Green by Throwing Muses

Album: Throwing Muses (1986)

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Teenagers Kristin Hersh and her stepsister Tanya Donelly formed Throwing Muses in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island. After garnering a #1 college radio hit, "Sinkhole," they signed with the UK label 4AD. Hersh wrote most of their material, but Donnelly regularly contributed one or two songs to each album. This is Donelly's sole contribution to their debut record.
"Green" is a surreal, ethereal love song. Donnelly told Uncut in a 2020 interview: "To this day it is an emotional one for many layered reasons; the most stark being that it was about my first love who died when we were quite young and because it was my first raw, real expression in song it's still a hard one for me to play."
The song title refers to Tanya Donelly's late, lamented boyfriend's green eyes.
Even at this early point in her career, this song was indicative that Donelly would be a sweeter, more pop-smart songwriter than her stepsister. She would continue her straightforward style with two other bands: The Breeders and Belly.

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