SPECIAL (GARBAGE SONG)

"'Special'" was the third single taken from Garbage's 1998 platinum second album ''Version 2.0''. "Special" was written and recorded by Garbage (Duke Erikson, Shirley Manson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig) at their own recording studio during the 1997 sessions for ''Version 2.0''.
Although not the biggest hit from ''Version 2.0'' worldwide, it became a huge mainstream hit in the United States, the band's home country. The song's success was marked by its two Grammy nominations - for 2000's Best Rock Song and for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.
The song was accompanied by a critically acclaimed and boundary-pushing promotional video which featured Garbage battling it out in the skies above an unnamed alien world.

Contents

Song profile

Single release

Tracklistings

Commercial releases

Promotional releases

Official mixes

Credits and personnel

Music video

Music Video: Credits and personnel

Live performances

Appearances

Compilations

Sheet music

Trivia

Comprehensive charts

Notes and references

External links

Song profile

"Special" was written and recorded at Smart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin during the 1997 sessions for ''Version 2.0''
"Special" contains an uncredited lyric sample from 1980s band The Pretenders' song “Talk Of The Town” which was written by lead singer Chrissie Hynde. After contacting her, Hynde sent a fax to the group stating that Garbage could "sample her voice, her music or, indeed, her very arse".
An early mix of "Special" also contained a sample of band member Duke Erikson on vocals. Shirley Manson thought it was a good idea beforehand, but admits that the results "were shocking to hear"!

Single release

"Special" was released as the third single from ''Version 2.0'' throughout the United Kingdom and mainland Europe on October 5, 1998. The single had originally been planned to be released on September 21, 1998, following Garbage's high profile headlining shows at Glasgow's Barrowland Ballroom and at the Reading Festival at the end of August 1998. Due to the delay in the release of the single, the band were not in Europe to promote it as they had begun their North American tour. This was reflected by the single's chart positions, lower than achieved by predeccessing singles "Push It" and "I Think I'm Paranoid".
In the UK, it was issued by Mushroom Records on cassette, and 2x CD set. Across the formats contained new recording "13x Forever", an acoustic version of album track "Medication" as well as a house remix of "Special" by production duo Brothers in Rhythm and a new dance remix of "Push It" by DJ Victor Calderone. "Special" charted at #15, breaking a run of four consecutive singles to make the UK Top Ten.
A week later, on October 13, 1998, Mushroom issued "Special" in a collectable 3-inch CD single in blister pack packaging. This release, which contained all of the single’s tracks on the single format, was issued a week after the initial formats were issued due to UK chart rules which would have forbidden copies of the 3" CD single to count towards a chart placing. This release was available in shops for one week before deletion.
In Europe, BMG issued a maxi CD and single CD format editions of the song. The slim-line maxi CD contained both UK B-sides as well as the "Special" remix, whilst the card-sleeved single CD was backed with only "13x Forever". On October 26, 1998, Garbage's Australian label Festival Mushroom Records issued the single on a singular CD maxi containing all of the UK B-sides.
"Special" was added to US radio in the autumn of 1998, in support of the band's headline tour around the United States, Canada and Mexico. In February 1999 a pop radio remix of the song was sent to radio stations and became a huge radio hit, becoming the #1 Most Added Track, and a chart run lasting well into May of that year.

Tracklistings

Commercial releases ★ UK cassette Mushroom MUSH39MCS ★ EU CD single BMG 74321 60488 2 #"Special" - 3:44 #"13x Forever" - 3:55 ★ UK CD1 Mushroom MUSH39CDS #"Special" - 3:44 #"13x Forever" - 3:55 #"Special - Brothers in Rhythm mix" - 7:24 ★ UK CD2 Mushroom MUSH39CDSX #"Special" - 3:44 #"Medication - Acoustic Version" - 4:13 #"Push It - Victor Calderone mix" - 7:18 ★ UK 3" CD Mushroom MUSH39CDSXXX ★ EU CD maxi BMG 74321 60487 2 #"Special" - 3:44 #"13x Forever" - 3:55 #"Medication - Acoustic Version" - 4:13 #"Special - Brothers in Rhythm mix" - 7:24 ★ OZ CD maxi Festival MUSH01827.2 #"Special" - 3:44 #"13x Forever" - 3:55 #"Medication - Acoustic Version" - 4:13 #"Special - Brothers in Rhythm mix" - 7:24 #"Push It - Victor Calderone mix" - 7:18

Promotional releases ★ UK promo CD Mushroom TRASH25 ★ US promo CD Almo Sounds AMS5P-8062 #"Special" - 3:44 ★ UK 7\" Jukebox Promo Mushroom MUSH39SX #"Special" - 3:44 #"13x Forever" - 3:55 ★ UK 12\" promo Mushroom TRASH26 #"Special - Brothers in Rhythm mix" - 9:58 #"Special - Brothers in Rhythm Instrumental" - 10:00 #"Special - Brothers in Rhythm Radio edit" - 4:11 ★ US promo CD Almo Sounds AMS5P-8070 #"Special" - 3:44 #"Special - Rickidy Raw R+B mix" - 5:25 #"Special - Rickidy Raw Late Night mix" - 5:58 ★ US promo CD Almo Sounds AMS5P-8070 #"Special - Pop mix" - 3:35 #"Special" - 3:44 #"Special - Rickidy Raw R+B mix" - 5:25 #"Special - Rickidy Raw Late Night mix" - 5:58

Official mixes

#Album version 3:44
#Pop mix 3:35
#Brothers In Rhythm radio edit 4:11
#Brothers In Rhythm mix 7:24
#Brothers In Rhythm mix 9:58
#Brothers In Rhythm instrumental 10:00
#Rickidy Raw R&B mix 5:25
#Rickidy Raw Late Night mix 5:58

Credits and personnel

'Album Version' ★ Music: Garbage ★ Lyrics: Garbage ★ Produced: Garbage ★ Performed & mixed: Garbage ★ Engineered: Billy Bush ★ Vocals : Shirley Manson ★ Guitars : Duke Erikson & Steve Marker ★ Drums : Butch Vig ★ Additional Bass: Daniel Shulman ★ Recorded at Smart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin.

'Pop mix' ★ Remixed: Garbage ★ Remixed at Smart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin 'Brothers In Rhythm remixes' ★ Remixed: Brothers In Rhythm (Steve Anderson and Dave Seaman) for DMC Management ★ Engineered and Mixed: Alan Bremner at DMC Studio 4 'Rickidy Raw remixes' ★ Remix and additional production: Rickidy Raw Productions (Robert Jazayeri and Sean Mather) for MCT Management

Music video

The promotional video for "Special" was shot in London on August 26, 1998 by director Dawn Shadforth for Black Dog Films. The video featured the band combatting against each other in a sci-fi dogfight duelling it out in the skies of an alien world. The fighter planes from the video were designed by graphic artists who had worked on visual effects for 1998's ''Lost In Space'' and 1999's ''.
Director Dawn Shadforth came to Garbage's attention when they viewed her clip for All Seeing I's single "Walk Like A Panther". Her innovative storyboard treatment for the video highly impressed the band. Freelance stylist William Baker, who worked on the video, said "Dawn wanted to present Shirley Manson as a space-age fighter pilot, with shots showing her sexily manipulating the controls of her craft" ^[1]
The opening title for the video is:
''"In the year 3030, Queen Astarte has taken to the skies to defend her once peaceful homeland from the evil lords of Garbania who seek to rule the universe. She has but one last chance to thwart their wicked plan........"''
In 1999, the video won a 'silver' D&AD award for Best Direction in Pop Promo Video.
The video for "Special" was nominated for 'Best Special Effects' and 'Best Art Direction' at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 9, 1999. The group won the former award but lost out on the latter.
The "Special" video won the 'Visionary Video' award at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards in December 1999.
In 2000 "Special" was nominated in the Music Week CAD (Creative and Design) Awards for Best Special Effects In A Video (to effects team Paul Simpson, Stuart Gordon, and Sean Broughton).

Music Video: Credits and personnel

★ Production company: Black Dog Films ★ Director: Dawn Shadforth ★ Producer: Anna Brunnord ★ Director of Photography: John Mathieson ★ Videography: Sean Broughton ★ Senior VFX Artist: Claire Pollock (at Rushes) ★ Visual effects team: Paul Simpson & Stuart Gordon (at Realise) ★ Stylist: William Baker

★ Running time: 3:32 ★ Release date: September 1998 ★ Copyright holder: Mushroom Records UK Ltd. ★ ISRC: GB-725-98-0005-0 [2]

Live performances

"Special" was first performed live on May 15, 1998 at the band's performance at Ryan's Ballroom in Combined Locks, Wisconsin ^[3] the opening date of the ''Version 2.0'' tour. "Special" has been performed consistently ever since, including on both ''beautifulgarbage'' and ''Bleed Like Me'' live sets.
"Special" was performed live on televised performances by Garbage for its UK release in September 1998: only one, Channel 4's ''TFI Friday'', was broadcast live, the other performances were pre-records and broadcast later. These performances include BBC's ''Top Of The Pops'' and Five's ''Pepsi Chart Show''.
On October 29, 1998 "Special" was performed live on the CBS programme ''Late Show with David Letterman''. On December 12, 1998, Garbage performed "Special" on NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno''. On January 28, 1999, Garbage performed "Special" acoustically on French television show ''Nulle Part Ailleurs'', broadcast on the Canal+ network. On March 20, 1999, Garbage performed "Special" on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live''. On April 2, 1999, Garbage was invited back to ''The Tonight Show'' to perform "Special."
During live performances Shirley often ad-libbed lyrics from another Pretenders song, this time from their 1979 single 'Kid'. The ad-libs was usually the line "Kid, what changed your mood? You've gone all sad so I feel sad too, I think I know what you're about, you can't deny it."

Appearances

Compilations

"Special" has been included in various artist compilations including:

★ ''Now That's What I Call Music! 3'' (US release)UMTV (1999)

★ ''Max 5'' Sony Music Asia (1999)
"Special - Brothers In Rhythm remix" has been included on:

★ ''The Mix: Afterhours'' Max Music & Entertainment Inc. 888 722 200-2 (1999)

Sheet music

Various songbooks have been published transcribing the music from "Special" since its release. These include -

★ ''"Garbage: Version 2.0"'' Warner Bros Publications ISBN ??

Trivia

★ "Special" is published by Deadarm Music/Almo Music Corp ^[4] (ASCAP) and Vibecrusher Music/Irving Music, Inc ^[5] (BMI). The song's full legal title is "Special".

★ In May 1999, "Special" won a Wisconsin Area Music Industry Award for "Song of the Year". ^[6]

★ "Special" won a BMI award for 'Best Pop Song' in 2000.

★ The song "Electricityscape" by American group The Strokes has an opening the same or very similar to "Special".
'"Special" end-of-year poll results:'
1998 Polls

★ 42 in WHFS's "Top 99.1 Songs of 1998"

★ 51 in WFNX's "Top 101.7 of 1998"

★ 64 in KROQ's "Top 106.7 of 1998"

★ 65 in Live 105's "Top 105.3 of 1998"

★ 89 in Triple J's "Hottest 100 of 1998"

★ 102 in Radio & Records "Top 103 of 1998"
1999 Polls

★ 11 in KROQ's "Top 106.7 of 1999"

★ 16 in 89X's "Top 89 Songs of 1999"

★ 36 in Radio & Records "Top 103 of 1998"

★ 37 in Live 105's "Top 105.3 of 1999"

★ 51 in WHFS's "Top 99.1 Songs of 1999"

★ 54 in Q101's "Top 101 of 1999"

★ 57 in WFNX's "Top 99 of 1999"

★ 66 in The End's "Top 107 of 1999"

Comprehensive charts

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1998	"Special"	UK Singles Chart	#15
1998	"Special"	Australian Singles Chart	#54
1999	"Special"	US Billboard Hot 100	#52
1999	"Special"	US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay	#42
1999	"Special"	US Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#10
1999	"Special"	US Modern Rock Tracks	#11
1999	"Special"	US Adult Top 40	#16
1999	"Special"	US Top 40 Mainstream	#18
1999	"Special"	US Top 40 Tracks	#22
1999	"Special"	US ARC Weekly Top 40	#8

Notes and references

1. ''"Kylie: La La La" written by Kylie Minogue and William Baker Hodder & Staughton ISBN 0-340-73439-6'' (accessed Sept 28th, 2006)
2. Performance Ltd search ''musicmall.co.uk'' (accessed Oct 9th, 2006)
3. Garbage 1998 setlists ''Garbagebase.com'' (accessed September 28, 2006)
4. ASCAP Title search ''Special'' (accessed Sept 28th, 2006)
5. BMI Repertoire ''Special'' (accessed September 28, 2006)
6. Garbage ''RockontheNet.com'' (accessed September 28, 2006)

External links

★ Garbage official website

★ Promo video - watch "Special" promo video at the band's official web-site.

★ 1&id=17/ Songwords - read lyrics to "Special" at the band's official web-site.