Video hit Garbage

Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains

Only Happy When It Rains is a song written and produced by alternative rock group Garbage for the band's self-titled debut studio album.

The song was recorded at the band's own recording studio, Smart Studios, in Madison, Wisconsin, being mixed twice before its release. The bleak content of the lyrics was intended as a parody of the angst filled themes present in mid-1990s alternative rock, as well as a sarcastic reference to Garbage's own preference for darker themes.

"Only Happy When it Rains" was released as the third single from the campaign for Garbage in both the United Kingdom (in September 1995) and North America (in February 1996), being issued in three formats vinyl, CD maxi, and cassette.

The song received positive reviews, praising the production and Shirley Manson's singing, and became the band's breakthrough single, charting strongly on both the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100. It also crossover to pop radio formats, propelling their debut album into the Top 100 of the Billboard 200 for the first time, and the song's music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, received much airplay on MTV.

"Only Happy When it Rains" has gone onto to be an enduring work for the group, being featured in the video game Guitar Hero 5 and receiving covers by Richard Cheese, Katerina Graham and Metallica.

Music video

The promotional video for "Only Happy When It Rains" was filmed in mid-January 1996 in Los Angeles by director Samuel Bayer, simultaneously with the video for single "Stupid Girl".

As Almo Sounds thought "Only Happy When It Rains" would be more successful, its video was given a higher budget than "Stupid Girl".

The video debuted in the United States on February 12, 1996, being certified one day later by MTV as a "Buzz clip", which would guarantee heavy rotation on their network.

The video begins a short prologue sequence with several children dressed in animal costumes playing in an overcast field, before cutting to Garbage upon the commencement of the song. Garbage are located in a litter-strewn warehouse, where the male members of the band destroy vinyl records, videotape and musical instruments as Manson performs to the camera. Some sequences feature Manson performing the song while on her own in dilapidated toilet stalls. The video ends with inter-cut footage of Manson joining the children on the field.

The "Only Happy When It Rains" video was first commercially released - along with out-take footage shot while filming - on VHS and Video-CD on 1996's Garbage Video.

A remastered version of the video was later included on Garbage's 2007 greatest hits DVD Absolute Garbage and made available as a digital download via online music services the same year.

The lyrics:

I'm only happy when it rains

I'm only happy when it's complicated

And though I know you can't appreciate it

I'm only happy when it rains

You know I love it when the news is bad

And why it feels so good to feel so sad

I'm only happy when it rains

Pour your misery down, pour your misery down on me

Pour your misery down, pour your misery down on me

I'm only happy when it rains

I feel good when things are going wrong

I only listen to the sad, sad songs

I'm only happy when it rains

I only smile in the dark

My only comfort is the night gone black

I didn't accidentally tell you that

I'm only happy when it rains

You'll get the message by the time I'm through

When I complain about me and you

I'm only happy when it rains

Pour your misery down (Pour your misery down)

Pour your misery down on me (Pour your misery down)

Pour your misery down (Pour your misery down)

Pour your misery down on me (Pour your misery down)

Pour your misery down (Pour your misery down)

Pour your misery down on me (Pour your misery down)

Pour your misery down

You can keep me company

As long as you don't care

I'm only happy when it rains

You wanna hear about my new obsession?

I'm riding high upon a deep depression

I'm only happy when it rains (Pour some misery down on me)

I'm only happy when it rains (Pour some misery down on me)

I'm only happy when it rains (Pour some misery down on me)

I'm only happy when it rains (Pour some misery down on me)

I'm only happy when it rains (Pour some misery down on me)