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  1. Tracks
  2. Garbage
  3. Queer

SINGLE

Garbage

Queer

Release date: 30th October 1995

Spotify More on Garbage

About This Track

'Queer' builds around a hypnotic vocal loop and the tension between provocation and vulnerability. The song frames an encounter with calculated seduction, the narrator adopting a pose of control whilst the subject hides behind a facade of composure. Garbage layer the track with a propulsive rhythm that mirrors the psychological push and pull at its centre. The title uses "queer" to mean odd or different rather than as a sexual identifier. According to drummer Butch Vig, the song concerns a boy perceived as strange, and the transactional nature of an attempt to remake him. That framework of coercion and performance runs through the lyrical repetition: "a fake behind the fear", "you choke behind a smile". The song doesn't celebrate the scenario; it observes the damage of enforced conformity with a cold, unflinching gaze. Released in 1995, the track became Garbage's first significant commercial success, reaching the top 20 on both the UK Singles Chart and the US Modern Rock chart. It announced the band as a distinctive presence in mid-nineties alternative rock, precise and unsettling where others were merely loud.

"Queer" is a single by Garbage, released 30th October 1995. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 5 articles about Garbage.

About the Artist

Garbage

Garbage

Lyrics

Queer

Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do

Hey boy, take a look at me
Let me dirty up your mind
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
I'll strip away your hard veneer
And see what I can find

Do-do, do, do, do, do

The queerest of the queer
The strangest of the strange
The coldest of the cool
The lamest of the lame
The numbest of the dumb
I hate to see you here
You choke behind a smile
A fake behind the fear
The queerest of the queer

Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do

This is what he pays me for
I'll show you how it's done
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
You learn to love the pain you feel
Like father, like son

Do-do, do, do, do, do

The queerest of the queer
Hide inside your head
The blindest of the blind
The deadest of the dead
You're hungry 'cause you starve
While holding back the tears
Chokin' on your smile
A fake behind the fear
The queerest of the queer

I know what's good for you (you can touch me if you want)
I know you're dying to (you can touch me if you want)
I know what's good for you (you can touch me if you want)
But you can't stop

The queerest of the queer
The strangest of the strange
The coldest of the cool
The lamest of the lame
The numbest of the dumb
I hate to see you here
You choke behind a smile
A fake behind the fear

The queerest of the queer
The strangest of the strange
The coldest of the cool
You're nothin' special here
A fake behind the fear
The queerest of the queer

Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do

I know what's good for you (do-do, do, do, do, do)
I know you're dying to (do-do, do, do, do, do)
I know what's good for you (do-do, do, do, do, do)
I bet you're dying to (do-do, do, do, do, do)
You can touch me if you want (do-do, do, do, do, do)
You can touch me if you want (do-do, do, do, do, do)
You can touch me
You can touch me
But you can't stop (do-do, do, do, do, do)
(Do-do, do, do, do, do)

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

Track details

Queer

1995Single
Listen
Release year
1995

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    Credits

    Production & Engineering

    Writer
    Butch Vig, Duke Erikson, Shirley Manson, Steve Marker
    Producer
    Garbage
    Bass
    Mike Kashou
    Drums
    Butch Vig
    Guitar
    Duke Erikson, Shirley Manson, Steve Marker
    Keyboards
    Duke Erikson
    Vocals
    Shirley Manson
    Additional Drums
    Clyde Stubblefield
    Additional Loops
    David Frangioni, Richard Mendelson
    Clarinet
    Les Thimmig
    Engineered At
    Smart Studios
    Loops
    Butch Vig, Steve Marker
    Mastering Engineer
    Howie Weinberg
    Remastering Engineer
    Emily Lazar
    Sampling
    Steve Marker
    Video Director
    Stéphane Sednaoui
    READ MORE ABOUT GARBAGEREAD MORE ABOUT GARBAGEREAD MORE ABOUT GARBAGEREAD MORE ABOUT GARBAGE
    READ MORE ABOUT GARBAGEREAD MORE ABOUT GARBAGEREAD MORE ABOUT GARBAGEREAD MORE ABOUT GARBAGE
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