‘Union City Blue’: Garbage singer Shirley Manson picks her favourite Blondie song
Although their sound resonated with the contemporary Britpop movement, Garbage emerged from Madison, Wisconsin, to reinvigorate pop-rock for a new generation throughout the 1990s. With the Scottish vocalist Shirley Manson as its charismatic figurehead, the tight-knit four-piece seemed to conquer the world in just a few short years after forming in 1993.
Despite the humorously humble name, Garbage was far from it. Crucially, their eponymous debut album of 1995, home to ‘Only Happy When It Rains’ and ‘Stupid Girl’, was a monumental critical and commercial success, selling over four million copies during the first issue and achieving double platinum certification in the UK and the US.
The sound established throughout these early releases was fresh and invigorating despite betraying an apparent affection for the late 1970s and early ’80s new wave movement. The artful offspring of the punk wave threw up bands like The B-52s and Talking Heads, who brought a colourful blend of styles to a nuanced punk-infused product.
As a female-fronted band, Garbage associates strongest with the New York new wave group Blondie. In the striking frontwoman, Debbie Harry, Mason saw a perfect role model. During her rise to prominence, Manson befriended Harry and her Blondie bandmates and even accompanied them on tour on several occasions.
“When Garbage and Blondie co-headlined the Rage and Rapture Tour two years ago, both bands cohabited together… we just love each other and get along so well,” Manson reflected in a 2021 interview with Edinburgh News. “There are no egos, no competition, no unpleasantness, and, of course, all of Garbage are influenced by Blondie, and Debbie has been so kind and supportive to me throughout my adult career.”
Despite having spent so much time with Blondie, Manson admitted to an enduring star-struck feeling around Harry. “Actually, I have never quite got over being around Debbie Harry; the minute I am in her presence, I revert to my child self, it always feels like an extraordinary moment,” she added.
In July 2021, Manson appeared on the BBC Radio 2 programme Tracks Of My Years to discuss her ten favourite songs of all time. Alongside selections from ABBA, The Beatles, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Cocteau Twins, she picked out ‘Union City Blue’ from Blondie’s 1979 album Eat to the Beat.
Commenting on her selection, Manson noted, “Debbie Harry has been a fixture almost in my entire musical career.”
Listen to Shirley Manson’s favourite Blondie song below.