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. imprint A&E Records internationally and by UMG label Geffen's Almo Sounds imprint, following critical appraisal and positive chart positions for its lead-off single "Why Do You Love Me", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 and debuted in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. Bleed Like Me bowed on the Billboard 200 at a career-high #4, the band's first top ten album ever in the United States. Bleed Like Me had a strong opening week globally, debuting in the top five in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, and the States.

Following the mixed response to its predecessor, 2001's Beautiful Garbage, passive aggression between band members Duke Erikson, Shirley Manson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig, and a general lack of direction for the record, Garbage struggled to create the album and in October 2003 the band quietly split for four months. After sessions with John King in Los Angeles studio and a guest appearance from ex-Nirvana drummer and current Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on "Bad Boyfriend", the band reformed with renewed focus and completed the record by the end of 2004.

Bleed Like Me also includes contributions from drummer Matt Walker (Filter, The Smashing Pumpkins) and bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Ima Robot, Beck, Nine Inch Nails). Also contributing to songs written during sessions for the album but not used were John 5, formerly of Marilyn Manson, and Matt Chamberlain.

Background [link]

Garbage's third album, Beautiful Garbage, had been promoted by a fourteen-month world tour, wrapping in late 2002 with a run of North American shows with No Doubt and The Distillers.^[1] Upon completion of the tour, the group took some time out; Manson returned to her native Scotland, while Vig completed production work on albums by AFI and Jessy Moss. The band regrouped to perform "Pride (In the Name of Love)" at a MusiCares tribute to U2 frontman Bono, and almost immediately after returned to their Madison, Wisconsin recording studio to begin writing their follow-up record. Garbage had already completed some groundworks sessions over two weeks of the previous August.^[2]

Recording and production [link]

Initial recording and band breakdown [link]

The first day of studio time in March 2003 saw Garbage compose a new track, "Right Between the Eyes" in thirty minutes.^[3] Other tracks written during the early sessions were "Hangin' With The Bitches" ^[1] and "Never Be Free" (with John5).^[4] Recording for the album was halted during the summer when Manson underwent surgery to remove a cyst on her right vocal cord. Manson had to recuperate until August.^[5] On September 10 a backhoe careened into the outer walls of Smart Studios, where both Garbage and Paris, Texas had been working on their albums, causing extensive damage.^[6] Due to rising tension within the band and a breakdown in communication, by the end of October the band suffered "a complete and utter band meltdown".^[7] Vig quit the sessions and returned to Los Angeles.^[8] Over the Christmas period Vig encountered excited Garbage fans eager to hear how the album was going. Not having the heart to tell them Garbage had effectively split, he name-dropped titles to them. After this encounter he realised there was still something left in the band.^[8] Vig also ran into Foo Fighters frontman and ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, and asked him casually if he would mind drumming on a Garbage track. Grohl accepted as he considered that "if there's anyone in the world I owe a favour to it's that dude".^[9] Said track was "Bad Boyfriend", to which Vig had been frustrated with the drum track. When Grohl came, "he played it faster, and when it came to the break he was like 'Shall I go for it?', then he started playing these Keith Moon fills."^[10]

Regrouping [link]

At the beginning of 2004, the band decided to make an attempt to salvage the record, taking a suggestion from their management to work with an outside record producer for the first time. The band also decided that neutral territory would be beneficial, and thus, relocated to Los Angeles. The band hired Dust Brother John King to work on four tracks, including "Bad Boyfriend",^[3] "Space Can Come Through Anyone" ^[11] and "It's All Over But The Crying". The band also recruited drummer Matt Chamberlain and bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen to perform on the songs.^[12] Near the end of the sessions, Grohl spent a day performing drums on "Bad Boyfriend".^[13] His performance was regarded by the band as "raising the bar" for the record.^[8] During the time in Los Angeles, Manson took the opportunity to record a duet cover version of The Human League's "Don't You Want Me"^[14] with Marilyn Manson.^[15]

Despite only "Bad Boyfriend" being anywhere near completed from the sessions with John King, the experience had the effect of giving the band perspective and direction.^[3] Vig said that after the tensions that lead the bandmembers to be "burned out on each other", being reunited "we felt a desperation, so we played fast and furious - as if our lives depended on it".^[16] Overcoming her writer's block, Manson began to inject more political slants into her lyrics, matching them with some new material the band wrote immediately after the King sessions: "Metal Heart" and "Boys Wanna Fight", both songs referencing the US and UK led 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Despite a plan to record some material with producer Tony Hoffer,^[17] the band decided to complete the rest of the album themselves. "[Working with an outside producer] made us realize that we do what we do in our own bizarre little way, and nobody else can really help us do that," Erikson later recalled, "It was kind of seductive to think that maybe someone else was gonna come in and solve all of our problems, but in the end you gotta do it yourself".^[18] Feeling that previous album beautifulgarbage was very fractured, the band decided what they wanted was for the record to have a 'live' sound (Vig: "We tried to go for the pumping energy that all the best raw rock records have"^[19]). They decided that their fourth album would be a stripped back affair, closer to their live sound. The band returned to Wisconsin to finish the album.

Justin Meldal-Johnsen spent time in Madison performing bass on the tracks he had not already worked on.^[20] Drummer Matt Walker was asked to drum on a number of tracks on the album so that Vig could sit "behind the glass" while producing the album. On October 18, the band began to start mixing the album track by track.^[21] Some songs were mixed a number of times; "Sex Is Not The Enemy" was re-recorded three times during the mixing process, "Right Between the Eyes" was recalled from mastering twice^[22] while the band wrote in live strings at the last minute on "Happy Home"^[8] By December 6, 2004, the record was officially completed.^[23] From there the band took the album to New York City^[23] to be mastered. Initial mastering was complete by December 15; the final master ready for January 6, 2005.^[24]

Album title [link]

By October 2003, the record's proposed working title for the project was Hands on a Hard Body, after the 1997 documentary of the same name.^[25] The working title remained well into the following year.^[24] In November 2004, Manson confirmed that the working title was not going to be used, and that she had chosen Bleed Like Me as the title instead.^[24]

Composition [link]

Bleed Like Me drifts away from the electronic-heavy music of predecessors Version 2.0 and beautifulgarbage in favor of a basic alternative rock sound. Vig even stated that while he tried to figure out a new sound for the record, "I simply went back to getting great sounds from guitars". The recordings also tried a more spontaneous approach, with Manson doing most of her singing in the first take and the drums being recorded in a way "that everything was not perfectly balanced - and not so electronic."^[16] Vig added that as the sound was "more like what we do live" he chose to play less drums and instead "be in the control room where I had more input into the vibe."^[10]

This section requires expansion.

Track listing [link]

All songs written and composed by Garbage, except where noted. 

Release [link]

On February 15, 2005, "Why Do You Love Me" was released to Alternative, Modern Rock and Triple-A radio in the States, and for that week to February 22 was #1 Most Added track at Modern Rock radio.^[26] On February 23, the song debuted on the Modern Rock Tracks chart at #39 and was the 'Greatest Gainer' with the largest increase in detections.^[27] In the United Kingdom, "Why Do You Love Me" premiered on February 18 on Jo Whiley's Radio One show. It was C-listed at Radio One and XFM. On March 8, "Why Do You Love Me" was made available as a digital download in US and Canada.^[28] The following week "Why Do You Love Me" debuted at #97 and #81 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Pop 100 charts respectively, becoming the band's most successful single since 1999's "Special". "Why Do You Love Me" was released in the UK on April 4 on CD, DVD and limited edition 7". After reaching #4 in the mid-week chart,^[29] it debuted on April 10 at #7 after selling 10,089 copies—their highest charting single since 1996's "Stupid Girl"—and also breaking a run of six consecutive singles to fall short of the Top 10.^[30]

Bleed Like Me was released worldwide on April 11, selling 27,375 copies in its first week to debut at #4 on the UK album chart.^[31] The album was released in North America on April 12 and was sold just under 75,000 copies ^[32] to debut at #4 (on Billboard 200, Top Internet Albums ^[33] and Comprehensive Albums charts).^[34] Bleed Like Me also debuted in the Top Tens in Australia, Greece, France, Sweden, Japan, Hong Kong, Belgium and Canada.^[35] In its second week in the United States, Bleed Like Me dropped twenty places to #24, on sales of 32,000.^[36]

On September 11, FMR released a Bleed Like Me special edition with a bonus DVD for the Australian market.^[37] ARIA certified Bleed Like Me gold for shipping 35,000 units in its first three weeks.^[38]

Critical reception [link]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	57/100[39]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Alternative Press	04/01/05
Dotmusic	4/20/05
Entertainment Weekly	B+link
NME
Kerrang!	04/09/2005
Q	04/01/2005
Rolling Stone	04/21/05
Slant	link

Bleed Like Me had mixed to positive reviews upon release.^[39]

This section requires expansion.

Release history [link]

Charts and certifications [link]

Personnel [link]

References [link]

External links [link]

• Garbage official website
• Bleed Like Me release discography
• Bleed Like Me Electronic Press Kit at Geffen's website