Only happy when it rains

Carrying on from yesterday's post on The trick is to keep breathing I thought I'd share another favourite track by the somewhat unstoppable Garbage.

I first heard Only happy when it rains on TFI Friday on Channel 4 back in 95, as Garbage became big. I'd heard Queer and disliked it at the time but was bowled over by Stupid Girl and as soon as I saw the live set of Only happy... I rushed out to Ourprice and bought the album. Second best album ever, only beaten by their second album Version 2.0.

Though the song sounds depressing it is has the powerful vocals of Shirley Manson and the heavy bass mixed at the right tempo of guitars to produce one of those classic 90s indie-rock songs that like Stupid girl fades from active memory, buried under the ear worms of modern pop that we're all bombarded with but yet when you hear it it brings a smile to your face as you appreciate good music and a time when artists were artists.

Like The trick is to keep breathing this song has a literary link to Admiral Daala for me. I was a somewhat obsessed kid!

I was reading Darksaber at the time and the image of the Admiral portrayed by Shirley Manson, raining turbo lasers down upon Yavin 4 was not unappealing to the awkward geek holed up in his bedroom surrounded by books. Even now the song brings back memories of reading one of my favourite books and of the burning Super-class Stardestroyer plunging towards the gas giant Yavin with the redheaded Admiral stood on the bridge in disbelief.

Any way, I digress majorly!

Here are the lyrics

I'm only happy when it rains
I'm only happy when it's complicated
And though I know you can't appreciate it
I'm only happy when it rains
You know I love it when the news is bad
Why it feels so good to feel so sad
I'm only happy when it rains

Pour your misery down
Pour your misery down on me
Pour your misery down
Pour your misery down on me

I'm only happy when it rains
I feel good when things are going wrong
I only listen to the sad, sad songs
I'm only happy when it rains

I only smile in the dark
My only comfort is the night gone black
I didn't accidentally tell you that
I'm only happy when it rains
You'll get the message by the time I'm through
When I complain about me and you
I'm only happy when it rains

Pour your misery down...pour your misery down
Pour your misery down on me...pour your misery down
Pour your misery down...pour your misery down
Pour your misery down on me...pour your misery down
Pour your misery down...pour your misery down
Pour your misery down on me...pour your misery down
Pour your misery down...pour
You can keep me company
As long as you don't care

I'm only happy when it rains
You want to hear about my new obsession
I'm riding high upon a deep depression
I'm only happy when it rains...pour some misery down on me
I'm only happy when it rains....pour some misery down on me
I'm only happy when it rains...pour some misery down on me
I'm only happy when it rains...pour some misery down on me
I'm only happy when it rains...pour some misery down on me...pour some misery down on me...pour some misery down on me...pour some misery down on me,

The trick is to keep breathing

I thought I would break the mold of my usual posts on politics and put in some music.

One of my all time favourite songs is by the American band Garbage (I've heard all the jokes) called The Trick is to keep breathing from the album Version 2.0. If you get the chance do listen to the whole album - it is phenomenally good and definitely their high point as a creative band with more punch and bounce than Garbage and rockier and more substance than  Beautiful Garbage.

I fell in love with this song then and have never stopped loving it, maybe it is the tune, Shirley's voice as it draws out the chorus, the lyric The trick is to keep breathing or maybe it was Admiral Daala.

Regular readers, and/or friends will know that Daala is my all time favourite Star Wars character of all time. Any way, coincidentally Version 2.0 came out at the same time as Star Wars: Planet of the Twilight in which Daala was written out of the main narrative and this song was playing as she walked out of the Galaxy far far away, and for me, geekily that was a poignant combination.

Any way - enjoy.

Oh and here are the lyrics....

She's not the kind of girl
Who likes to tell the world
About the way she feels about herself
She takes a little time
In making up her mind
She doesn't want to fight against the tide

[Chorus]
Lately I'm not the only one
I say never trust anyone
Always the one who has to drag her down
Maybe you'll get what you want this time around

Can't bear to face the truth
So sick he cannot move
And when it hurts he takes it out on you

[Chorus]

The trick is to keep breathing
The trick is to keep breathing

She knows the human heart
And how to read the stars
Now everything's about to fall apart

I won't be the one who's going to let you down
Maybe you'll get what you want this time around
(the trick is to keep breathing)
I won't be the one who's going to let you down
(the trick is to keep breathing)
Maybe you'll get what you want this time around
The trick is to keep breathing [Repeat: x7]