ
  6. ^ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2011-07-16. GARBAGE; GARBAGE; August 15, 1995; certified July 30, 1996; ALMO SOUNDS; PLATINUM ALBUM
  7. ^ Malins, Steve (September 1, 1996). "What's Our Problem?". Q. Detroit, Michigan: 50–53.
  8. ^ Garbage (CD liner notes). Garbage. Almo Sounds. 1995. AMSD-8004.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ a b c Olivier, Bobby (2020-08-11). "Shirley Manson on the Misery and Magic of Garbage's Genre-Stomping Debut". SPIN. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  10. ^ Kaufman, Gil (September 1995). "Garbage Rise From the House That Grunge Built". Addicted to Noise. Archived from the original on June 30, 2002. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  11. ^ Shirley Manson (1994). Thanks For the Uhhh, Support (DVD). Warner Music Video/UMe.
  12. ^ a b c Buskin, Richard (1997-03-01). "BUTCH VIG: Nevermind The Garbage". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  13. ^ a b Vig, Butch. "Supervixen". GearSlutz Q&A. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  14. ^ "Modern Life Is Rubbish". The Face. 1996-09-01. Archived from the original on 2009-10-25. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
  15. ^ Gardner, Elysa (December 17, 1995). "POP MUSIC : Beyond the Pail : How to turn Garbage into gold". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-01-19.
  16. ^ "Listings for Oct 1996 Modern Rock Radio". Promoonly.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
  17. ^ R&R Alternative Top 50; November 1, 1996 (Airplay from October 21-27) (PDF). R&R, Inc. 1996-11-01. p. 86.
  18. ^ R&R Alternative Top 50; November 8, 1996 (Airplay from October 28-November 3) (PDF). R&R, Inc. 1996-11-08. p. 85.
  19. ^ R&R Alternative Top 50; November 15, 1996 (Airplay from November 4-10) (PDF). R&R, Inc. 1996-11-15. p. 84.
  20. ^ R&R Alternative Top 50; November 22, 1996 (Airplay from November 11-17) (PDF). R&R, Inc. 1996-11-08. p. 77.
  21. ^ "Single Chart History: Garbage". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
  22. ^ Bambarger, Bradley (1997). The Modern Age. Billboard.
  23. ^ "Garbage's "Supervixen" in Nightwatch (1997)". Miramax workprint via YouTube. 1997. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  24. doi:10.15353/kinema.vi.996
    . Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  25. ^ Brodsky, Rachel. "Garbage Announces Release Date, Track List for 20th Anniversary Edition of Debut Album". Spin. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
  26. ^ Garbage album review. The Jewish Chronicle. 1995-09-30.
  27. ^ Hinden, Jackie (1995-09-23). Dump It Up. Ireland: Hot Press.
  28. ^ Rees, Paul (1995-09-29). Sweet, Litter and Twisted. Kerrang!.
  29. ^ Yates, Paul (1995-11-01). Albums: Garbage. Q.
  30. ^ Conway, Jamie T. (1995-11-01). Garbage album review. Ikon.
  31. ^ Hunter, James (21 September 1995). "Garbage Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  32. ^ Absolute Garbage biography (Retrieved - 2008-02-04)

External links

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