Global InformationOnly Happy When It Rains information
| "Only Happy When It Rains" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Garbage | ||||
| from the album Garbage | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | September 18, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1994–1995 | |||
| Studio | Smart (Madison, Wisconsin) | |||
| Genre |
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| Length | 3:56 | |||
| Label | Mushroom, Almo Sounds | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Garbage | |||
| Producer(s) | Garbage | |||
| Garbage singles chronology | ||||
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"Only Happy When It Rains" is an alternative rock song written and produced by American alternative rock band Garbage for their self-titled debut studio album (1995). It was recorded at the band's own studio, Smart Studios, in Madison, Wisconsin, and is known for its tongue-in-cheek lyrics parodying the typically angst-filled themes of mid-'90s alternative rock.[4]
Replacing "Queer" at the last-minute as the lead-in single for the debut album, "Only Happy When It Rains" was the band's breakthrough track in the United Kingdom, receiving positive reviews from the music press and strong support from BBC Radio One. In the United States, the single built upon the success of "Queer" at alternative radio and in early 1996 charted strongly on the Hot 100.[5]
The music video made MTV's next-big-thing Buzz Bin category, helping "Only Happy When It Rains" to cross over to Top 40 radio formats, and propelling the album Garbage from being a Heatseeker title into the top half of the Billboard 200 album chart.[6] In Europe, where it was the fourth single from Garbage, it followed the success of "Stupid Girl", by reaching the top ten European Alternative Rock airplay charts over the summer of 1996.[7]
"Only Happy When It Rains" is one of Garbage's enduring works, covered by multiple artists, including Metallica, featured as a playable track in the video game Guitar Hero 5,[8] and heard in episodes of '90s television shows such as Homicide: Life on the Street and The X-Files. In 2019, it was used in the Captain Marvel soundtrack.[9]
- ^ McLean, Craig (April 29, 2012). "Shirley Manson interview: Breaking up the garbage girl". The Observer. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- ^ Fortune, Drew (May 15, 2012). "Catching Up With Garbage's Butch Vig". Paste. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
- ^ Henry, Dusty (October 1, 2015). "Garbage – Garbage (20th Anniversary Edition)". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
- ^ Patterson, Sylvia (March 16, 1996). "The Filth Amendment". NME.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
hot100was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Borzillo, Carrie (March 23, 1996). "Garbage's Serendipitous Success; Popularity Falls into Place for Almo Act". Billboard. Los Angeles: Nielsen Business Media. pp. 9, 97. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ European Alternative Rock Radio Top 25 (PDF). Music & Media, Inc. September 21, 1996. p. 19.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
GuitarHerowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Shepherd, Jack (March 9, 2019). "Captain Marvel soundtrack: All the 90s songs featured in MCU film starring Brie Larson". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2019.