If you’re in a club when Garbage’s “#1 Crush” comes on and you are not compelled to dance —or make out with someone— check your pulse. It’s not only one of the sexiest songs of all time sonically, it captures the power of desire lyrically in a way that will “never be ignored.” The hypnotic 1996 classic seems tailor-made for a dark rock or goth club, and it still kills in concert to this day. We just saw the band play it live during the final show of their Happy Ending Tour at the Palladium in November of last year and it was as seductive as ever.
But back in 1996, the song had yet to be performed in front of an audience. That is, until 30 years ago, on July 10, 1996 when the band chose to close its two-night stint opening for The Smashing Pumpkins’ 'Infinite Sadness Tour' at USAir Arena in Landover, Maryland, with the song.
SP were at the height of their powers at the time and Garbage were up and coming, but getting lots of buzz as drummer Butch Vig was still smoldering from his success as the producer of iconic albums such as Nirvana’s Nevermind and the Pumpkins' first two gems, Gish (1991) and Siamese Dream (1993). When Vig joined his Smart Studio cohorts Duke Erikson and Steve Marker to form his own band with Scottish singer Shirley Manson (self-deprecatingly called Garbage), the project more than lived up to the hype.
The Landover show, and really the entire tour, is still remembered by fans as epic and magical. The ‘90s are of course, having a cultural resurgence at the moment, especially on social media, where Gen-Xers and Millennials alike have been sharing pics and music from the decade as a viral trend. And with the Pumpkins’ celebration of Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, dubbed the “Rats in a Cage” tour, kicking off this Fall, the best songs from both bands are proving timeless, snagging fans who weren't even alive when they were first written and performed.
Arguably one of the most evocative songs from this period, “#1 Crush” surprisingly, didn’t make the cut for placement on Garbage’s self-titled debut the year before. The band’s record label thought that it might end of up being problematic, like some kind of “suicide note” for a lovelorn loon. It was written about a stalker, after all. Still, singer Shirley Manson has also said it’s also about the ability for anyone to become consumed with unhealthy obsession for someone or something.
The song ended up as a B-side, meaningfully, on the other side of “Vow,” a cut inspired by vengeance and abuse in a relationship. Then in early ‘96, Garbage's manager pitched the song to 20th Century Fox for inclusion on Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet film. The band had just broke big on MTV and radio, with two hits: "Only Happy When It Rains" and "Stupid Girl” (both performed at the Landover show), and “#1 Crush” served to solidify their hitmaker status. It also perfectly evoked Luhrmann’s vibrant re-telling of Shakepeare’s tragic star-crossed love story, wherein the lead characters —played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes— really do die for each other, just like the song says.
Garbage have a handful of summer dates, and will be playing the inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival on August 29. See more dates and details via the band's official site.
