The Story Behind Why Garbage's Shirley Manson Is "Only Happy When It Rains"

Garbage are an iconic, eclectic band that is anything but what their name implies. 

Fronting the outfit is the charismatic and irrepressible Shirley Manson from Edinburgh, Scotland. Manson first met up with her three future bandmates in Wisconsin as a result of one of those strange, classic twists of rock and roll fate involving MTV, a phone call, and a disastrous first audition. In then end, Garbage was formed (even if Manson still isn't such a fan of the name), and with their self-titled debut came the iconic hit "Only Happy When It Rains," a record that feels as fresh today as it did nearly 30 years ago.

In fact, as Manson tells it, the misery of that song pours down even more heavily now on audiences as they celebrate and dance to it on the band’s current North American tour with Alanis Morissette. (Get tickets to see for yourself via Ticketmaster.)

In the latest episode of The Story Behind the Song, Manson joins host Peter Csathy to share all about the misery behind "Only Happy When It Rains," including her initial thoughts upon reading the "nursery rhyme" lyrics. Manson also discusses "The Men Who Rule the World," the lead song on Garbage's No Gods No Masters, a track that perfectly encapsulates Manson's current state of mind and features lyrics that rained down on her in a moment of spontaneous inspiration.

Listen to the full episode now, or check out the complete video interview at Consequence.

Make sure you like, review, and subscribe to The Story Behind the Song wherever you get your podcasts to catch each episode of the monthly series. Also keep an eye on the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our series, and follow host Peter Csathy on Twitter @pcsathy and at Creative Media.

Support The Story Behind the Song by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/mVRZyZV

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy