OK so now its time for Part 2 of my look at the best Smashing Pumpkins songs, which will cover No.15 down to No.1 and there might be the odd surprise in there and you might say, where the hell is that song??? You might disagree with some of these choices, but they are just based on my opinion, but hope you enjoy reading them. So let's give it a look.....
15. Cherub Rock
Well its hard to start
cramming in all the very best songs of the Pumpkins at this stage but I
thought I would start with Cherub Rock from Siamese Dream as it really
is a great track and it had to be in here somewhere. Perhaps it
deserves to sit inside the top 10 but here it is at 15, Cherub Rock is a
fine opener to the SD album and I always like the way it starts with
the clean sounding guitar octave notes, then the distortion kicks in
along with the drums and the main riff which is one of the band's best.
The song also features some of Billy's best lyrics and I really like
the first verse where he starts "Freak out, give in, doesn't matter what
you believe in. Stay cool, and be somebody's fool this year". And
then there is chorus where Billy sings "Who wants honey, as long as
there's some money. Who wants that honey?" and followed by "Let me
out!". The song chord wise is actually pretty simple suprisingly but it
uses the octave notes so well and it may lack a solo but in this case
its no bad thing really. I always liked the acoustic version of the
song as well (as found on their Vieuphoria video when they played it in
an MTV studio session), perhaps even more than the album version. So
for me Cherub Rock is certainly one of the band's finest songs so it
sits in here rightfully.
14. Try try try
Right next up is this lovely mellow track from the Pumpkins, which features on the Machina album, which is nice antedote from some of the more intense tracks on there. The video however was quite controversial on its release as it depicts someone having a drug overdose, which was banned by MTV, but ultimately its a song that shows the beauty of the Pumpkins songwriting, where they can mix dispair and hope together and that pretty much sums this track. It has also good chorus where Billy sings "Try to hold on, to this heart, a little longer, try to hold on, to this love aloud, try to hold on, for this heart's a little bit colder, try to hold on to this love". The song does have a repetitive feel to it however but at the same time it doesn't actually repetitive and that's also perhaps a reason why its such a good song and well worth putting on here.
13. Perfect
OK at 13 is Perfect from Ava Adore, which has been compared often to 1979 and its easy to see why (or hear why) because they do sound fairly similar. However I will be controversial and say I much prefer Perfect to 1979 as I just think it hits the nostalgiac chord better than 1979 does. Billy's softly sung lyrics also compliment song and he starts off "I know we're just like old friend, we can't just pretend that lovers make amends, we are reasons so unreal, we can't help but feel something has been lost" and the chorus of course Next time, I promise we'll perfect". Given the dark and gloom that surrounds the Adore album, Perfect is very much like a beacon of light and its a very good track in its own right and here it is at 14, although I'm not too sure about the cowboy hat Billy wears in the video!
12. Stumbleline
At 12 we have Stumbleline from Mellon Collie, which is a fan favourite and that is understandable as it is one of their most beautifully understated acoustic songs. Again it features one of Billy's best vocal performances and he gently sings throughout and plays the guitar gently and the lyrics are perfect. "Boredom's in the bathroom shaking out the loose teeth. Sally's in the stirrups claiming her destiny. And nobody nowhere understands anything about me and all my dreams. Lost at sea". And then there is the chorus where Billy sings "I'll be your stumbeline, I'll be your superqueen" and the song's best lyrics for me are in the verse "Jukebox fuckup hanging around the drugstore, no matter what you say he'll be back for more". And the song finishes on a gentle note which is great as it leave the listener hanging on for more as Billy sings one last great line "And you make me come around ruby I could never sleep alone". In short its one of the Pumpkins most moving tracks without even being overly sentimental and that's why its so good and here at 12.
11. Ava adore
So at 11 is
Ava adore which for me is the best track off Adore and the album itself
is pretty experimental with its electronica sound and also features
some of the Pumpkins darkest material, which is clearly reflected in the
album's morbid cover. But right away Ava adore is a catchy number with
its intense riff and again Billy's coarse lyrics starting off with "Its
you that I adore, you'll always be my whore, you'll be the mother to my
child and a child to my heart. We must never be apart!". I have to
say though the lyrics in the song are a bit cheesy in places especially
the chorus where Billy sings "Lovely girl you're the murder in the
world" and the bridge lyrics also "In you I see dirty, in you I crash
cars! In you I taste God!". It also features a good Pumpkins
guitar solo although maybe a bit simplistic by their standards. So Ava
Adore is a pretty twisted example of a love song but its carried with
in a style that only Billy Corgan could manage so well and it well
deserve to be quite far up the list on here.
10. Soma
Another one of the Pumpkins darker
songs and one that again utilises the quiet-loud dynamic nicely and it
features some of Billy's most dour yet soulfully painful lyrics and the
structure of the song itself is great. The gentle and morose guitar
line is also what makes the song work so great and Billy's lyrics
starting things off "Nothing left to do, and I'll left to do is run away
from you". And later Billy sings on "So now, I'm all by myself, as
I've always felt, I'll betray my tears, to anyone caught in our ruse of
fools!" and then the almost chilling "one last kiss from me, one last
kiss.... goodnight!". After this it leads into the heavy rock section
of the song which features a terrific guitar solo from Billy, before it
returns to its gentle sleep as this incredible closes out. Soma sure
deserves being in the top 10 of this list, its not exactly easy
listening, but then most of the Pumpkins music isn't, which in lies part
of the beauty of it.
9. Porcelina of the vast oceans
Yet
another song off Mellon Collie, at over 9 minutes, its the longest song
on there and it remains almost like one of the hidden gems, which I
hadn't discovered for a while until recently I gave it a go and its
without a doubt one of their best songs. Porcelina also has a great
intro with the way it slowly starts up with the gentle guitars, in fact
its almost reminiscent of the band Jane's Addiction's music, and then it
goes into the heavy distorted riff, which its woven nicely between the
song's softer moments. The song also easily ranks as perhaps the most
atmospheric and dream-like song the Pumpkins wrote and the song's heavy
distorted chorus also makes it great listening. And Billy's lyrics
"without a care in this whole world, without a care in this life, its
what you take that makes it right!". And the song continues with its
gentle loud dynamic throughout which is what makes it work so well and
as far as one of their epic songs go, this is one of the best they did.
8. United States
Right OK at No.8 is flat out the best track on Zeitgeist, United States, which I think is the longest song they have written as it clocks in at just under 10 minutes (9 minutes and 51 seconds to be exact) so its a real epic and a very worthy one to be inside the top 10. The track itself get's off to a great start with Jimmy's drums gently coming in followed by the heavy crunching guitars (tuned down to drop Db) playing a killer riff and one of their best. Billy then starts singing "Tired eyes, closed for days, there's no regret cause there's no place I don't know what I believe but if I feel what do I need?". Then its followed by a really good section where Billy sings "Revolution, revolution, revolution blues. What will they do? What will they do to me?" and later he sings "What will they do to you??". And the song goes into its mid-section where it goes quieter and Billy plays feedback on his guitar, which sounds almost like a siren. After this the song kicks back in again and heads toward the best part of the song with a heavy and very crunchy riff and Billy sings "Well I feel alright, so tonight I got to ask you why, why deny it, its no surprise, I've got to survive!". Then we get one of the best pieces of rock the Pumpkins have come up with the amazing guitar riff and Jimmy's drums poudning away and Billy continues "Fight! I wanna fight! I wanna fight a revolution! Tonight, I wanna fight! I wanna fight a revolution! Tonight! At the light, at the light, do you wanna watch me die!". And Billy finishes up singing "Let me be something good, let me prove something real like I should. Let me embrace every single living thing! Let me be every single moment I ever misunderstood!". And after this the song goes into a heavy heavy outro with bursts of staccato guitar and drums and it finishes on a really good instrumental section before this epic track ends. And at No.8 United States is the best track from the "new" Smashing Pumpkins.
7. Muzzle
OK this is where the Mellon Collie songs start to come thick and fast as this is another great little track from their double album epic. Muzzle is easily one of the band's most upbeat tracks and its got a nice quick pace to it as well as a really good riff. The song also features some good lyrics from Billy although he does sing them somewhat incoherently (which let's face it in their early stuff he was guilty of!) and he begins the song immediately "I fear I am ordinary, just like everyone!" and later "My life has been extraorindary, blessed and cursed and won". The song's lyrics are actually in retrospect again fairly dark but Billy manages to sing them in a such way that makes the overall song cheerful, but I guess that was always part of the appeal of the band in that they could mix in the positive with the negative. That all aside Muzzle is a great catchy little song to be found on the varied and versatile album that is Mellon Collie and the infinite sadness.
6. Siva
Right its time for a break from Mellon Collie and to go back to their debut album, Gish, with Siva which has to be just about the best song on the album. Most of Gish its pretty much straight up rock and Siva is a perfect example of that combined with the simple fact its such a catchy (yes I overuse that word sorry!) song in its own right. Billy's lryics start off "I spin off and lose my head. Throwing a stray spark instead. Gather strength down in my heel. And dig it in the world I peel". The song also features some good guitar solo work and it also features a nicely unique quiet mid section before it bursts back into being a loud rock number and again it has another quiet section before it finishes loud which makes Siva a bit unlike the other tracks on Gish. In short Siva is great and worthy of being in the top 10.
5. The Everlasting Gaze
Now we get to another crunching heavy rock song from the Machina/The machines of God album, The everlasting gaze which ranks as one of the Pumpkins best rock songs. The song is also as close to heavy metal as you will get from the band, with the exception of course of heavy metal machine. Right from the get go this song grabs you by the throat and pulls you in with its crunching metal riff and Billy's lyrics "You know I'm not dead! Now you know where I've been. As you sleep, torn I am, weighted patiently". It also has a great chorus "on the ways of your desire, you always find a way, and through it all, into us all you move. Forgotten touch, forgotten thought, we can never have enough!". And the song's title actually doesn't come into until the bridge where Billy sings unaccompanied "We all want to hold in the everlasting gaze! Enchanted in the rapture of his sentimental sway! But underneath the wheels lie the skulls of every cog! The fickle fascination of an everlasting God!". And the end of the song is perhaps the best bit where it goes into rocking overdrive and Jimmy's drumwork is incredible before it draws to its close. So overall its a great song as well as having a stylish video recorded using fish eye lens and Billy and the band dressed in black, almost looking like something out of the Matrix and the video gives a nice round view of Billy's bald napper! And for TEG is one of their best and nicely belongs inside the top 10.
4. Jellybelly
Ahhh lovely, Jellybelly is without a doubt one of my favourite Pumpkins songs, and after the morose beauty of Soma, Jellybelly is the perfect antidote given its upbeat tone. Right away the song pulls you in with its rocking distorted guitars and the drop-D tuning (half a step down of course to Eb) and the song also features some amazing drum work by Jimmy Chamberlain and the main riff of the song itself is great. The song also features some fine lyrics by Billy which he starts off the song with "Welcome to nowhere fast. Nothing here ever lasts" and the chorus "We're nowhere, we're nowhere, we're nowhere to be!". And again Billy is essentially singing depressing lyrics but done in such a contrary manner its at odds with the songs nature, but its work so well when he sings "living makes me sick, so sick I wish I'd die. Down in the belly of the beast, I can't lie". And then there is the bridge section "there's nothing left to do, there's nothing left to feel, doesn't matter what you want, so!". And the song then rises up more as it nears its end as the guitars and Jimmy's amazing drums reach a crescendo and Billy sings "to make yourself feel better, you'll make it so you never, give into your forevers and live for always!". After this its the chorus again and the song finishes on a wonderfully frenetic note, which really heralds the beginning of the Mellon Collie album (well apart from Tonight, Tonight which feels like a precursor, albet a good one). So for me Jellybelly is a great track and it ranks rightly in the top 10.
3. Geek USA
Another great rockin song from Siamese dream, Geek USA really is a great piece of music and it features some great guitar and drum work from Billy and Jimmy. Billy's lyrics again signal his anger and frustration but they are also quite imaginative as he starts off "lover lover, let's pretend we're born as innocents. Cast into the world with apple eyes! To wish wish dangerous, my dear delirious, try to leave the rest of us behind!". And the song also has great chorus lyrics with Billy singing "shot full of diamonds and a million years, the disappointed disappear, like they were never here!". Then the song goes into a gentle mid section where Billy sings the lyrics that echo the album's title "in our dream we are connected, siamese twins, at the wrist." But then the rock comes back in and Billy sings on "And then I knew we'd be forsaken. Expelled from paradise. I can't believe them when they say its alright!". And then the song goes back to its rocking and features a great guitar solo from Billy before more great lyrcs "words can't define what I feel inside who needs them?! Caught with this virus on my mind! I give in to the disease of my needs!" as the songs pace becomes faster as it finishes with a certain level of contempt as Billy sings "we really love the USA!". Its a great energetic track, better played live by the band than on record as the pace of it is a bit slow but that aside Geek USA is the bomb and deserves being at No. 3.
2. Mayonaise
It may be No.2 on here but Mayonaise is easily one of the Pumpkins most beautiful songs, the emotion of the song is perfect as it doesn't feel overly sentimental either but it retains a nice feeling of nostalgia at the same time too. The chord structure of the song is also what makes it work so well as it has a slightly alternate tuning which gives the songs is beautiful chords in the first instance. Billy's lyrics here begin "fool enough to almost be it, cool enough not to see it, doomed" and its followed by more moving and painful lyrics which culminate with "No more promise, no more sorrow, no longer will I follow? Can anybody hear me? I just want to be... ME! When I can, I will. Try to understand, that when I can I will". Again the acoustic version found on Vieuphoria is my favourite as that was the first version I had heard of it and its wonderful in its own right but any version is really, and as it produces some nice moments during the performance where Billy laughs out loud at something in the background and James running out into the small audience at the end. So Mayonaise is right here at No.2, the Pumpkins most uplifting number.
1. X.Y.U.
OK so should a nice gentle mellow number finish off this rather exhaustive list???? Nah! It has to end with a real intense rocker and this cracker from Mellon Collie for me is their best ever song, X.Y.U. Right from the first second X.Y.U. is easily the most intense song the band ever produced and the guitar octave notes are the main hook that drives the song and it is backed up by some of Billy's most ferocious lyrics where he really is spitting out bile although its not entirely sure who its all aimed at but its a great vocal performance all the same. The lyrics are of course great and Billy starts off "She didn't wannabe, she didn't wanna know! She couldn't run away cos she was ca-razy! She gave it all away! She saw her baby break! And in the air it hung that she was dull razors!". And then its followed by "And I said, I wanna fill you up, I wanna break you, I wanna give you up. From one another, another should come to another, no one should come between us". And from here Billy's vocals intensify as he shouts "RAT-TAT-TAT KA-BOOM BOOM! Cos I'm a sister, and I'm a MOTHERFUCK!". And the next bit is where the heavy metal chugging guitar comes in and Billy's rage fills and he sings what are my favourite lines in the song "I am made of shamrocks! I am made of stern stuff! I am never enough! I am the FORGOTTEN CHILD!!". And after the first section it goes into the second section where song slows down and Billy starts singing about Mary had a little lamb and she's "not a stupid girl" and then the song temporarily stops. And during the gap this is where Billy delivers one of his most immortal lyrics at the top of his lungs "AND INTO THE EYES OF A JACKYL I SAY KAAAAAAA-BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!" and the songs continues its frenetic pace and finally launches into the songs final segment. And this is the best part of the song where the song becomes its heaviest and the guitars crunch away with a great simple riff and Billy's frantic soloing and he sings "bye bye, baby, good BYE!" as the song ends with the guitars going into a rising frenzy and a single pound of the drums from Jimmy. So X.Y.U. is an unforgettable piece of music and I think it deserves to be right at the top of the list as the best Smashing Pumpkins song.
Soooooooooooo that's it for my rather exhaustive look at what I think are the 25 best Smashing Pumpkins songs, it took a fair bit of time and was surprisingly more depressing than I thought it would be (lol!). But nah I hope you enjoy it, even if you might say "where the hell is 1979 or Tonight?????!" well to be honest they aren't my favourites even though they are fine tracks in their own right.
Anyway that took a while and I will turn in and bid yee goodnight, tonight, tonight!
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