Cherry Lips - Song Profile

Song Profile

"Cherry Lips" was written and recorded at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin. Written just as Garbage were about to begin mixing their third album, "Cherry Lips" was a late inclusion to the album. The song began as a keyboard melody, and was originally known by the working title "Wonderjam". While recording the song, Steve Marker played a tuba, and recorded the output of the audio being run through a wah-wah pedal.

Daniel Shulman, at the end of his second set of scheduled bass sessions for the album, quickly created a sub-hook bassline for the chorus on a Sabre bass run through an Ampeg B15 amplifier. The band were happy with the bassline and used it on the final mix of "Cherry Lips".

Shirley Manson wrote the lyrics based loosely around two novels she had just read, Sarah and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, written by author Laura Albert under the pseudonym of JT LeRoy. In the album sleeve notes, Manson dedicated "Cherry Lips" to "The Terminator", another alias of JT LeRoy. Manson later felt that "Cherry Lips" was "an adrenaline rush" and "probably the most celebratory song we've ever written".

"Cherry Lips" was first performed live with "Androgyny" on October 2 at an instore held in Chicago's Virgin Megastore.

In March 2003, "Cherry Lips" featured on the PlayStation 2 game Amplitude. While playing the "Cherry Lips" level, the game shows footage taken from the "Breaking Up the Girl" music video.