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Vow (Garbage song)
Encyclopedia
"Vow" is a 1994 song written, recorded and produced by alternative rock
band Garbage
and was released as their debut single in early 1995. The song, which had its themes of revenge and retaliation inspired by a newspaper article on domestic abuse, began as a demo
during sessions between band members Butch Vig
, Duke Erikson
and Steve Marker
, which started to evolve into a full song after singer Shirley Manson
joined the band.
"Vow" first appeared on a Volume
CD sampler at the end of 1994, and was subsequently picked up and broadcast by BBC Radio 1
DJ
s Steve Lamacq
and John Peel
, and playlisted by modern rock
radio stations in Los Angeles
and Seattle. "Vow" generated such significant buzz through positive reviews and word-of-mouth that it was eventually chosen as Garbage's first single release. After a low-key independent record label
pressing in the United Kingdom
, where it was packaged in a very limited edition logo
embossed aluminium
case, "Vow" went on to top the alternative charts in Australia
and reached the Billboard Hot 100
in the United States
.
Garbage had not initially planned to release "Vow" as their first single, as a single at all, or even include it on their debut album
. The band felt that "Vow" was not representative of the album's genre-hopping body of work, although later came to appreciate the situation that led to the song becoming their debut. "Had we [released] one of the more clubby tunes... we would have been pigeonholed as a dance band
and that's a hard tag to shake," Shirley Manson
later explained. "Now we can do whatever and people won't know what to expect."
In 2007, "Vow" was remastered
and included on Garbage's greatest hits
album Absolute Garbage
.
form in January, 1994, during sessions between band members Butch Vig
, Duke Erikson
and Steve Marker
located in either Marker's basement recording studio
or at their own Smart Studios
business in Wisconsin
university town Madison
. After Marker saw Shirley Manson
's group Angelfish
on 120 Minutes
, the band invited Manson to Smart Studios to sing on a couple of tracks. After a dreadful first audition
, she returned to Angelfish. Manson eventually returned to Smart for a successful second time, where she began to work on the then-skeletal "Queer
" and "Vow" (ad-libbing the lyric
s "I can't use what I can't abuse" and "like Joan of Arc
coming back for more"). Duke Erikson declared that the distinctive guitar effect that opens the song was "a noise gate
basically, with a lot of echo on it."
According to Vig, the inspiration for the song was a newspaper article about a woman who had gone back to get revenge
on an abusive husband, "so we thought it would be cool to get a bit of retribution in there." The story of the sado-masochistic couple who couldn't keep away from each other showed Vig that violence
could also come from psychological stand point. Lyrically, Manson claimed ""Vow" is about having feelings [of vengeance
]. You have to face your feelings of revenge and work out why you feel that way. It's about that conundrum when you're really angry but in reality you're in a pitiful state. Angry, twisted, but deep down, vulnerable" During promotion for the song, Garbage joked to journalists that "Vow" was about John and Lorena Bobbitt
.
s. However, the deadline given for accepting a track was only three days. The only song the band had completed in any shape or form was "Vow". After Volume was released in December 1994, "Vow" began to receive radio airplay from Radio 1 DJs Steve Lamacq, John Peel and Johnnie Walker
, and record stores in the United Kingdom began to receive requests for a single that did not yet exist. Word-of-mouth on "Vow" took the track back to the United States, where KROQ-FM
in Los Angeles
and KNDD
in Seattle discovered the song, and put it into rotation on their station playlists. By May 1995, alternative radio
across the country had picked up on "Vow", and it began to receive heavy rotation nationwide. Garbage were still putting the finishing touches to their debut set, which was still three months away from release.
On the back of the surprise attention that "Vow" had garnered, the band's UK record label
Mushroom
were keen to capitalise on the song. The terms of the licensing deal
regarding the inclusion of "Vow" on Volume meant that the track could only be released on a limited basis. Concerned that at the time that their label was only known in the UK for the Neighbours
theme tune, Mushroom founded the Discordant label for the sole purpose launching Garbage. Prior to its release "Vow" had already topped NME
s playlist chart for 5 weeks and received "Single of the Week" status in seven publications. On March 20, 1995 "Vow" was issued in a 7" vinyl format, backed with a remix
of the title track and packaged in an aluminium
sleeve
. A total of 1,000 copies were pressed, of which only 934 were made available to buy, barely enough to reach the U.K. Top 100
. "Vow" sold out in one day.
In the United States
, "Vow" debuted on the Modern Rock Tracks
chart at #39 in mid-June 1995. Garbage's North American record label, Almo Sounds
, released the track to record stores on CD
and cassette single
, both backed-with the band's "Vow" remix. On its fourth week, "Vow" reached #26, before dropping the following week and returning for a second peak at the same position in mid-July. During this time, airplay and single sales of "Vow" led to the song registering at #5 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
, a chart which shows the most popular songs in the United States that haven't yet reached the Hot 100
. The same week that the track hit its second peak at alternative radio, "Vow" shot up to #1 on the Bubbling Under chart.
At the end of July, "Vow" debuted at #97 on the Hot 100, and immediately set the record as the lowest-ever "Hot Shot Debut" (the highest new entry) in the 37-year history of the Hot 100 chart. Garbage spent the week as the only new act on the chart, with some credit going to the song "breaking out" of Austin
where it was the #1 record spun by KNCC. "Vow" spent a second week at #97 before leaving the Hot 100. By mid-August, in its final showing of a nine-week run, "Vow" slid to #34 on the Modern Rock chart. Despite not being able to capitalize on the single's popularity at alternative radio, Almo Sounds released the band's self-titled
debut album Garbage
across the United States and Canada the following week, where it debuted at the end of the month on the developing artists Top Heatseekers
album chart.
Discordant's parent label Mushroom licensed "Vow" for distribution internationally at the same time as the North American release. In Australia
and New Zealand
, "Vow" was released by their White Records
imprint
on June 20; two CD singles, one of which was a limited edition packaged in an embossed rubber
wallet; and a cassette single. All featured two brand new songs
written during the sessions for the debut album: "Subhuman
" and "#1 Crush
". The single debuted at #46 on the ARIA singles chart
at the end of August, and rose to #32 four weeks later. In New Zealand, "Vow" debuted at #48 at the end of September, and peaked at #41 a week later. The success of "Vow" coincided with the release of Garbage in these territories; the album debuted at #5 and #13 in Australia and New Zealand respectively. Mushroom also licensed "Vow" to local BMG labels across Europe
and in South Africa
as a CD single prior to the release of Garbage.
on each single, but the investment paid off as each subsequent single became bigger hits. Second single "Subhuman" followed in a rubber
sleeve, "Only Happy When It Rains
" in a hologram-sticker
ed rain-effect card sleeve, "Queer" in a perspex case, "Stupid Girl" in both red and blue cloth bags and finally "Milk
" in a rippled card sleeve with a 16-frame 3-D image
mounted on front. Each release became instant collectors items
: by the time second single "Subhuman", was released, copies of "Vow" were selling for £100.
The idea behind the packaging reconciled with the eighteen-month marketing strategy
behind the launch of the band. The packaging was tailored around the artwork designs for the six singles and the label's plan to brand
the "G" logo
. After each single, the sleeve artwork would go up a stage; the "Vow" and "Subhuman" artwork was two-colour, "Only Happy When It Rains" and "Queer" were three colour with gold embossing on "Queer" and "Stupid Girl" had four colour artwork. After the release of "Milk", CIN
banned sales of specially packaged singles from counting towards the U.K. Singles Chart, which meant "Milk" was the last in the run of special edition Garbage 7" singles.
on the CD format. The record company felt that "Subhuman" was a strong enough song to support a single release. Instead of filming a music video
for "Subhuman", Mushroom sent the "Vow" clip to music channels instead. As another limited edition single, "Subhuman" charted at #50 in August 1995.
In 1996, when the band's third North American single "Only Happy When it Rains
" had driven the sales of Garbage into the top half of the Billboard 200
for the first time, Almo Sounds considered re-releasing "Vow", feeling that on its initial release the song had not gotten a full chance at radio and video. Instead, the label ultimately chose to move forward with fourth single "Stupid Girl". Towards the end of the year, "Vow" b-side "#1 Crush" was remixed by Nellee Hooper
for inclusion on the soundtrack album
to Baz Luhrmann
's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
. As the album opener, "#1 Crush" received massive airplay at alternative radio. At the start of 1997, "#1 Crush" hit #1 on the Modern Rock chart and stayed there for four weeks. The song also picked up enough Top 40 radio
airplay to peak at #29 on the Hot 100 Airplay
. "#1 Crush" also topped the alternative charts in Canada
.
The music video
for "Vow" was directed by Samuel Bayer
and filmed over 12 hours in Los Angeles
at the start of June 1995. The video premiered in the United States on June 12, 1995.
A performance piece, the video features strobe light
ing and falling glitter
cut into shots of Garbage performing against a golden backdrop surrounded by television sets
relaying real time footage of the band playing. Throughout the clip there is also shots of a semi-naked man with running black eyeliner crawling on the floor.
Bayer asked the group to perform "Vow" live while he filmed the takes for the video shoot. Garbage had never performed live as group prior to this, and had initially had not considered ever performing live onstage. "We set up amps
and played guitar
s. Butch was pounding away and Shirley had a live mic
. After the first run-through, we all looked at each other and said, 'This feels really good.'" Erikson later recalled. The group enjoyed the experience so much that they quickly changed their minds, and scheduled tourdates later that year
.
The "Vow" music video was first commercially released on VHS
and Video-CD on 1996's Garbage Video
. A remastered version was later included on Garbage's 2007 greatest hits DVD
Absolute Garbage.
described it as "the missing link between Courtney Love
and PJ Harvey
" while Paul Yates of Q
magazine said "Garbage's signature lies in songs like 'Vow', good pop tunes dealt a rough treatment and brazen vocals". NME
s Emma Morgan wrote "it's the simplicity of the lyrics that strikes the winning goal", while earlier in the year NME had made "Vow" its Single of the Week, writing "["Vow" is] a shape-shifting squalling epic. It shimmers like Siouxsie
's 'Christine
'. It's a credit to the band's producing skills that such an ambitious thing is lashed together at all" Melody Maker stated "this has classic written all over it"; they too had named "Vow" their Single of the Week, writing the song "is surreal pop heaven mixed with industrial nightmares". Kerrang!
magazine's Paul Rees described "Vow" as "edgy dislocated pop with a sparkling chorus" and "the most brilliant pop song of 1995". Select's Ian Harrison liked the song, but felt that it "pilfers from The Smiths
"How Soon Is Now?
"". In a review for Billboard
, Larry Flick rated "Vow" his Critic's Choice and wrote, "Move over Courtney Love
. Garbage combine the tough-headed hooks of Hole
with an unforgettable vocal prowl which rivals 'Miss World
'. A numbed female vocal cries before a raging guitar riff begins to shatter a pain-filled pop texture. Commit to it." Dan Dinello, of Alternative Press, described "Vow" as "menacing tale of violence and revenge sounds like Patti Smith
fronting The Clash
while quoting the Beatles
"No Reply
"." Spin
s Charles Aaron likened the band to "Bunnymen wannabes doing '90s reverb angst" and compared Erikson's guitar to Aldo Nova
, but ultimately considered that "even though they sound totally prefab, the singer hints at a pleasantly pissed personality".
"Vow" also appeared in a number of year-end lists: #45 in John Peel's Festive Fifty
, #15 in Triple J
's "Hottest 100 of 1995
", and #66 in KROQ
's "Top 106.7 of 1995".
Publishing
Production
"Vow (Torn Apart)"
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
and was released as their debut single in early 1995. The song, which had its themes of revenge and retaliation inspired by a newspaper article on domestic abuse, began as a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
during sessions between band members Butch Vig
Butch Vig
Butch Vig is an American musician and record producer, best known internationally as the drummer of the Madison, Wisconsin-based alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of multi-platinum selling album Nevermind by Nirvana....
, Duke Erikson
Duke Erikson
Douglas Elwin Erickson , better known as Duke Erikson, is a founding member of the band Garbage. At 16 years old he formed his first band, The British. Erickson studied art history, and financed his studies with numerous jobs such as carpenter or truck driver...
and Steve Marker
Steve Marker
Steve Marker is an American musician and record producer, best known internationally as the guitarist of the Madison, Wisconsin-based alternative rock band Garbage.-Early life:...
, which started to evolve into a full song after singer Shirley Manson
Shirley Manson
Shirley Anne Manson is a Scottish recording artist and actress, best known internationally as the lead singer of the alternative rock band Garbage. For much of her international career Manson commuted between her home city of Edinburgh to the United States to record with Garbage but now lives and...
joined the band.
"Vow" first appeared on a Volume
Volume magazine
Volume was a magazine in the form of a series of compact disc compilation albums that were published in the UK in the early to mid 1990s. The albums typically contained exclusive tracks and remixes from a diverse range of indie artists. Each album was packaged with a 192-page booklet that contained...
CD sampler at the end of 1994, and was subsequently picked up and broadcast by BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
and John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, and playlisted by modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
radio stations in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Seattle. "Vow" generated such significant buzz through positive reviews and word-of-mouth that it was eventually chosen as Garbage's first single release. After a low-key independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
pressing in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where it was packaged in a very limited edition logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
embossed aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
case, "Vow" went on to top the alternative charts in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and reached the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Garbage had not initially planned to release "Vow" as their first single, as a single at all, or even include it on their debut album
Garbage (album)
Garbage is the debut album by Scottish/American alternative rock group Garbage. It was released in the late summer and autumn of 1995 worldwide, following critical acclaim and promising chart positions for their debut single "Vow", which entered the Billboard Hot 100.Garbage eventually spent over a...
. The band felt that "Vow" was not representative of the album's genre-hopping body of work, although later came to appreciate the situation that led to the song becoming their debut. "Had we [released] one of the more clubby tunes... we would have been pigeonholed as a dance band
Alternative dance
Alternative dance or indie dance is a musical genre that mixes rock subgenres with electronic dance music...
and that's a hard tag to shake," Shirley Manson
Shirley Manson
Shirley Anne Manson is a Scottish recording artist and actress, best known internationally as the lead singer of the alternative rock band Garbage. For much of her international career Manson commuted between her home city of Edinburgh to the United States to record with Garbage but now lives and...
later explained. "Now we can do whatever and people won't know what to expect."
In 2007, "Vow" was remastered
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
and included on Garbage's greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album Absolute Garbage
Absolute Garbage
Absolute Garbage is the 2007 greatest hits album released by alternative rock group Garbage. The album was compiled and released by Geffen imprint Almo Sounds through Universal Music Enterprises backcatalogue division in North America and Warner Music's record label A&E Records throughout the rest...
.
Development
"Vow" began in rough demoDemo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
form in January, 1994, during sessions between band members Butch Vig
Butch Vig
Butch Vig is an American musician and record producer, best known internationally as the drummer of the Madison, Wisconsin-based alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of multi-platinum selling album Nevermind by Nirvana....
, Duke Erikson
Duke Erikson
Douglas Elwin Erickson , better known as Duke Erikson, is a founding member of the band Garbage. At 16 years old he formed his first band, The British. Erickson studied art history, and financed his studies with numerous jobs such as carpenter or truck driver...
and Steve Marker
Steve Marker
Steve Marker is an American musician and record producer, best known internationally as the guitarist of the Madison, Wisconsin-based alternative rock band Garbage.-Early life:...
located in either Marker's basement recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
or at their own Smart Studios
Smart Studios
Smart Studios was a recording studio located at 1254 E Washington Ave in Madison, Wisconsin. It was set up in 1983 by Butch Vig and Steve Marker to produce local bands....
business in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
university town Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. After Marker saw Shirley Manson
Shirley Manson
Shirley Anne Manson is a Scottish recording artist and actress, best known internationally as the lead singer of the alternative rock band Garbage. For much of her international career Manson commuted between her home city of Edinburgh to the United States to record with Garbage but now lives and...
's group Angelfish
Angelfish (band)
Angelfish was a short-lived mid-1990s alternative rock group originating from Edinburgh, Scotland, formed as a side-project to Scottish group Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie, after keyboardist and backing vocalist Shirley Manson was signed as a solo artist to circumvent the Mackenzies' existing record contract...
on 120 Minutes
120 Minutes
120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
, the band invited Manson to Smart Studios to sing on a couple of tracks. After a dreadful first audition
Audition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...
, she returned to Angelfish. Manson eventually returned to Smart for a successful second time, where she began to work on the then-skeletal "Queer
Queer (Garbage song)
"Queer" is a 1995 song written, recorded and produced by alternative rock band Garbage and was the second international single to be taken from the band's multi-platinum debut studio album Garbage and followed up the band's debut hit "Vow"...
" and "Vow" (ad-libbing the lyric
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
s "I can't use what I can't abuse" and "like Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
coming back for more"). Duke Erikson declared that the distinctive guitar effect that opens the song was "a noise gate
Noise gate
A Noise Gate or gate is an electronic device or software that is used to control the volume of an audio signal. In its most simple form, a noise gate allows a signal to pass through only when it is above a set threshold: the gate is 'open'. If the signal falls below the threshold no signal is...
basically, with a lot of echo on it."
According to Vig, the inspiration for the song was a newspaper article about a woman who had gone back to get revenge
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
on an abusive husband, "so we thought it would be cool to get a bit of retribution in there." The story of the sado-masochistic couple who couldn't keep away from each other showed Vig that violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
could also come from psychological stand point. Lyrically, Manson claimed ""Vow" is about having feelings [of vengeance
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
]. You have to face your feelings of revenge and work out why you feel that way. It's about that conundrum when you're really angry but in reality you're in a pitiful state. Angry, twisted, but deep down, vulnerable" During promotion for the song, Garbage joked to journalists that "Vow" was about John and Lorena Bobbitt
John and Lorena Bobbitt
John Wayne Bobbitt and Lorena Bobbitt were an American couple, married on June 18, 1989, whose difficult relationship gained worldwide notoriety for an incident in 1993 when Lorena severed John's penis with a knife...
.
Single release
Midway through the recording sessions for the band's debut album, the band's label Mushroom Records secured the group an inclusion on Volume, a magazine that released compilation albumCompilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s. However, the deadline given for accepting a track was only three days. The only song the band had completed in any shape or form was "Vow". After Volume was released in December 1994, "Vow" began to receive radio airplay from Radio 1 DJs Steve Lamacq, John Peel and Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker (DJ)
Johnnie Walker MBE is a popular British veteran radio disc jockey and broadcaster....
, and record stores in the United Kingdom began to receive requests for a single that did not yet exist. Word-of-mouth on "Vow" took the track back to the United States, where KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and KNDD
KNDD
KNDD , also known as "107.7 The End", is an alternative rock radio station in Seattle, Washington. It is operated by Entercom Communications Its studios are located in the Metropolitan Park West tower between Downtown and South Lake Union in Seattle...
in Seattle discovered the song, and put it into rotation on their station playlists. By May 1995, alternative radio
Alternative Radio
Alternative Radio is an internationally syndicated, one-hour, weekly radio program, featuring serious interviews with humanitarian and progressive thinkers. Begun in 1986, it evolved from a program that journalist David Barsamian hosted on community radio station KGNU-FM, in Boulder, Colorado. AR...
across the country had picked up on "Vow", and it began to receive heavy rotation nationwide. Garbage were still putting the finishing touches to their debut set, which was still three months away from release.
On the back of the surprise attention that "Vow" had garnered, the band's UK record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Mushroom
A&E Records
A&E Records is an United Kingdom-based record label imprint, owned by Warner Music Group, and operates under the WEA International group of labels at WMG....
were keen to capitalise on the song. The terms of the licensing deal
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
regarding the inclusion of "Vow" on Volume meant that the track could only be released on a limited basis. Concerned that at the time that their label was only known in the UK for the Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
theme tune, Mushroom founded the Discordant label for the sole purpose launching Garbage. Prior to its release "Vow" had already topped NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
s playlist chart for 5 weeks and received "Single of the Week" status in seven publications. On March 20, 1995 "Vow" was issued in a 7" vinyl format, backed with a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of the title track and packaged in an aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
sleeve
Record sleeve
A record sleeve is the outer covering of a vinyl recording. The sleeve is technically the paper covering that is closest in contact to the surface of the recording, as in "dust sleeve", "liner" and "album liner". The term has come to be synonymous with "record jacket" and "album jacket", which is...
. A total of 1,000 copies were pressed, of which only 934 were made available to buy, barely enough to reach the U.K. Top 100
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. "Vow" sold out in one day.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, "Vow" debuted on the Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart at #39 in mid-June 1995. Garbage's North American record label, Almo Sounds
Almo Sounds
Almo Sounds is a record label which was started in 1994 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss after they sold A&M Records to PolyGram. The intent of the label was to recreate the initial concept of A&M Records as a small, "boutique" label....
, released the track to record stores on CD
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
and cassette single
Cassette single
A cassette single is a music single in the form of a Compact Cassette.- History :...
, both backed-with the band's "Vow" remix. On its fourth week, "Vow" reached #26, before dropping the following week and returning for a second peak at the same position in mid-July. During this time, airplay and single sales of "Vow" led to the song registering at #5 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
, a chart which shows the most popular songs in the United States that haven't yet reached the Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The same week that the track hit its second peak at alternative radio, "Vow" shot up to #1 on the Bubbling Under chart.
At the end of July, "Vow" debuted at #97 on the Hot 100, and immediately set the record as the lowest-ever "Hot Shot Debut" (the highest new entry) in the 37-year history of the Hot 100 chart. Garbage spent the week as the only new act on the chart, with some credit going to the song "breaking out" of Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
where it was the #1 record spun by KNCC. "Vow" spent a second week at #97 before leaving the Hot 100. By mid-August, in its final showing of a nine-week run, "Vow" slid to #34 on the Modern Rock chart. Despite not being able to capitalize on the single's popularity at alternative radio, Almo Sounds released the band's self-titled
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
debut album Garbage
Garbage (album)
Garbage is the debut album by Scottish/American alternative rock group Garbage. It was released in the late summer and autumn of 1995 worldwide, following critical acclaim and promising chart positions for their debut single "Vow", which entered the Billboard Hot 100.Garbage eventually spent over a...
across the United States and Canada the following week, where it debuted at the end of the month on the developing artists Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
album chart.
Discordant's parent label Mushroom licensed "Vow" for distribution internationally at the same time as the North American release. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, "Vow" was released by their White Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
on June 20; two CD singles, one of which was a limited edition packaged in an embossed rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
wallet; and a cassette single. All featured two brand new songs
B-Sides
B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...
written during the sessions for the debut album: "Subhuman
Subhuman (Garbage song)
"Subhuman" is a 1995 song written, recorded and produced by alternative rock band Garbage, and was originally released as an international b-side on "Vow", Garbage's debut single...
" and "#1 Crush
Number One Crush
"#1 Crush" is a song by Garbage, released internationally on the b-side to their debut release "Vow", and in the United Kingdom on the b-side to second single "Subhuman"....
". The single debuted at #46 on the ARIA singles chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
at the end of August, and rose to #32 four weeks later. In New Zealand, "Vow" debuted at #48 at the end of September, and peaked at #41 a week later. The success of "Vow" coincided with the release of Garbage in these territories; the album debuted at #5 and #13 in Australia and New Zealand respectively. Mushroom also licensed "Vow" to local BMG labels across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
as a CD single prior to the release of Garbage.
Special edition packaging
The U.K. release of "Vow" was in a 7" vinyl format packaged in an aluminum metal case, the first of six specially packaged singles Mushroom Records released between 1995 and 1996. Each single cost the label, making a 70p per unit lossIncome statement
Income statement is a company's financial statement that indicates how the revenue Income statement (also referred to as profit and loss statement (P&L), statement of financial performance, earnings statement, operating statement or statement of operations) is a company's financial statement that...
on each single, but the investment paid off as each subsequent single became bigger hits. Second single "Subhuman" followed in a rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
sleeve, "Only Happy When It Rains
Only Happy When It Rains
"Only Happy When It Rains" was a single written, recorded and produced by alternative rock group Garbage at their own recording studio, Smart Studios, in Madison, Wisconsin...
" in a hologram-sticker
Sticker
A sticker is a type of a piece of paper or plastic, adhesive, sticky on one side, and usually with a design on the other. They can be used for decoration, depending on the situation. They can come in many different shapes, sizes and colours and are put on things such as lunchboxes, in children's...
ed rain-effect card sleeve, "Queer" in a perspex case, "Stupid Girl" in both red and blue cloth bags and finally "Milk
Milk (Garbage song)
"Milk" is a 1996 single written, recorded and produced by alternative rock group Garbage. "Milk" was issued as the fifth and final single to be taken from the band's multi-platinum debut album Garbage...
" in a rippled card sleeve with a 16-frame 3-D image
Lenticular printing
Lenticular printing is a technology in which a lenticular lens is used to produce images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as the image is viewed from different angles...
mounted on front. Each release became instant collectors items
Collectible
A collectable or collectible is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector . There are numerous types of collectables and terms to denote those types. An antique is a collectable that is old...
: by the time second single "Subhuman", was released, copies of "Vow" were selling for £100.
The idea behind the packaging reconciled with the eighteen-month marketing strategy
Marketing strategy
Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.-Developing a marketing strategy:...
behind the launch of the band. The packaging was tailored around the artwork designs for the six singles and the label's plan to brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
the "G" logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
. After each single, the sleeve artwork would go up a stage; the "Vow" and "Subhuman" artwork was two-colour, "Only Happy When It Rains" and "Queer" were three colour with gold embossing on "Queer" and "Stupid Girl" had four colour artwork. After the release of "Milk", CIN
The Official UK Charts Company
The Official Charts Company , previously called the Chart Information Network and then The Official UK Charts Company, compiles various "official" UK record charts, including the UK Singles Chart, the UK Albums Chart, and the UK Official Download Chart, as well as genre-specific and music video...
banned sales of specially packaged singles from counting towards the U.K. Singles Chart, which meant "Milk" was the last in the run of special edition Garbage 7" singles.
Aborted re-releases
Following the international release of "Vow", Mushroom Records planned to re-release the song in the UK; at the last minute the decision was taken to issue "Subhuman" as the A-side, and include "Vow" as a bonus trackBonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
on the CD format. The record company felt that "Subhuman" was a strong enough song to support a single release. Instead of filming a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Subhuman", Mushroom sent the "Vow" clip to music channels instead. As another limited edition single, "Subhuman" charted at #50 in August 1995.
In 1996, when the band's third North American single "Only Happy When it Rains
Only Happy When It Rains
"Only Happy When It Rains" was a single written, recorded and produced by alternative rock group Garbage at their own recording studio, Smart Studios, in Madison, Wisconsin...
" had driven the sales of Garbage into the top half of the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
for the first time, Almo Sounds considered re-releasing "Vow", feeling that on its initial release the song had not gotten a full chance at radio and video. Instead, the label ultimately chose to move forward with fourth single "Stupid Girl". Towards the end of the year, "Vow" b-side "#1 Crush" was remixed by Nellee Hooper
Nellee Hooper
Nellee Hooper is a British producer/remixer/composer best known for his work with Björk, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Sinéad O'Connor, Garbage, Andrea Corr, U2, Sneaker Pimps, Soul II Soul and Massive Attack...
for inclusion on the soundtrack album
Romeo + Juliet (soundtrack)
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 1996 film of the same name. The soundtrack contained two separate releases: the first containing popular music from the film and the second containing the score to the film composed by Nellee Hooper, Craig...
to Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann
Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for The Red Curtain Trilogy, which includes his films Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!...
's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet is a 1996 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy of the same name. It was directed by Australian Baz Luhrmann and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the leading roles....
. As the album opener, "#1 Crush" received massive airplay at alternative radio. At the start of 1997, "#1 Crush" hit #1 on the Modern Rock chart and stayed there for four weeks. The song also picked up enough Top 40 radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
airplay to peak at #29 on the Hot 100 Airplay
Hot 100 Airplay
The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard...
. "#1 Crush" also topped the alternative charts in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Commercial track listings
- UK 7" vinyl Discordant CORD001
- US CD maxi Almo Sounds AMSDS-88000
- US cassette single Almo Sounds AMSCS-89000
- "Vow" – 4:30
- "Vow (Torn Apart)" – 5:09
- Europe CD single BMG 74321 29596 2
- South Africa CD single BMG CDBMGS(WS)901
- Australian CD/cassette single White D1138/C1138
- "Vow" – 4:30
- "Subhuman" – 4:36
- "#1 Crush" – 4:52
Music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Vow" was directed by Samuel Bayer
Samuel Bayer
Samuel David Bayer is an American commercial, music video and film director, and cinematographer.-Early life:Bayer was born in Syracuse, New York...
and filmed over 12 hours in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
at the start of June 1995. The video premiered in the United States on June 12, 1995.
A performance piece, the video features strobe light
Strobe light
A strobe light or stroboscopic lamp, commonly called a strobe, is a device used to produce regular flashes of light. It is one of a number of devices that can be used as a stroboscope...
ing and falling glitter
Glitter
Glitter describes an assortment of very small pieces of copolymer plastics, aluminum foil, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, bismuth oxychloride or other materials painted in metallic, neon and iridescent colors to reflect light in a sparkling spectrum...
cut into shots of Garbage performing against a golden backdrop surrounded by television sets
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
relaying real time footage of the band playing. Throughout the clip there is also shots of a semi-naked man with running black eyeliner crawling on the floor.
Bayer asked the group to perform "Vow" live while he filmed the takes for the video shoot. Garbage had never performed live as group prior to this, and had initially had not considered ever performing live onstage. "We set up amps
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
and played guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s. Butch was pounding away and Shirley had a live mic
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
. After the first run-through, we all looked at each other and said, 'This feels really good.'" Erikson later recalled. The group enjoyed the experience so much that they quickly changed their minds, and scheduled tourdates later that year
Garbage tour
The Garbage tour was the first world concert tour cycle completed by American/Scottish alternative rock group Garbage, which took the band throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand in support of its self-titled debut album Garbage...
.
The "Vow" music video was first commercially released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and Video-CD on 1996's Garbage Video
Garbage Video
Garbage Video, also known as Home Video, was a 1996 short-form VHS and Video CD release that included all of Garbage's promotional music videos filmed up until that point...
. A remastered version was later included on Garbage's 2007 greatest hits DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
Absolute Garbage.
Critical reception
Upon its release, "Vow" received an overwhelmingly positive response from music critics. The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
described it as "the missing link between Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
and PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
" while Paul Yates of Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine said "Garbage's signature lies in songs like 'Vow', good pop tunes dealt a rough treatment and brazen vocals". NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
s Emma Morgan wrote "it's the simplicity of the lyrics that strikes the winning goal", while earlier in the year NME had made "Vow" its Single of the Week, writing "["Vow" is] a shape-shifting squalling epic. It shimmers like Siouxsie
Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures . The Banshees produced eleven studio albums and a string of hit singles including "Hong Kong Garden",...
's 'Christine
Christine (song)
"Christine" is a song recorded by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. The song was written by Banshees members Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin and it was released as the second single from the band's third album Kaleidoscope....
'. It's a credit to the band's producing skills that such an ambitious thing is lashed together at all" Melody Maker stated "this has classic written all over it"; they too had named "Vow" their Single of the Week, writing the song "is surreal pop heaven mixed with industrial nightmares". Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine's Paul Rees described "Vow" as "edgy dislocated pop with a sparkling chorus" and "the most brilliant pop song of 1995". Select's Ian Harrison liked the song, but felt that it "pilfers from The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
"How Soon Is Now?
How Soon Is Now?
"How Soon Is Now?" is a song by the British alternative rock band The Smiths. Written by Smiths singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr, it was originally a B-side of the 1984 single "William, It Was Really Nothing"...
"". In a review for Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, Larry Flick rated "Vow" his Critic's Choice and wrote, "Move over Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
. Garbage combine the tough-headed hooks of Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
with an unforgettable vocal prowl which rivals 'Miss World
Miss World (song)
"Miss World" is a song by American alternative rock band Hole, written by frontwoman Courtney Love and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson. The song was released as the band's fifth single and the first from their second studio album, Live Through This, in March 1994.-Origin and recording:Erlandson and...
'. A numbed female vocal cries before a raging guitar riff begins to shatter a pain-filled pop texture. Commit to it." Dan Dinello, of Alternative Press, described "Vow" as "menacing tale of violence and revenge sounds like Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
fronting The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
while quoting the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
"No Reply
No Reply (song)
"No Reply" is a song by The Beatles from the British album Beatles for Sale and the American album Beatles '65. It was written mainly by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Lyrics:...
"." Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
s Charles Aaron likened the band to "Bunnymen wannabes doing '90s reverb angst" and compared Erikson's guitar to Aldo Nova
Aldo Nova
Aldo Nova is a Canadian guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and producer, Nova gained fame with his self-titled debut album Aldo Nova in 1981, and its accompanying single "Fantasy", which climbed to #23 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Career:Signing with Portrait Records, Nova released a self-produced...
, but ultimately considered that "even though they sound totally prefab, the singer hints at a pleasantly pissed personality".
"Vow" also appeared in a number of year-end lists: #45 in John Peel's Festive Fifty
Festive Fifty
The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's fifty best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show...
, #15 in Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's "Hottest 100 of 1995
Triple J Hottest 100
The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll, based on the votes of national Australian radio station Triple J listeners, in order to determine their favourite song of the year. Voting is conducted by the internet and begins roughly two weeks prior to the new year for the previous year's songs...
", and #66 in KROQ
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
's "Top 106.7 of 1995".
Release history
| Release date | Territory | Record label | Format(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 20, 1995 | United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Discordant | 7" single Gramophone record A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove... |
| June 20, 1995 | United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Almo Sounds Almo Sounds Almo Sounds is a record label which was started in 1994 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss after they sold A&M Records to PolyGram. The intent of the label was to recreate the initial concept of A&M Records as a small, "boutique" label.... |
Airplay Airplay * Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay... : modern rock Modern rock Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre... |
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
White Mushroom Records Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros... |
CD single CD single A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s... , cassette single Cassette single A cassette single is a music single in the form of a Compact Cassette.- History :... |
|
| Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
BMG BMG Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann... |
CD single | |
| South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
Comprehensive charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak |
|---|---|
| Australia Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... (ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... ) |
32 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... (RIANZ) |
41 |
| United Kingdom Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... (CIN) |
138 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
97 |
| U.S. Hot Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
26 |
Credits and personnel
Garbage- Shirley Manson – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Steve Marker – guitars, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, samples and loops - Duke Erikson – guitars, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, six-string and fuzz bass - Butch Vig – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, loops, noise and efxSound effectFor the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...
Publishing
- Written by Garbage
- Copyright 1995 Vibecrusher Music / Irving Music, Inc (BMIBroadcast Music IncorporatedBroadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
) / Deadarm Music (ASCAPAmerican Society of Composers, Authors, and PublishersThe American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization that protects its members' musical copyrights by monitoring public performances of their music, whether via a broadcast or live performance, and compensating them...
)
Production
- RecordedSound recording and reproductionSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
& producedRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Garbage - Recorded at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Second engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
: Mike Zirkel - MasteredAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
: Howie WeinbergHowie WeinbergHowie Weinberg is a music mastering engineer who has worked with numerous bands.- Career :He has worked at Masterdisk, New York City, since 1977...
(MasterdiskMasterdiskMasterdisk is an audio mastering and multimedia company in New York City, located on West 45th Street in Manhattan. They provide production services such as audio mastering, vinyl cutting and enhanced CD and DVD production....
) - Editing & post productionPost-productionPost-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
: Scott Hull (Masterdisk)
"Vow (Torn Apart)"
- RemixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
by Garbage