"Stupid Girl" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Garbage Garbage, trash, rubbish, or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or gaseous wastes, or toxic waste prod ...

from their self-titled debut studio album (1995). The song was written and produced by band members

Duke Erikson Douglas Elwin "Duke" Erikson (born January 15, 1951) is an American musician, songwriter, screenwriter, film producer and record producer, best known as a co-founder and guitarist of the alternative rock band Garbage. Garbage has sold more than 17 ...

Shirley Manson Shirley Ann Manson (born 26 August 1966) is a Scottish musician and actress. She is best known as the lead singer of the American alternative rock band Garbage. Manson gained media attention for her forthright style, rebellious attitude, and di ...

Steve Marker Steve Marker (born March 16, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as a cofounder and guitarist of the alternative rock band Garbage. Early life Steven W. Marker was born in Mamaroneck, New York on Marc ...

and

Butch Vig Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the drummer and co-producer of the alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of the diamond-selling Nirvana album '' N ...

. "Stupid Girl" features lyrics about a young woman's ambivalence and is a musical arrangement centered on a repetitive bassline and a drum sample from

the Clash The Clash were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave music, new wave moveme ...

's 1980 song "

Train in Vain "Train in Vain" is a song by the British punk rock band the Clash. It was released as the third and final single from their third studio album, '' London Calling'' (1979). The song was not originally listed on the album's track listing, appeari ...

". The song was released by

Almo Sounds Almo Sounds was a record label which was started in 1994 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss after they sold A&M Records to PolyGram. The intent for the label was to recreate the initial concept of A&M Records as a small, "boutique" label. The label ...

in North America, and

Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival M ...

worldwide, as the band's fourth international single in 1996. "Stupid Girl" became the band's highest-charting single in both the United States and the United Kingdom, with its performance on the charts driven by an innovative music video and remixes that gained massive airplay across the world. The success of "Stupid Girl" propelled sales of its parent album ''Garbage'' into the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' 200 and into the top 10 of the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

. Reviews of the song were positive, with praise for the production. "Stupid Girl" was nominated for two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

s, Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group, as well as the Danish Grammy for Best Rock Song, an

MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist The MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist has been given out since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. Until 2006, the award was named Best New Artist in a Video. In 2007 its name was changed to Best New Artist, as the category un ...

and an

MTV Europe Music Award The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an a ...

for Best Song.

Development

Production

"Stupid Girl" began as a rough

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film * Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhe ...

around January 1994. It was recorded during informal studio sessions with

and

in Marker's home basement recording studio in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County, Wisconsin, Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin b ...

, prior to

joining the group. The band had been jamming using an

ADAT Alesis Digital Audio Tape (ADAT) is a magnetic tape format used for the recording of eight digital audio tracks onto the same S-VHS tape used by consumer VCRs. Although it is a tape-based format, the term ''ADAT'' now refers to its succe ...

eight-track,

AKAI Akai ( ja, 赤井, ) is a Hong Kong manufacturer of consumer electronics. It was founded as Akai Electric Company Ltd in Tokyo, Japan, in 1946. Grande Holdings in Hong Kong purchased the Akai brand, and now distributes various electronic produ ...

samplers and a small

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

. Vig took a

loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, ...

from the drum introduction to

's "

" and added further percussion including a sample of "

Orange Crush Crush is a brand of carbonated soft drinks owned and marketed internationally by Keurig Dr Pepper, originally created as an orange soda, Orange Crush. Crush competes with Coca-Cola's Fanta. It was created in 1911 by beverage and extract chemis ...

" by R.E.M. Later, Marker was asked to create a bassline like that of

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

's " Suzie Q", "something that's almost like a

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...

feel." Erikson finished what became the song's core with a jangly guitar riff. After Marker saw Manson's group

Angelfish Angelfish may refer to: *Several groups of fish: **Freshwater angelfish, tropical cichlids of the genus ''Pterophyllum'' **Marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae **Atlantic pomfret (''Brama brama''), sold by fishmongers as "angelfish" in Sou ...

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's ''

120 Minutes ''120 Minutes'' is a television program in the United States dedicated to the alternative music genre, that originally aired on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then aired on MTV's associate channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003. After its cancellation, ...

'', the band invited her to Vig and Marker's

Smart Studios Smart Studios was a recording studio located in Madison, Wisconsin. It was set up in 1983 by Butch Vig and Steve Marker to produce local bands. The studio produced bands such as Killdozer, The Smashing Pumpkins, L7, Tad, and Nirvana. After ini ...

to sing on a couple of songs, but after a "dreadful" first audition, she returned to Angelfish. Manson eventually returned to Smart for a successful second attempt, when she began to work on the basic forms of " Queer", "

Vow A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise, a promise solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a weddi ...

" and "Stupid Girl". Manson's lyrics for "Stupid Girl" became an "anthem for a girl who won't settle for less than what she wants." She later added, " Stupid Girl" isreally about squandering potential, t'sour version of Madonna's ' Express Yourself', but a little more subversive." Manson intended the song as a rebuke toward a friend's foolish behavior: "A lot of females still find it difficult to find their own voice in society. It's just that women have a different set of problems from men... make the most of your potential." Manson added that "Stupid Girl" was "a song of reproach to a lot of people we know", both male and female, and that "we could have called it 'Stupid Guy,' but we thought another song about a strident female dissing a guy would be tedious." Garbage wanted to write a song that incorporated a thumping, repetitive bassline to act as a

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

. Continuing to develop the demo throughout the recording process for what would eventually become the band's debut album, the group decided to add textures, guitars and keyboards to make "Stupid Girl"

dynamic Dynamics (from Greek δυναμικός ''dynamikos'' "powerful", from δύναμις ''dynamis'' " power") or dynamic may refer to: Physics and engineering * Dynamics (mechanics) ** Aerodynamics, the study of the motion of air ** Analytical dyna ...

rather than the product of complicated

chord changes In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

. Marker and Vig then added in elements of ambient sound effects throughout the

audio mix Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aesthetic ...

, including the " glitchy" sound of a broken DAT player used during the

pre-chorus Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common forms include bar form, 32-bar form, verse–chorus form, ternary form, strophic form, and ...

. Marker had been

dubbing Dubbing (re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production, often in concert with sound design, in which additional or supplementary recordings are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production so ...

between audio tracks, resulting in scratchy

feedback Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause-and-effect that forms a circuit or loop. The system can then be said to ''feed back'' into itself. The notion of cause-and-effect has to be handled ...

; he sampled the sound and tuned it to fit the song, unintentionally created by an alternative hook. When Manson recorded her first vocals for "Stupid Girl", the band realized that the song's

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (ma ...

was too low, but instead of re-recording the guitars, Vig re-printed them through a pitch-change

patch Patch or Patches may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Patch Johnson, a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives'' * Patch (''My Little Pony''), a toy * "Patches" (Dickey Lee song), 1962 * "Patches" (Chairmen of the Board song ...

on an

effects unit An effects unit or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing. Common effects include distortion/overdrive, often used with electric guitar in e ...

. Erikson commented that the effects are "just ear candy, but they contribute to the character of the song, make the listener think in a certain way about the song." Additional percussion on "Stupid Girl" was performed by Madison musician Pauli Ryan, while the bass guitar line was played on the record by

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

session bassist Mike Kashou, both of whom performed on several other tracks on the album. Reflecting on the success of the song in 2002, Vig admitted: "People still ask us who the 'Stupid Girl' is, and that's impossible to answer. The song is sort of meant to be a wake up call. It could be about an ex-girlfriend. It could be about a rock diva that we all know, it could be about your sister. It could also be called 'Stupid Boy'." Looking back, he also stated, "It's impossible to predict what will be a hit. But subconsciously, I knew the song was good when I kept playing the same rough mix over and over again on my car stereo for months."

Composition

"Stupid Girl" is a moderately fast

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

and

electro-rock Electronic rock is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s, when rock bands began incorporating electronic instrume ...

song with touches of

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to ...

, set in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

. It is built on a I–IV change in F, with both

chords Chord may refer to: * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve * Chord ...

, F7 and B7. The tonal function of a dominant seventh chord is to resolve up a

perfect fourth A fourth is a musical interval encompassing four staff positions in the music notation of Western culture, and a perfect fourth () is the fourth spanning five semitones (half steps, or half tones). For example, the ascending interval from C to th ...

. In non-classical harmony, the chord is often used similarly, but especially in blues, funk, and early

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States and ...

, it is also commonly used for its color, which seems to mesh major and minor together with its

major third In classical music, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions (see Interval number for more details), and the major third () is a third spanning four semitones. Forte, Allen (1979). ''Tonal Harmony in Concept and P ...

minor seventh In music theory, a minor seventh is one of two musical intervals that span seven staff positions. It is ''minor'' because it is the smaller of the two sevenths, spanning ten semitones. The major seventh spans eleven. For example, the interval fro ...

and the dissonant interval between the two. When the F7 chord is played, it should traditionally resolve to a B

major 7th chord In music, a major seventh chord is a seventh chord in which the third is a major third above the root and the seventh is a major seventh above the root. The major seventh chord, sometimes also called a ''Delta chord'', can be written as maj7 ...

, the M7 being the major 3rd of the tonic. Instead, on the B note is another dominant seventh. Such chords are the basis of the

twelve-bar blues The 12-bar blues (or blues changes) is one of the most prominent chord progressions in popular music. The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics, phrase, chord structure, and duration. In its basic form, it is predominantly based on ...

, and are used in this way to give "Stupid Girl" a bluesy, rock-'n'-roll feel. The chord change is manipulated to emphasize the B's flatted seventh (a

minor third In music theory, a minor third is a musical interval that encompasses three half steps, or semitones. Staff notation represents the minor third as encompassing three staff positions (see: interval number). The minor third is one of two com ...

from the tonic), giving the song a sulky mood. This

chord change Chord may refer to: * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve * Chord (as ...

is used for the intro, verse, chorus and the instrumental sections, except for the pre-chorus, which is in the

relative key In music, relative keys are the major and minor scales that have the same key signatures ( enharmonically equivalent), meaning that they share all the same notes but are arranged in a different order of whole steps and half steps. A pair of ma ...

of D minor. Regardless of the chord progression, the song seems to fall somewhere between

major and minor In Western music, the adjectives major and minor may describe a chord, scale, or key. As such, composition, movement, section, or phrase may be referred to by its key, including whether that key is major or minor. Intervals Some intervals ma ...

, and the use of four-note seventh chords (as opposed to "three-note" chords) help to form a rich atmosphere. "Stupid Girl" is mainly carried by this arrangement, along with the drum beats sampled from "Train in Vain". In the intro, four bars set the rhythm, adorned by only a

guitar pick A guitar pick (American English) is a plectrum used for guitars. Picks are generally made of one uniform material—such as some kind of plastic ( nylon, Delrin, celluloid), rubber, felt, tortoiseshell, wood, metal, glass, tagua, or ...

slide Slide or Slides may refer to: Places *Slide, California, former name of Fortuna, California Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Slide'' (Lisa Germano album), 1998 * ''Slide'' (George Clanton album), 2018 *''Slide'', by Patrick Glees ...

and audio effects. The verse adds Manson's vocals and a bass riff that uses flattened blue notes to give "Stupid Girl" a funky, unsettled feel. The eight-

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (un ...

pre-chorus abruptly cuts in with minor chords, and sampled feedback replaces the bass, which drops out. This, coupled with Manson singing high in her vocal range, creates tension and enables the presence of the bass to be felt when it re-enters on the chorus. The guitar figures in the bridge include a

phrase In syntax and grammar, a phrase is a group of words or singular word acting as a grammatical unit. For instance, the English expression "the very happy squirrel" is a noun phrase which contains the adjective phrase "very happy". Phrases can con ...

played low and rhythmic guitar

stabs stabs (sometimes written STABS) is a debugging data format for storing information about computer programs for use by symbolic and source-level debuggers. (The information is stored in symbol table strings; hence the name "stabs".) Cygnus Sup ...

on the opposite side of the

. In the chorus, Manson's main vocal is answered by an "aah-ah" of voice and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

together. The word "girl" lands on a flattened bass note ( A against the F note, instead of A).

Release and promotion

"Stupid Girl" was first released in Australia and New Zealand on January 22, 1996, when

White Label Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival Mu ...

issued both CD and cassette versions backed with "Trip My Wire" (previously included on the "Queer" single in the UK) and remixes of "Queer" by

Adrian Sherwood Adrian Maxwell Sherwood (born 20 January 1958, London, England) is an English record producer specialising in the genre of dub music. He has created a distinctive production style based on the application of dub effects and dub mixing techniqu ...

and

Martin Gore Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961) is an English songwriter, musician, singer, record producer and DJ. He is one of the founding members of the electronic rock band Depeche Mode and is the band's main songwriter. He is the band's guitarist an ...

. A week later, White Label issued a second CD featuring a cover version of

the Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December ...

's " Butterfly Collector" and a further two "Queer" mixes produced by

Danny Saber Danny Saber (born 1966) is a musician in Los Angeles. He is an audio engineer, record producer, and remixer as well. He is a former member of Black Grape and Agent Provocateur. He plays organ, and keyboards, and is a prominent Los Angeles DJ. ...

and

Rabbit in the Moon Rabbit in the Moon is an American electronic music group that formed in 1991. Their style draws from psychedelic trance, house music and breakbeat, along with other diverse influences. History Formed in 1992 in Tampa, Florida, the group consi ...

(also previously released in the UK). In July, White Label released a limited-edition EP titled ''Stupid Girl: The Remixes'' collecting the UK B-sides and remixes for the Australian market. BMG released "Stupid Girl" across Europe on February 28. The single was issued as a

CD maxi A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...

backed with both "Butterfly Collector" and "Trip My Wire". When Garbage returned to tour Europe's

rock festival A rock festival is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of entertainment provided at the venue. Some festivals are singular even ...

s in August, BMG reissued "Stupid Girl" in France and Germany.

sent "Stupid Girl" to radio stations in the United Kingdom a month in advance of its release, and it was A-listed at

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

and

Capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...

. Mushroom issued "Stupid Girl" on March 11 as a double

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any s ...

set and limited-edition

7-inch vinyl In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

packaged in two differing colors of cloth fabric, blue or red. The song was backed with "Driving Lesson", a new version of "Dog New Tricks" and a remix of "Stupid Girl" produced by

Red Snapper Red snapper is a common name of several fish species. It may refer to: * Several species from the genus ''Lutjanus'': ** ''Lutjanus campechanus'', Northern red snapper, commonly referred to as red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlanti ...

on the first disc, with "Alien Sex Fiend" and two versions of "Stupid Girl" remixed by

Dreadzone Dreadzone are a British electronic music group. They have released eight studio albums, two live albums, and two compilations. Career Dreadzone were formed in London, England in 1993 when ex-Big Audio Dynamite drummer Greg Roberts teamed up ...

on the second. The vinyl was backed with the mix of "Dog New Tricks". The single was supported by Garbage's first UK tour, which began on March 19. In the midst of the tour, Garbage performed the single on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

'' and a live showcase performance of "Stupid Girl" and "

Only Happy When It Rains "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, Wi ...

" on ''

TFI Friday ''TFI Friday'' is an entertainment show that was broadcast on Channel 4 television in the United Kingdom. It was produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker, and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first five series. The sixth series w ...

''. In North America, where "Only Happy When It Rains" had been the band's breakthrough single,

planned either "Stupid Girl" or a re-release of Garbage's debut single "Vow" to follow it up. On May 25, Almo sent "Stupid Girl" to

alternative radio Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mo ...

, while Garbage joined

the Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chambe ...

' North American arena tour as the opening act through June and July. The tour was halted after Smashing Pumpkins keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin fatally overdosed, and the Smashing Pumpkins resumed without Garbage a month later. Almo reissued "Stupid Girl", with a remix produced by

Todd Terry Todd Norton Terry (born April 18, 1967) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer in the genre of house music. Musical career Todd Terry was influential in moving House music beyond the early Chicago house sound of 1984–86. He crossed ...

, to

Top 40 radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

. On July 9, Almo released "Stupid Girl" on CD and cassette single, backed with "Driving Lesson" and the Todd Terry version. Almo provided remixes of the song to nightclubs. On July 11, Garbage performed "Stupid Girl" on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production c ...

'', and in October performed the song at the VH1 Fashion Awards, which earned attention because of Manson's

wardrobe malfunction A wardrobe malfunction is a clothing failure that accidentally or intentionally exposes a person's intimate parts. It is different from deliberate incidents of indecent exposure or public flashing. Justin Timberlake first used the term when apo ...

. On August 6, Almo issued a

12-inch vinyl The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

featuring "Driving Lesson" and remixes of "Stupid Girl" produced by Todd Terry, Danny Saber, Rabbit in the Moon and

Jason Bentley Jason Bentley (born July 27, 1970) is an American radio disc jockey of electronic music in Los Angeles, California. On December 1, 2008, Bentley replaced Nic Harcourt as the host of ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' and as Music Director for KCRW. Previ ...

Remixes

In 1996, Mushroom released a

white-label A white label record is a vinyl record with white labels attached. There are several variations each with a different purpose. Variations include test pressings, white label promos, and plain white labels. Test pressings Test pressings, usua ...

12-inch vinyl to clubs featuring the Red Snapper and Dreadzone mixes in advance of the UK release of "Stupid Girl". The Red Snapper mix was later released in Europe on the B-side to "Only Happy When It Rains", while White Records released this mix along with the Dreadzone mixes on the ''Stupid Girl (The Remixes)''

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

. Almo Sounds commissioned additional remixes from Danny Saber, Rabbit in the Moon, Jason Bentley and Todd Terry for the North American release of the single. One of Todd Terry's mixes was also serviced to Top 40 radio. Mushroom later released this version, along with the Danny Saber mix in the UK on the B-side of "Milk", while White included the Todd Terry mix on the bonus disc of the ''Garbage: Australian Tour Edition''. In 1997, Mushroom released four Todd Terry mixes on a set of 12-inch vinyls (''Stupid Girl Remixes'') in the UK. An instrumental version of the Red Snapper mix was also included on the compilation album ''Big Beat Elite''. In 2007, Todd Terry's radio mix was remastered and included on the ''Absolute Garbage'' bonus disc ''Garbage Mixes''. Danny Saber's remix brief for his version of "Stupid Girl" sought to create a version of the song for radio airplay on new wave/

stations. Garbage's management wanted Saber to retain the original's "Train in Vain" loop, as it had cost the band a significant amount to

license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

. Saber opted for a

Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of " Tainted Love" and their pla ...

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground club culture in the late 1970s, as DJs began altering ...

combination, incorporating the original vocal line, tempo, key and feedback. Saber created a new bassline for the remix, arranging the mix around it. Saber completed the remix in a single day, with one further day required to mix.

B-sides

Garbage recorded a number of tracks for the B-side of "Stupid Girl" in January 1996 during rehearsals for their first full-length concert tour. During the rehearsals, Garbage remixed their album track "Dog New Tricks", wrote and recorded "Driving Lesson" and "Alien Sex Fiend". The band also recorded the

Vic Chesnutt James Victor Chesnutt (November 12, 1964 – December 25, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, ''Little'', was released in 1990. His commercial breakthrough came in 1996 with the release of '' Sweet ...

song "Kick My Ass" for inclusion on the charity album '' Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation''.

Daniel Shulman Daniel Shulman (born 2 October 1966) is an American performer; playing bass guitar. Although he has made a significant contribution as a session musician, working with Run-DMC and Meredith Brooks, he is best known for his work with the Scottish ...

plays bass on all four tracks. On October 14, 1998, Garbage partnered with

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted th ...

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...

and

Broadcast.com Broadcast.com was an Internet radio company founded as AudioNet in September 1995 by Cameron Christopher Jaeb. Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban later led the organization and eventually sold to Yahoo! on April 1, 1999, for $5.7 billion, making it the ...

to promote a live

webcast A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, web ...

from Garbage's headline show at

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Bronco Bowl by offering a free .a2b

file format A file format is a Computer standard, standard way that information is encoded for storage in a computer file. It specifies how bits are used to encode information in a digital storage medium. File formats may be either proprietary format, pr ...

digital download of "Driving Lesson", which registered over 6,000 downloads.

Critical reception and legacy

"Stupid Girl" received an overwhelmingly positive response from music critics both upon the release of ''Garbage'' and upon its single release. '' Select''s Ian Harrison called the song " Duran-like", describing it as "mighty doomy pop neatly tailored to enhance one's natural discontentment." '' Vox'' magazine's Craig McLean called it "malignant, dirty, devious, sneering pop", while ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

''s Pippa Lang compared Manson's "ever-so-sexy, sibilant" vocals to

Trent Reznor Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, whi ...

's. ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication '' Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'' described "Stupid Girl" as "a classy piece of predatory pop perfection that wields an iron punch beneath velvet glove." The song was nominated for two

s, Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group, but lost to

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles " Fast Car" and " Give Me One Reason". Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she release ...

's "

Give Me One Reason "Give Me One Reason" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. It was included on her fourth studio album, '' New Beginning'' (1995), and was released as a single in various territories between November 1995 and ...

" and

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and back ...

's "

So Much to Say "So Much to Say" is a song by American rock group Dave Matthews Band. It was released in August 1996 as the second single from their album, '' Crash''. It won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 39t ...

", respectively. "Stupid Girl" was also nominated for a Danish Grammy for Best Rock Song, and for the

MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song is the main award of the MTV Europe Music Awards. It was first awarded in 1994, when " 7 Seconds" won it, and has been given out every year since. The category was renamed Most Addictive Track for the 2007 ...

. In 1997,

Broadcast Music, Inc. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 20.6 milli ...

awarded "Stupid Girl" a Citation of Achievement for Best Pop Song, meaning it was among the year's most-performed songs. Erikson said the song was "a crowd favorite" that improves the set list's mood whenever it gets played, and Vig added that "we've played 'Stupid Girl' on stage more than a thousand times and I'm still not sick of it." In 2005, "Stupid Girl" was featured in

Curtis Hanson Curtis Lee Hanson (March 24, 1945 – September 20, 2016) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His directing work included the psychological thriller '' The Hand That Rocks the Cradle'' (1992), the neo-noir crime film '' L ...

's film '' In Her Shoes'', while later that year,

Alexz Johnson Alexzandra Spencer Johnson (born November 4, 1986) is a Canadian musician, actress, and philanthropist. Her debut album ''Voodoo'' was independently released with her brother Brendan Johnson in 2010, followed by the demo release of ''The Basem ...

recorded a cover version of the track for the soundtrack album '' Songs from Instant Star''. In 2011, it was nominated for the final track listing on

STV STV may refer to: Television * Satellite television ** Direct-broadcast satellite television (DBSTV) Channels and stations * STV (TV channel), the brand name of ITV broadcasters in central and northern Scotland ** Scottish Television, now le ...

's ''Scotland's Greatest Album''.

Commercial performance

"Stupid Girl" made its first chart appearance on the Australian ARIA Charts, ARIA Singles Chart in the week ending February 4, 1996, debuting at number 99 and peaking at number 47 on March 24, 1996. The single charted for two non-consecutive weeks on the Official New Zealand Music Chart, New Zealand Top 40, peaking at number 32 in February. In Iceland, "Stupid Girl" debuted at number 18 in early April, and rose to number 4 the following week, where it remained for three weeks. In Spain, "Stupid Girl" peaked at number 40 on the airplay chart. In Ireland, "Stupid Girl" peaked at number 16. In France, "Stupid Girl" peaked at number 38 on the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique, singles chart. On March 4, 1996, "Stupid Girl" debuted at number 48 on the UK Airplay Chart. Two weeks later, the song debuted as the highest new entry on the UK Singles Chart at number four, becoming Garbage's highest-peaking single in the United Kingdom to date. In its second week, "Stupid Girl" dropped to number 10. On the airplay chart, "Stupid Girl" peaked at number five and spent the entire following month within the top 10. "Stupid Girl" spend seven weeks in the top 75 and sold 120,000 copies. In August 2007, the single re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 194, based on digital sales from Garbage's greatest hits album ''Absolute Garbage''. In North America, Almo Sounds serviced "Stupid Girl" to alternative radio on May 20, where after its first week on air it debuted on the Modern Rock Tracks chart at number 38. Two weeks later, it broke into the Modern Rock top 20 with an "Airpower" rating, meaning the song had registered over 900 plays for the first time on alternative radio. The song debuted at number 66 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. At the end of the month, "Stupid Girl" reached the top 10 on the Modern Rock chart, peaking at number two in August, and not leaving the top 10 until September. The remixes were featured on the Hot Dance Breakouts list, as "Stupid Girl" debuted at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100. By August, "Stupid Girl" continued to chart, debuting at number 68 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart, at number 47 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart and at number 46 on the Hot Dance Club Songs, Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The remix album peaked at number 30 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales, Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. In mid-August, "Stupid Girl" peaked at number 26 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and picked up enough mainstream rock airplay to spend two weeks at number 39 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. In early September, "Stupid Girl" became a crossover success on both alternate and contemporary hit radio, and it reached number 25 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart. Two weeks later, the song became Garbage's highest-peaking single on the Hot 100 when it reached number 24. It also peaked at number 33 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart and at number five on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. "Stupid Girl" continued to gain a larger crossover audience throughout October, debuting on the Adult Top 40. The song left the Modern Rock chart in mid-November after 25 weeks and remained on the Hot 100 for 20 weeks until the start of December.

Music video

The music video for "Stupid Girl" was filmed on January 16, 1996, in a Los Angeles warehouse by director Samuel Bayer. The four-hour shoot took place after filming the "Only Happy When It Rains" music video. The "Stupid Girl" video was given a smaller budget, as Almo Sounds believed that "Only Happy When It Rains" would be more commercially successful than "Stupid Girl". According to Manson, the other band members were drunk and exhausted after three days shooting the first video. The "Stupid Girl" video debuted internationally on February 1, 1996, and in North America on May 5.

added the video the week of May 13 and certified "Stupid Girl" a Buzz Bin, Buzz Clip. It was the band's third consecutive video to be guaranteed heavy airplay on the network. VH1 added the video in early September and featured it in a ''Pop-Up Video'' episode. The video for "Stupid Girl" is a performance piece inspired by the title sequence from David Fincher's 1995 film ''Seven (1995 film), Seven''. The clip was shot in a warehouse decorated with plexiglas sheets upon which the song's lyrics were written. Bayer cut the film into pieces and soaked it in his bath, applying deliberate fingerprints and abrasions to the footage before putting it back together by hand."Stupid Girl" Single/Tour news press release. Mushroom Records. January 1996. "Film is generally treated like this pristine canvas", Bayer later explained, "If it's scratched, it's considered ruined. I wanted to add to the excitement of "Stupid Girl" with a really organic video, something that had a handmade quality."

press release, dated July 6, 1996. To accomplish this, Bayer showed some of the filmmaking process itself; Manson is shown behind a clapperboard and reels visibly spool past the frame, while penned marks, sprocket holes, spots and reference numbers are seen. At one point, the frame lurches, as if to suggest that the camera operator has lost control of the camera. Bayer's colorist made use of sepia, blues, greens and reds to suggest that each frame was individually hand-tinted. Vig would compliment the video for mirroring the band's sound: "some of it looked beautiful, some of it looked distorted, and kinda fucked up - and it sorta described some of our music visually." Bayer later re-edited a second version of the video, with alternative footage from the original shoot, for a remix version of "Stupid Girl" by Todd Terry. The "Stupid Girl" video earned Garbage a nomination for MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist, Best New Artist in a Video at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards, losing to Alanis Morissette's "Ironic (song), Ironic". The "Stupid Girl" video was first commercially released on VHS and Video-CD on 1996's ''Garbage Video'', along with "making-of" outtake footage. A remastered version was later included on Garbage's 2007 greatest-hits DVD ''Absolute Garbage'', and was made available as a Music download, digital download via online music services the same year. The video was officially uploaded to YouTube in November 2013.

Track listings

*European CD single # "Stupid Girl" – 4:19 # "Butterfly Collector" – 3:41 # "Trip My Wire" – 4:29 *Australian CD1 and cassette single 1 # "Stupid Girl" – 4:19 # "Trip My Wire" – 4:29 # "Queer" (The Very Queer Dub Bin) – 5:12 # "Queer" (The Most Beautiful Woman in Town Mix) – 5:36 *Australia CD2 and cassette single 2 # "Stupid Girl" – 4:19 # "Butterfly Collector" – 3:41 # "Queer" (F.T.F.O.I. Mix) – 7:17 # "Queer" (Danny Saber Mix) – 5:39 *UK CD1 # "Stupid Girl" – 4:19 # "Driving Lesson" – 3:48 # "Dog New Tricks" (The Pal mix) – 4:02 # "Stupid Girl" (Red Snapper mix) – 7:37 *UK CD2 # "Stupid Girl" – 4:19 # "Alien Sex Fiend" – 4:37 # "Stupid Girl" (Dreadzone dub version) – 6:08 # "Stupid Girl" (Dreadzone vocal mix) – 6:34 *UK 7-inch single :A. "Stupid Girl" – 4:19 :B. "Dog New Tricks" (The Pal mix) – 4:02 *US CD and cassette single # "Stupid Girl" – 4:19 # "Stupid Girl" (Tee's radio edit) – 3:49 # "Driving Lesson" – 3:48 *US 12-inch single :A1. "Stupid Girl" (Todd Terry Freeze Club) – 5:53 :A2. "Stupid Girl" (Todd Terry In House Dub) – 6:11 :A3. "Stupid Girl" (Future Retro Mix) – 5:20 :B1. "Stupid Girl" (Danny Saber Mix) – 4:23 :B2. "Stupid Girl" (Shoegazer Mix) – 5:53 :B3. "Driving Lesson" – 3:48 *French CD single # "Stupid Girl" – 4:19 # "Stupid Girl" (Dreadzone dub version) – 6:08 # "Dog New Tricks" (The Pal mix) – 4:02 *German CD single # "Stupid Girl" (Radio edit) – 3:44 # "Stupid Girl" – 4:19 *Australian CD single (The Remixes) # "Stupid Girl" (Dreadzone vocal mix) – 6:34 # "Stupid Girl" (Dreadzone dub version) – 6:08 # "Stupid Girl" (Red Snapper mix) – 7:37 # "Stupid Girl" – 4:19 # "Alien Sex Fiend" – 4:37 *UK 12-inch single (Remixes) :A1. "Stupid Girl" (Todd Terry Freeze Club) – 5:53 :A2. "Stupid Girl" (Todd Terry Bonus Beats) – 3:11 :B1. "Stupid Girl" (Todd Terry In House Dub) – 6:11 :B2. "Stupid Girl" (Todd Terry Capella) – 3:34

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

{{Authority control 1995 songs 1996 singles Garbage (band) songs Music videos directed by Samuel Bayer Song recordings produced by Butch Vig Songs written by Butch Vig Songs written by Duke Erikson Songs written by Joe Strummer Songs written by Mick Jones (The Clash) Songs written by Shirley Manson Songs written by Steve Marker