Garbage: "Stupid Girl"

A timeless 1990s pop rock hit by the band Garbage. Look, listen, and learn about Jennifer Eklund's piano solo arrangement of "Stupid Girl."

Garbage: "Stupid Girl"

Looking for more great 90s piano sheet music?

🤩 This hit from the 90s was featured in the first season of Cruel Summer, a Hulu series that was loaded with nostalgic tunes from the best decade. We’ve got piano sheet music for Cruel Summer: Season 1 and Cruel Summer Season 2!


About Garbage:

Garbage is an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1993. The band consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson, Steve Marker, and Butch Vig. Shirley Manson, previously of the band Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie, joined forces with the trio, who had experience in production and engineering, to create Garbage.

Their self-titled debut album, ā€œGarbage,ā€ released in 1995, was a massive commercial success, propelled by hit singles like ā€œOnly Happy When It Rainsā€ and ā€œStupid Girl.ā€ The album’s blend of grunge, electronic, and pop elements garnered critical acclaim and established Garbage as a prominent force in alternative rock.

Throughout their career, Garbage has continued to release successful albums, including ā€œVersion 2.0ā€ (1998), ā€œBeautiful Garbageā€ (2001), ā€œBleed Like Meā€ (2005), ā€œNot Your Kind of Peopleā€ (2012), and ā€œStrange Little Birdsā€ (2016). Their music often explores themes of angst, sexuality, and societal issues, with Manson’s powerful vocals and the band’s innovative production contributing to their distinctive sound.

Garbage has received multiple Grammy Award nominations and has sold millions of records worldwide. They are known for their dynamic live performances and have toured extensively across the globe. Over the years, they have maintained a dedicated fan base and have influenced numerous artists in the alternative and rock genres.


About ā€œStupid Girlā€:

ā€œStupid Girlā€ is a song by the alternative rock band Garbage, released as the second single from their self-titled debut album, ā€œGarbage,ā€ in 1996. The song was written and produced by the band members Shirley Manson, Duke Erikson, Steve Marker, and Butch Vig.

ā€œStupid Girlā€ is characterized by its blend of grunge, electronic, and pop elements, featuring a catchy guitar riff, pulsating beats, and Shirley Manson’s distinctive vocals. The lyrics depict a narrative of a woman who is disillusioned by materialism and shallow relationships, with Manson delivering biting and confrontational lines aimed at societal expectations and stereotypes of femininity.

The song’s music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, received significant airplay on music channels like MTV. It features Manson in various settings, including a decadent party scene and a boxing ring, juxtaposed with imagery of insects and reptiles, symbolizing the theme of manipulation and power dynamics.

ā€œStupid Girlā€ was a commercial success, reaching the top 5 in multiple countries, including the UK, Canada, and Australia. It also received critical acclaim, with praise for its infectious melody, provocative lyrics, and innovative production. The song remains one of Garbage’s most iconic and enduring tracks, cementing their place in the alternative rock landscape of the 1990s.


ā€œStupid Girlā€ Intermediate Piano Solo

Key features of the intermediate version:

  • This is the full album version of the song (I truncated the fade-out ending just a smidge)
  • 4 total pages
  • Run time is approximately 3:41

🧐 Sheet music sneak peek:


šŸŽ¹ Pop Rock Favorites Songbook Series

Do you love pop rock and alternative rock from the 1990s? You’ll definitely want to explore the Pop Rock Favorites Songbook Series. As of this posting, there are 10 volumes available! Take a dive into the first few books:


šŸŽ¹ Looking for more 1990s piano sheet music?


šŸ‘‹ Did I miss one of your favorites? I’m always open to requests so drop me a comment!


Jennifer Eklund
Written by Jennifer Eklund
Jennifer Eklund holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in music from California State University, Long Beach. She is an avid arranger, composer, and author of the Piano ProntoĀ® method books series as well as a wide variety of supplemental songbooks. She is also a Signature Artist with Musicnotes.com with a large catalog of popular music titles for musicians of all levels.

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