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Bleed Like Me (song)
Encyclopedia
"Bleed Like Me" is a song by American alternative rock
band Garbage
. It was released as an airplay-only single from their fourth album, Bleed Like Me
, in May 2005. Following on from the Hot 100 success of lead single "Why Do You Love Me
", "Bleed Like Me" was released by Geffen Records
imprint Almo Sounds
as the second North American
single from the album.
As an [airplay-only track, "Bleed Like Me" reached the Modern Rock Tracks
top thirty; four months later, remixes by DJ Eric Kupper
received enough nightclub
spins to peak in the top ten of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
In 2007, "Bleed Like Me" was remastered
and included on Garbage's greatest hits
album Absolute Garbage
.
in Madison
, Wisconsin
. Inspired by the movie Thirteen
, singer Shirley Manson
overcame writer's block
and wrote the lyrics to the track; one of the first songs the band wrote after reforming from a temporary three-month split in October 2003. Butch Vig
: "Musically it's very simple, it's basically this little hypnotic riff on the acoustic guitar and it builds a little bit, but the song never gets too big musically. It stays pretty simple. Really it's all about her vocals. She said 'I want to sound like a girls choir' and we're like 'Cool, let's just do it now'. She went in singing 'You should see my scars' and it just floored me. Still when I hear that the hairs on the back of my neck go up. It's really an amazing moment on the record."
Name-checking a number of her childhood friends; as well as J.T. LeRoy in the lyrics, Shirley recalled, "It's about a search for empathy
. We can forget so easily that people are the same regardless of their sexuality
, religion
, colour, or moral values. Manson followed this up, "Regardless of the differences between people – their colour, creed, sexuality or how they behave and express themselves – essentially we are exactly the same. It's about how when you are dealing with other people you have to remember that they are all carrying with them their own baggage." Manson also added: "We're very proud of that song. It came together really great." The "Bleed Like Me" lyrics referenced Gloria Gaynor
's empowerment
anthem "I Will Survive
"
On May 25, Garbage confirmed a list of fourteen songs being worked on for the record, including "Sex Is Not the Enemy", and on December 14 confirmed that the song would be included on the finished album Bleed Like Me.
On March 28, 2005, Garbage performed the track on Canal+
Album de la semaine before debuting the song live on stage at the Paris
Olympia
the following day. On March 28, Garbage performed the single "Why Do You Love Me" on Top of the Pops
, Napster Live
and CD:UK
, they also performed "Bleed Like Me".
Butch Vig confirmed to fans in Los Angeles
that "Bleed Like Me" would be the second U.S. single taken from Bleed Like Me; and on May 9, "Bleed Like Me" was released to Modern Rock
and Triple-A
radio stations and debuted on the Modern Rock Tracks at #39 the following week.
On May 8, the promo video for "Bleed Like Me" was added by Fuse
, and the following week by MTVU
and VH1
. On May 12, Garbage perform "Bleed Like Me" on the Late Show with David Letterman
. and complete their North American club tour on May 14 in Baltimore
.
Garbage returned to North America to tour the "Bleed Like Me" single. On July 28 the band perform "Bleed Like Me" on The Tonight Show
. Remixes of "Bleed Like Me" by Eric Kupper
debuts on the Billboard
Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and on September 18 reaches the top 10, peaking at number 6.
"Bleed Like Me" ended up being the final single release from Bleed Like Me in North America
when Garbage disbanded on a self-imposed hiatus following the completion of their Australian tour, despite rumours of a North American release for both "Sex Is Not the Enemy" and "It's All Over But the Crying". On May 22, 2007 it was officially confirmed that "Bleed Like Me" was to be included on the band's greatest hits
album Absolute Garbage
.
The music video
for "Bleed Like Me" was filmed on April 11 in the disused Linda Vista Hospital
in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles
and directed by Sophie Muller
. During the filming, CNN
interviewed the band and broadcast behind-the-scenes footage of the video.
The video begins with Manson, as a nurse, reading medical records onto a dictation machine
. She is then accompanied by Erikson, Marker, and Vig, as doctors
, as they view patients on their rounds
. Manson is then seen preparing a ward
for use - opening curtains, preparing beds and medicine. Manson breaks into a file storage, where she reads her own medical file (placed in front of director Sophie Muller's file), and later speaks to her therapist
, but she is startled by a raven
. In the hospital's educational room, Manson stands at a lectern
, which she pushes away to perform under disco lights. The video ends with Erikson, Marker and Vig watching Manson through a two-way mirror
: she is their patient. Manson finishes her dictation and ejects the cassette from the machine.
Using Nurse Ratched
from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
as a starting point, Manson's character was created from a mix of 1950s Europe
an nurse in costume
, and evoking Helmut Newton
's "strong yet vulnerable" photography
subjects in her make-up. Manson herself wanted the video "to have a Hitchcockian
feel" referencing his films Marnie
, The Birds
, and Psycho
, choosing graphic colours to enable to the video to "be as powerful as the song. I thought it was a brilliant concept".
In 2006, the video was a "Director of the Year" nominee at the 15th Annual MVPA Awards. The video for "Bleed Like Me" was included on Garbage's 2007 greatest hits DVD Absolute Garbage.
Ralphi Rosario's completed remix for "Bleed Like Me" was rejected for commercial release by Geffen; by August 28, 2005, the remix had leaked onto the internet.
felt that "Bleed Like Me" "almost seems to be mocking [Manson's] own tendency towards self-obsession"; while their Emma Johnston, in a review for the album wrote that "Bleed Like Me" was the "most striking" song of the set, adding that it was "the most poignant, empathic reflection of self-abuse since Manic Street Preachers
' "4st 7lb
" - over a gorgeous cello strewn background, [Shirley shows her] battle scars, worn with pride, there to show that she survived". Bev Lyons of Daily Record
wrote that the song was "simplicity itself, dark and introspective" and was the stand-out track from the album, favourably comparing the track to Lou Reed
's "Walk on the Wild Side", as did Guitar magazine's Jenny Knight. Isabel Mohan of Heat
complimented Shirley's "seductive" voice as "better than ever" (however two years later the same publications Laila Hassan described "Bleed Like Me" as "a little tiresome and dreary" in a review of Absolute Garbage).
A Credited as "Bleed Like Me (E. Kupper remixes)"
Additional musicians
(On "Bleed Like Me", Butch Vig is also credited with bass guitar
)
Publishing
Other personnel
Other credits
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...
. It was released as an airplay-only single from their fourth album, Bleed Like Me
Bleed Like Me
Bleed Like Me is the fourth studio album recorded and produced by alternative rock group Garbage. It was released in April 2005 by Warner Bros...
, in May 2005. Following on from the Hot 100 success of lead single "Why Do You Love Me
Why Do You Love Me
"Why Do You Love Me" is a 2005 song written, performed and produced by alternative rock band Garbage and was released worldwide as the lead single to promote their fourth studio album Bleed Like Me...
", "Bleed Like Me" was released by Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
imprint 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....
as the second North American
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
single from the album.
As an [airplay-only track, "Bleed Like Me" reached 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...
top thirty; four months later, remixes by DJ Eric Kupper
Eric Kupper
Eric Kupper is an American keyboardist, arranger, songwriter, remix artist, DJ and record producer of French descent. Playing in bands in his formative years, he got his real start in the mid-1980s working as a keyboardist, guitarist, and songwriter for such producer/remixers as David Morales,...
received enough nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
spins to peak in the top ten of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
In 2007, "Bleed Like Me" 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...
.
Song
"Bleed Like Me" was written in 2004 at Smart StudiosSmart 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....
in 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....
, 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...
. Inspired by the movie Thirteen
Thirteen (film)
Thirteen is a 2003 American drama film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and written by Hardwicke and Nikki Reed, the film's co-star. The film also stars Evan Rachel Wood and Holly Hunter. It is a semi-autobiographical film inspired by Reed's life at age 12 and 13 with Wood's character "Tracy" being...
, 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...
overcame writer's block
Writer's block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked"...
and wrote the lyrics to the track; one of the first songs the band wrote after reforming from a temporary three-month split in October 2003. 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....
: "Musically it's very simple, it's basically this little hypnotic riff on the acoustic guitar and it builds a little bit, but the song never gets too big musically. It stays pretty simple. Really it's all about her vocals. She said 'I want to sound like a girls choir' and we're like 'Cool, let's just do it now'. She went in singing 'You should see my scars' and it just floored me. Still when I hear that the hairs on the back of my neck go up. It's really an amazing moment on the record."
Name-checking a number of her childhood friends; as well as J.T. LeRoy in the lyrics, Shirley recalled, "It's about a search for empathy
Empathy
Empathy is the capacity to recognize and, to some extent, share feelings that are being experienced by another sapient or semi-sapient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion. The English word was coined in 1909 by E.B...
. We can forget so easily that people are the same regardless of their sexuality
Sexual identity
Sexual identity is a term that, like sex, has two distinctively different meanings. One describes an identity roughly based on sexual orientation, the other an identity based on sexual characteristics, which is not socially based but based on biology, a concept related to, but different from,...
, religion
Creed
A creed is a statement of belief—usually a statement of faith that describes the beliefs shared by a religious community—and is often recited as part of a religious service. When the statement of faith is longer and polemical, as well as didactic, it is not called a creed but a Confession of faith...
, colour, or moral values. Manson followed this up, "Regardless of the differences between people – their colour, creed, sexuality or how they behave and express themselves – essentially we are exactly the same. It's about how when you are dealing with other people you have to remember that they are all carrying with them their own baggage." Manson also added: "We're very proud of that song. It came together really great." The "Bleed Like Me" lyrics referenced Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" , "Never Can Say Goodbye" , "Let Me Know " and "I Am What I Am" .-Early career:Gaynor was a singer with the Soul...
's empowerment
Empowerment
Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, racial, educational, gender or economic strength of individuals and communities...
anthem "I Will Survive
I Will Survive
"I Will Survive" is a song first performed by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978. It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris...
"
On May 25, Garbage confirmed a list of fourteen songs being worked on for the record, including "Sex Is Not the Enemy", and on December 14 confirmed that the song would be included on the finished album Bleed Like Me.
On March 28, 2005, Garbage performed the track on Canal+
Canal+
Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
Album de la semaine before debuting the song live on stage at the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Olympia
Paris Olympia
The Olympia is a music hall in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Located at No. 28, Boulevard des Capucines, its closest métro/RER stations are Madeleine, Opéra, Havre – Caumartin and Auber....
the following day. On March 28, Garbage performed the single "Why Do You Love Me" on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, Napster Live
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
and CD:UK
CD:UK
CD:UK was a British music television programme. Originally run in conjunction with SMTV Live, the programme was first aired on ITV on 29 August 1998 to rival the BBC's Live & Kicking and was the replacement for The Chart Show, which had been airing on the network for nine and a half years.In...
, they also performed "Bleed Like Me".
Single release
On April 10 Garbage drummerDrummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Butch Vig confirmed to fans 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...
that "Bleed Like Me" would be the second U.S. single taken from Bleed Like Me; and on May 9, "Bleed Like Me" was released to Modern Rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
and Triple-A
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
radio stations and debuted on the Modern Rock Tracks at #39 the following week.
On May 8, the promo video for "Bleed Like Me" was added by Fuse
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
, and the following week by MTVU
MtvU
mtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...
and VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
. On May 12, Garbage perform "Bleed Like Me" on the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
. and complete their North American club tour on May 14 in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
.
Garbage returned to North America to tour the "Bleed Like Me" single. On July 28 the band perform "Bleed Like Me" on The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
. Remixes of "Bleed Like Me" by Eric Kupper
Eric Kupper
Eric Kupper is an American keyboardist, arranger, songwriter, remix artist, DJ and record producer of French descent. Playing in bands in his formative years, he got his real start in the mid-1980s working as a keyboardist, guitarist, and songwriter for such producer/remixers as David Morales,...
debuts on the 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...
Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and on September 18 reaches the top 10, peaking at number 6.
"Bleed Like Me" ended up being the final single release from Bleed Like Me in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
when Garbage disbanded on a self-imposed hiatus following the completion of their Australian tour, despite rumours of a North American release for both "Sex Is Not the Enemy" and "It's All Over But the Crying". On May 22, 2007 it was officially confirmed that "Bleed Like Me" was to be included on the band'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...
.
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 "Bleed Like Me" was filmed on April 11 in the disused Linda Vista Hospital
Linda Vista Hospital
Linda Vista Community Hospital, originally called the Santa Fe Railroad Hospital and Santa Fe Coast Lines Hospital, is a former hospital that is located at 610-30 St. Louis Street in Los Angeles, California, United States, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. The hospital was constructed for railroad...
in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and directed by Sophie Muller
Sophie Muller
Sophie Muller is a British music video director, noted for her long-time collaborations with artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, No Doubt, Sade, Shakira, Shakespears Sister, Garbage, Blur, Annie Lennox and Eurythmics.-Background:...
. During the filming, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
interviewed the band and broadcast behind-the-scenes footage of the video.
The video begins with Manson, as a nurse, reading medical records onto a dictation machine
Dictation machine
A dictation machine is a sound recording device most commonly used to record speech for later playback or to be typed into print. It includes digital voice recorders and tape recorders....
. She is then accompanied by Erikson, Marker, and Vig, as doctors
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, as they view patients on their rounds
Patrol
A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as police officers or soldiers, that are assigned to monitor a specific geographic area.- Military :...
. Manson is then seen preparing a ward
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
for use - opening curtains, preparing beds and medicine. Manson breaks into a file storage, where she reads her own medical file (placed in front of director Sophie Muller's file), and later speaks to her therapist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, but she is startled by a raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
. In the hospital's educational room, Manson stands at a lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
, which she pushes away to perform under disco lights. The video ends with Erikson, Marker and Vig watching Manson through a two-way mirror
Two-way mirror
A one-way mirror, also known as a two-way mirror, one-way glass, or two-way glass is a mirror which is partially reflective and partially transparent...
: she is their patient. Manson finishes her dictation and ejects the cassette from the machine.
Using Nurse Ratched
Nurse Ratched
Nurse Mildred Ratched is the primary antagonist from Ken Kesey's 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, as well as the 1975 film. A cold, sociopathic tyrant, Nurse Ratched has become the stereotype of the nurse as a Battleaxe...
from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 American drama film directed by Miloš Forman and based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey....
as a starting point, Manson's character was created from a mix of 1950s 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...
an nurse in costume
Costume
The term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
, and evoking Helmut Newton
Helmut Newton
Helmut Newton, born Helmut Neustädter was a German-Australian photographer. He was a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of Vogue and other publications."-Early life:Newton was born in Berlin, the son of Klara...
's "strong yet vulnerable" photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
subjects in her make-up. Manson herself wanted the video "to have a Hitchcockian
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
feel" referencing his films Marnie
Marnie (film)
Marnie is a 1964 psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on the novel of the same name by Winston Graham. The film stars Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery. The original film score was composed by Bernard Herrmann.-Plot:...
, The Birds
The Birds (film)
The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
, and Psycho
Psycho (1960 film)
Psycho is a 1960 American suspense/psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch...
, choosing graphic colours to enable to the video to "be as powerful as the song. I thought it was a brilliant concept".
In 2006, the video was a "Director of the Year" nominee at the 15th Annual MVPA Awards. The video for "Bleed Like Me" was included on Garbage's 2007 greatest hits DVD Absolute Garbage.
Alternate versions
| Track title | Length | Remixer/producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Bleed Like Me (Clean album version)" | 3:59 | 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... |
Released to Modern Rock Modern rock Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre... and Triple A radio. |
| "Bleed Like Me (Radio edit)" | 3:32 | ||
| "Bleed Like Me (Kupper's Klub Extravaganza)" | 8:54 | Eric Kupper Eric Kupper Eric Kupper is an American keyboardist, arranger, songwriter, remix artist, DJ and record producer of French descent. Playing in bands in his formative years, he got his real start in the mid-1980s working as a keyboardist, guitarist, and songwriter for such producer/remixers as David Morales,... |
Released to DJs on 12" vinyl and CD |
| "Bleed Like Me (Kupper's Klub Extravaganza Radio Edit)" | 4:04 | ||
| "Bleed Like Me (Kupper's Klub Extravagenze Dubstrumental)" | 8:03 | ||
| "Bleed Like Me (Hydrate Vocal mix)" | 10:10 | Ralphi Rosario Ralphi Rosario Ralphi Rosario was a founding member of the influential Chicago DJ group, The Hot Mix 5. When this group formed in 1981 on radio station WBMX, Rosario, the youngest member of the group, was still in high school... |
Rejected remix |
Ralphi Rosario's completed remix for "Bleed Like Me" was rejected for commercial release by Geffen; by August 28, 2005, the remix had leaked onto the internet.
Critical reception
"Bleed Like Me" received a largely positive reception from critics, contrasted to the mixed reactions of the Bleed Like Me album. Johnny Sharp of 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...
felt that "Bleed Like Me" "almost seems to be mocking [Manson's] own tendency towards self-obsession"; while their Emma Johnston, in a review for the album wrote that "Bleed Like Me" was the "most striking" song of the set, adding that it was "the most poignant, empathic reflection of self-abuse since Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
' "4st 7lb
The Holy Bible (album)
The Holy Bible is the third studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 29 August 1994 by Epic Records and was the last of the band's albums released before the disappearance of lyricist and guitarist Richey Edwards , on 1 February 1995.Edwards was...
" - over a gorgeous cello strewn background, [Shirley shows her] battle scars, worn with pride, there to show that she survived". Bev Lyons of Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
wrote that the song was "simplicity itself, dark and introspective" and was the stand-out track from the album, favourably comparing the track to Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
's "Walk on the Wild Side", as did Guitar magazine's Jenny Knight. Isabel Mohan of Heat
Heat (magazine)
Heat is a British entertainment magazine published by German company Bauer Media Group. it is one of the biggest selling magazines in the UK, with a regular circulation over half a million. Its mix of celebrity news, gossip and fashion is primarily aimed at women, although not as directly as in...
complimented Shirley's "seductive" voice as "better than ever" (however two years later the same publications Laila Hassan described "Bleed Like Me" as "a little tiresome and dreary" in a review of Absolute Garbage).
Comprehensive charts
| Chart (2005) | Peak |
|---|---|
| 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... ) |
27 |
| U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play (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... ) |
6 |
A Credited as "Bleed Like Me (E. Kupper remixes)"
Credits & Personnel
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 StudiosSmart StudiosSmart 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....
in MadisonMadison, WisconsinMadison 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....
, WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin 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... - 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...
: Billy Bush - MixedAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
by Butch Vig at Smart Studios - 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...
: Emily Lazar (The Lodge, NYC) - Mastering assistant: Sarah Register (The Lodge)
Additional musicians
- Matt WalkerMatt Walker (drummer)Matt Walker is a musician and former drummer for Filter, The Smashing Pumpkins and current drummer for Morrissey.Matt Walker began his career in Chicago in the mid 80s, when Matt began playing drums for the already well known Scott Bennett of Scott Bennett & The Obvious and did double duty playing...
- 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 ....
(On "Bleed Like Me", Butch Vig is also credited with bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
)
Publishing
- Written by Garbage 2005 Deadarm Music / Almo Music Corp. (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...
) and 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...
). Administered by Rondor Music.
Other personnel
- Art directionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
: Big ActiveBig ActiveBig Active is a London based design studio.The company was founded in 1990 by Gerard Saint, Paul Heatherington and Mark Watkins. Only Saint now remains but the company went through a major transition in the mid 90's with the addition of Greg Burne, who now heads the illustration roster and Mat... - Design & montageCollageA collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
: Mat MaitlandMat MaitlandMat Maitland is an English art director and visual artist who lives in London.-Career:Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, he studied design in his home town and then at Croydon College. He started his career at WEA in the early 1990s as a designer...
at Big Active
Other credits
- Shirley Manson appears courtesy of Radioactive RecordsRadioactive RecordsRadioactive Records was an American record label. It was formed as a joint venture between talent manager Gary Kurfirst and MCA Records, and it is now out of business....
.