"Milk" is a song by Garbage, released as the fifth and final single from their 1995 platinum debut album Garbage. Garbage collaborated with UK trip-hop artist Tricky on a new single remix of "Milk" in Chicago and New York in May 1996. After initial reports that the band and collaborator were unhappy with results, Garbage re-worked the track at Smart Studios and released the remix as a single. "Milk" was written and recorded by Garbage (Duke Erikson, Shirley Manson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig) at their own recording studio during the 1994-1995 sessions for Garbage. "Milk" was released worldwide in late 1996 following an acclaimed performance of the track at the 1996 MTV Europe Music Awards, which MTV rated as one of the best ten EMAs performances of the nineties. The most electronic based song on the album, "Milk" is also one of singer Shirley Manson's favourite tracks from it. She told Melody Maker "It's a dichotomy, a paradox. The thing I really like about "Milk" is the fact that it's been dismissed by people as the ballad at the end of the album. To me "Milk" is the darkest, most hopeless of the songs. People say 'Oh, it's lovey-dovey, so therefore it's a love song'. But it's a very bleak song, it's about loss and the fear of loss; about things you can't have and things you will forever wait for." Regarding the version with Tricky, Manson told The Face "In the studio he works in a completely different fashion from us - he's hilarious, he's a hoot! The guy is so enchanting and he has so much energy. Very illuminating." The remix, which features acoustic guitars and electronic drums in place of the album version's synth was completed in two forms — the "Siren Mix" which is simply Shirley Manson singing the remix solo, and the "Wicked Mix" with both Shirley Manson and Tricky together. "Milk" was released worldwide from October 1996. In the UK the "Wicked Remix" was the A-side, in Europe and Australia the "Siren Remix" was the A-side and in the US the regular "album version" was the A-side. The single was the first Garbage single release to contain no exclusive B-sides (of all subsequent Garbage single releases, only 1999's "The World Is Not Enough" was released without any accompanying brand new Garbage tracks) instead the single was backed with a selection of remixes of "Milk" and previous hit "Stupid Girl". White released "Milk" in Australia on CD single and cassette single in mid-October 1996. This release, following Garbage's first Australian live dates in support of Garbage, contained the "Siren Mix", "Wicked Mix", "Tricky Mix" and "Album Version" of "Milk". Following a special tour edition of Garbage being issued to mark the Australian tour, a second "Milk" single was released containing the same bonus tracks: a Rabbit in the Moon remix of "Milk", Danny Saber remix of "Queer", a Todd Terry remix of "Stupid Girl", a Garbage remix of album track "Dog New Tricks" and UK b-side "Alien Sex Fiend". A month before the commercial release of "Milk", Mushroom Records released a three-part 12" singles through HMV stores as a "taster release". These vinyls were limited to 500 copies each and came in a die-cut embossed card sleeve (one leather look, one gravel, one rippled), each with a different Dayglo colour inner sleeve. "Milk - The Wicked Remix" featuring Tricky was released commercially by Mushroom Records in the United Kingdom on November 11, 1996. It was released on two CD singles and a limited edition 7" single of 14,000 copies. This special edition vinyl format came housed in a white ripple-effect card sleeve, with a videogram image mounted on front, and a nine-panel white and blood red poster within. [3] The single was backed with remixes of "Milk" by Tricky, Goldie, Massive Attack and Rabbit in the Moon, remixes of "Stupid Girl" by Danny Saber and Todd Terry. "Milk" was the last of the special vinyl formats Garbage and Mushroom Records released in the UK market, due to rules by the then-UK chart compilers CIN which forbid chart eligibility to singles with elaborate packagings from January 1997. Perfectly timing the singles release immediately prior to Garbage's "Breakthrough Artist" award win, "Best Group" and "Best Song" nominations and the groups acclaimed performance of "Milk" at the 1996 MTV Europe Music Awards, in London on November 14, 1996, "Milk" debuted at #10 on the UK Singles Chart the following Sunday, becoming Garbage's second top ten hit in the UK. Throughout Europe, BMG issued the single as simply "Milk", and featured the "Siren Mix" as the singles A-side. The sleeve design and tracklisting was otherwise similar to the UK releases, however on the second single the Danny Saber remix of "Stupid Girl" was replaced with the "Milk - Wicked Remix". In North America, where Garbage were supporting the Smashing Pumpkins' arena tour, Almo Sounds issued the album version of "Milk" on November 19, 1996, on maxi-CD and maxi-cassette containing a completely unique sleeve design from other worldwide releases. The US single was backed with both the "Wicked Mix" and "Siren Mix" as well as a remix of "Milk" by Rabbit In The Moon. "Milk" ultimately failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but managed to settle just outside of the chart at #106 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. "Milk"s lack of US success could be attributed to being usurped by Garbage's inclusion on the William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet soundtrack; a new remix of former b-side "#1 Crush" which became a Modern Rock Tracks #1 hit and Hot 100 Airplay #29 hit around the same time as "Milk"s single release. Mushroom Records issued a set of four collectable 12" singles set on May 5, 1997. Differing from the original 12" remix set, this collection was packaged in simple plain black card sleeves and featured mixes of "Queer", "Stupid Girl", and two of "Milk". The first "Milk" release contained all three Massive Attack remixes and the second contained both Goldie remixes. This special set was the last UK market release by Mushroom Records for the bands debut album, intended to bridge the gap between the release of "Milk" in late 1996 and the band's second album in mid-1998. The promo clip for "Milk" was filmed on August 19 in London and directed by Stéphane Sednaoui for Propaganda Films. It was ready to air on August 28. Sednaoui filmed the entire sequence in a single tracking shot set to the album version of the song. So the footage could be used for a remix version of the video, Sednaoui created a second version of the video using close up shots of Manson to insert into the footage. This montage edit was dubbed with both the Siren remix and Wicked remix for international airplay. Manson features heavily in the "Milk" video; standing solitary within a blue wind tunnel and backed with red spotlights and white strobing. During the choruses, the camera pans away to each of the male members of Garbage. As it ends, the blue is replaced with green shades, and the camera moves to Manson, ending on a small disco ball held in Manson's hand. The "Milk" video was first commercially released on VHS and Video-CD on 1996's Garbage Video.[4] A remastered version, re-cut to the remix version, was included on Garbage's 2007 greatest hits DVD Absolute Garbage.Neither the Siren or Wicked mix versions of the video have been commercially released. "Milk" has been performed on three of the four major worldwide tours spanning their career. "Milk" was not performed on the Bleed Like Me tour in 2005
