Song
"Bleed Like Me" was written in 2004 at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin. Inspired by the movie Thirteen, singer Shirley Manson overcame writer's block and wrote the lyrics to the track; one of the first songs the band wrote after reforming from a temporary three-month split in October 2003. Butch Vig: "Musically it's very simple, it's basically this little hypnotic riff on the acoustic guitar and it builds a little bit, but the song never gets too big musically. It stays pretty simple. Really it's all about her vocals. She said 'I want to sound like a girls choir' and we're like 'Cool, let's just do it now'. She went in singing 'You should see my scars' and it just floored me. Still when I hear that the hairs on the back of my neck go up. It's really an amazing moment on the record."
Name-checking a number of her childhood friends; as well as J.T. LeRoy in the lyrics, Shirley recalled, "It's about a search for empathy. We can forget so easily that people are the same regardless of their sexuality, religion, colour, or moral values. Manson followed this up, "Regardless of the differences between people – their colour, creed, sexuality or how they behave and express themselves – essentially we are exactly the same. It's about how when you are dealing with other people you have to remember that they are all carrying with them their own baggage." Manson also added: "We're very proud of that song. It came together really great." The "Bleed Like Me" lyrics contain a reference to Gloria Gaynor's empowerment anthem "I Will Survive"
On May 25, Garbage confirmed a list of fourteen songs being worked on for the record, including "Sex Is Not the Enemy", and on December 14 confirmed that the song would be included on the finished album Bleed Like Me.
On March 28, 2005, Garbage performed the track on Canal+ Album de la semaine before debuting the song live on stage at the Paris Olympia the following day. On March 28, Garbage performed the single "Why Do You Love Me" on Top of the Pops, Napster Live and CD:UK, they also performed "Bleed Like Me".
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