Only Happy When It Rains
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Only Happy When It Rains” | |||||
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| Single by Garbage from the album Garbage |
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| B-side | "Girl Don't Come" (UK & US) "Sleep" (UK & US) "Driving Lesson" (OZ & EU) |
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| Released | September 18, 1995 (UK) January 20, 1996 (US) May, 1996 (US re-issue) May 28, 1996 (OZ & EU) |
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| Format | 7", CD maxi, cassette single | ||||
| Recorded | 1994 - 1995 Smart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin |
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| Genre | Alternative rock | ||||
| Length | 3:56 | ||||
| Label | Mushroom Records (UK) Almo Sounds (North America) Mushroom/BMG (Worldwide) |
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| Writer(s) | Garbage | ||||
| Producer | Garbage | ||||
| Garbage singles chronology | |||||
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"Only Happy When It Rains" was a single released from Garbage's 1995 self-titled debut album. It became Garbage's breakthrough single in the United Kingdom, where it became the first Garbage single to chart in the Top 40.
In 1996, "Only Happy When It Rains" was released worldwide. In the U.S. it charted strongly in the Billboard Hot 100, and propelled its parent album into the Top 100 of the Billboard 200 for the first time since it's August, 1995 release.
"Only Happy When It Rains" was remastered in 2007 for Garbage's greatest hits album Absolute Garbage. [1]
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[edit] Song profile
"Only Happy When It Rains" was written and recorded between March, 1994 and May, 1995 during sessions between band members Duke Erikson, Shirley Manson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig in either Marker's basement recording studio or at their own Smart Studios in Wisconsin university town Madison. [2]
Bass on "Only Happy When It Rains" was played by Mike Kashou, and additional percussion by Pauli Ryan. [3]
Manson explains: "[The song] is a dig at ourselves because we like records that don't make us feel very happy, and at this so-called 'alternative' scene of 'we're so weird and more wonderful than everybody else'." [4]
[edit] Single release
Initially, Mushroom Records had scheduled "Queer" as the lead single for the U.K. release of Garbage. This was changed following the release of "Subhuman", from to "Only Happy When It Rains". [4]
Continuing their theme of collectible 7" vinyl releases, Mushroom packaged the 7" format for "Only Happy When It Rains" in a "Prismaboard" (rain-effect) die-cut card sleeve, with a hologram logo sticker on the inner jacket. The b-side of the vinyl is double-grooved, so that the record plays either "Girl Don't Come" or "Sleep" depending on where the stylus lands. This pressing was limited to 5,000 copies. "Only Happy When It Rains" would also be issued on CD and cassette. [4]
The original design for the vinyl was for the sleeve to made from wood, or corrugated cardboard, with wing-nuts in each corner like a flower-press. The nuts would have to be unscrewed and the record would be found inside between ten layers of different types of cardboard. [4]
"Only Happy When It Rains" was quickly picked up by radio, C-listed by Radio One [5] and commercially released on September 18. The following Sunday the song debuted at #29. [5] This top 40 position let Garbage perform the single on Top of The Pops, the band's first ever televised performance, providing enough momentum for Garbage to debut on the album chart at #12. [6]
"Only Happy When It Rains" was released in U.S. on January 20. MTV announced that its music video was certified a "Buzz clip", guaranteeing heavy rotation on its network from February 13. [7]
[edit] Music video
The promotional video for "Only Happy When It Rains" was filmed on January 16, 1996 in Los Angeles by director Samuel Bayer. The video for single "Stupid Girl" was shot at the same time. [8] The video for "Only Happy When It Rains" was given a higher budget than the video for "Stupid Girl", because Almo Sounds believed that the former would be a bigger hit than the latter. [9]
The video begins a short epilogue sequence with several children dressed in animal costumes playing in a field, before cutting to Garbage upon the commencement of the song. Garbage are located in a litter-strewn warehouse, where the male members of the band destroy vinyl records, videotape and musical instruments. The video ends with Manson joining the children on the field.
The "Only Happy When It Rains" video was first commercially released on VHS and Video-CD on 1996's Garbage Video. [10] A remastered version was later included on Garbage's 2007 greatest hits DVD Absolute Garbage. [1]
[edit] Credits and Personnel
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Garbage
Additional musicians
Publishing |
Production
"Only Happy When It Rains (Live)"
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[edit] Comprehensive charts
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak Position |
| 1995 | "Only Happy When It Rains" | UK Singles Chart | 29 [5] |
| 1995 | "Only Happy When It Rains" | UK Airplay Chart | 47 [5] |
| 1996 | "Only Happy When It Rains" | Netherlands Singles Chart | 36 [11] |
| 1996 | "Only Happy When It Rains" | New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 38 [12] |
| 1996 | "Only Happy When It Rains" | US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 16 [13] |
| 1996 | "Only Happy When It Rains" | US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 54 [14] |
| 1996 | "Only Happy When It Rains" | US Billboard Hot 100 | 55 [15] |
| 1996 | "Only Happy When It Rains" | US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales | 61 [16] |
| 1996 | "Only Happy When It Rains" | US Cash Box Top 100 Singles | 44 [17] |
[edit] References
- ^ a b "New Best Of Album". Garbage.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
- ^ "Q (issue 09/01/1996)" (Retrieved - 2008-02-05)
- ^ "Garbage sleeve notes (Retrieved 2008-02-05)
- ^ a b c d "Record Collector #209" (Retrieved - 2008-02-05)
- ^ a b c d "beautifulgarbage promotional history press release, Mushroom Records, July 2001" (Retrieved - 2008-02-05)
- ^ "Music Week issue 25/04/05" (Retrieved - 2008-02-05)
- ^ NME, "The Filth Amendment", 03/15/1996. NME (reproduced @ Garbage.net). Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
- ^ ""More Than A Woman", Spin, ...1996 issue (Retrieved 2008-02-05)
- ^ "Pop Up Video, ("Stupid Girl"), VH1 (Retrieved 2008-02-05)
- ^ ""The Screens Are Full of Garbage", Melody Maker, issue dated December 7, 1996" (Retrieved - 2008-02-05
- ^ Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains. DutchCharts.nl. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
- ^ Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains. Charts.org.nz. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
- ^ Garbage "Only Happy When It Rains" Hot Modern Rock Tracks Listing For The Week of March 16, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
- ^ Garbage "Only Happy When It Rains" Hot 100 Airplay Listing For The Week of April 6, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
- ^ Garbage "Only Happy When It Rains" Listing Hot 100 For The Week of May 4, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
- ^ Garbage "Only Happy When It Rains" Hot 100 Singles Sales Listing For The Week of May 4, 1996. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
- ^ "CASH BOX TOP 100 SINGLES Week ending May 11, 1996". Cash Box magazine (Reproduced). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
[edit] External links
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