Androgyny (song)

"Androgyny"
Single by Garbage
from the album Beautiful Garbage
B-side"Begging Bone"
ReleasedAugust 27, 2001
RecordedJanuary–May 2001
StudioSmart Studios (Madison, Wisconsin, United States)
Genre
Length3:09
Label
Songwriter(s)Garbage
Producer(s)Garbage
Garbage singles chronology
"The World Is Not Enough"
(1999) 		"Androgyny"
(2001) 		"Cherry Lips"
(2002)

"Androgyny" is a song released by American alternative rock group Garbage as the lead single from their third studio album, Beautiful Garbage. Released worldwide in 2001, "Androgyny" represented a shift in the group's style, overtly embracing current music elements into their repertoire. Drummer/producer Butch Vig explained: "To me, some of the most cutting edge music out there is in the Top 40. Some of the songs on Beautiful Garbage, like "Androgyny" and "Untouchable" are influenced by Timbaland and Dr. Dre."[1]

Promotion for "Androgyny" and its parent album were put on hold in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.[2] The mixed reaction from both critics and Garbage's fanbase to "Androgyny" also contributed to its underperformance in Garbage's home markets of the United Kingdom, where "Androgyny" stalled outside the top twenty, and in the United States, where it failed to register on any Billboard charts.[3] Across Europe, however, "Androgyny" gained significant traction at radio and video;[4] "Androgyny" was also a notable success in Australia, where it became their highest-charting single at the time.[5]

In 2016, Garbage performed "Androgyny" for the first time in fifteen years in Charlotte, North Carolina to highlight the controversial Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act that was being deliberated in the state at the time. The band are resolutely pro-trans rights.[6] Later that year, band leader Shirley Manson spoke of "Androgyny": "As it turns out, the song was way ahead of its time. The subject matter is now very pertinent. But back then, it was considered a little strange, I guess".[7]

  1. ^ Garbage; beautifulgarbage, Out Oct 2. New York. October 1, 2001.
  2. ^ Garbage; Jason Cohen (2017). This Is the Noise That Keeps Me Awake. Akashic Books. pp. 121–23. ISBN 978-1-61775-550-7.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference UKChartArchive was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Euro airplay was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference ausingle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Garbage: Androgyny LIVE in Charlotte 2016-07-23". Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2017 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ Garbage (October 2016). "Life According to Garbage (2017) [pt.6 Androgyny]" (Interview). Sydney, Australia: MAX. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.