“Glory Box” by Portishead

The titular term (“Glory Box”), as used especially in Australia and New Zealand, refers to a storage unit in which women place items in anticipation of one day being married. 

With that in mind, what we appear to be dealing with here premise-wise is the case of a woman who is bent out of shape due to an inability to score that special someone.

Said woman, the vocalist, is for the most part addressing a specific individual, a romantic interest whom it isn’t clear if they are already intimately involved or not. But either way what is evident, all things considered, is that she perceives him as a potential spouse. Therefore, what her message to the addressee boils down to is a request to be treated properly, the way a woman should be. Or put alternatively she wants her man to keep it real, even if that means shamelessly revealing his emotional side (i.e. crying). 

So at the end of the day, all that’s really being put forth is that the singer desires a serious partner, once whose commitment to their union compels her to step up her game also.

Facts about “Glory Box”

The late Isaac Hayes (who was still alive when this song was dropped on 20 December 1994) is a credited co-writer of “Glory Box”. This is because it samples a track he came out with in 1971 entitled “Ike’s Rap II”. 

The other writers of this song are the following core members of Portishead:

• Geoff Barrow
• Beth Gibbons
• Adrian Utley

The entire band also produced the track, with special individual credit being given to Utley.

Also sampled onto “Glory Box” is the song “Daydream” (1969) by Wallace Collection.

Portishead is a British band which traces its origins back to the early 1990s. Two of the three studio albums they have dropped thus far were also released during that decade. And it is from their most-successful LP, the act’s debut effort “Dummy”, of which “Glory Box” served as a single. 

This song was officially released as one of Dummy‘s singles on 20th December, 1994.

“Glory Box” proved to be a mild international hit, most notably breaking the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart.

Alexander Hemming directed the music video to this song.

This song has been featured on quite a few TV shows, as well as a handful of movies. That is to say that even though “Glory Box” didn’t perform exceptionally or chart-wise, it still seems to be a listener favorite, such as Slant Magazine placing it on their list of “the 100 Best Singles of the 1990s”. And to note Portishead did not agree with their label at the time, Go! Discs, releasing this track as a single.

The “Dummy” Album

“Dummy” is a trip hop album by English band, Portishead. It was released on August 22 of 1994 as the band’s debut studio album.

“Dummy” got into the public domain through the defunct London based record label, Go! Beat Records and British record label, London Recordings.

As at 2008, a total of 3,600,000 copies of the album had been sold worldwide. This feat earned it the following certifications in these countries:

• US – Gold
• New Zealand – 2x Platinum
• Switzerland – Gold
• UK – 3x Platinum
• Canada – Platinum
• Belgium – Platinum

“Dummy” peaked at No.2 on the UK’s Official Charts Company (OCC). Its highest position was No.79 in the US and No.4 in Scotland.

The album’s success played a significant role in turning the trip hop music genre also known as “the Bristol sound” into a global sensation.