There is just something about Billy Corgan and his sound in the mid-nineties when his band, The Smashing Pumpkins, released “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.” He writes with experience of the world and the music industry. But Corgan seems genuinely pissed off with both.
The Smashing Pumpkins made some amazing albums during this period in their career. “Gish” and “Siamese Dream” are masterpieces. With “Mellon Collie,” it feels like he knows he had put out some great work that had been overshadowed by other bands of the era, i.e., Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and the rest of the early ’90s grunge sound.
Billy Corgan, however, did not look at his previous efforts and say that his music career was not worth it. He did not give up. Corgan took that pent-up frustration and focused his efforts. In a way, he said, “Fuck it. I’m doing this anyway.” His band went on to release their landmark album.
“Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” went on to be nominated for seven Grammy Awards. The record only took home one: Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal for their song “Bullet With Butterfly Wings.”
While some could say its showing at the 1997 Grammy Awards was disappointing for fans and the band, the irony of that is that “Mellon Collie” is still removed from the ’90s “Cool Kid Music.” It is not included with acts like Pavement, Type O Negative, Shellac, etc. Those bands seemed to not take anything too seriously and wrapped up layers of self-awareness.
“Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness” is extremely genuine. The album is deeply personal and does not really compare to anything else that was released at the time. The album is Billy Corgan showing that he is flawed. He lets everyone explore their own ideas.
Billy Corgan at the time said, “The weird nihilism that permeates Mellon Collie is extremely relevant to what’s going on now. So many kids are intelligent and articulate, but they don’t know what to do with themselves,” which is a perfect description of some of the tracks on the album.
“Bullet With Butterfly Wings” is one of those tracks. While it’s written from the perspective of someone who is frustrated with his career as a rockstar, a constant theme of ’90s rock, it is extremely relatable to the audience. Corgan didn’t trust the record companies. He writes as someone who doesn’t have anyone he can trust, which a lot of people feel alone and lost in this world. He says, “The world is a vampire,” meaning he feels like everyone wants to latch on and take something from him. That’s how he lost his trust.
Their song “1979” reflects on some of the same feelings. While Billy was in elementary school in the late ’70s, it’s a song about nostalgia, a song that is relatable when people had an easier time in life, when they were not unmoored, powerless, without hope. “1979” has a postmodern acknowledgment of how beautiful life can be, that everything is not the stress of everyday life. It gives the listener the mood of how special life can be.
“Tonight Tonight” is another song that invokes the same feelings as “1979.” It invokes the joy, the hope, and wistfulness of life. It is a love song to youth. Billy Corgan reflects that with lyrics dedicated to his hometown of Chicago, “and the embers never fade, in your city by the lake, the place where you were born.” Those are probably some of the most poignant lyrics about reflecting on home. Even if you are not from the city, it invokes a deep connection to wherever the listener may be from.
Critics, while they love this album, say that “Mellon Collie” is too long. It’s a double album that you do not have to listen to both halves in one sitting. Arguably, there is a lot of fluff and filler on this album. Some could cut it down to a single disc and a collection of B-sides.
There are some gems on the record that did not get much, if any, radio airplay at the time. Tracks like “Muzzle,” “Thirty-Three,” and “Porcelain of the Vast Oceans.”
“Mellon Collie” is peak Smashing Pumpkins. It has great variance from their previous efforts but still has the heavy rock riffs mixed with Corgan’s growl. It is also the launchpad for the band’s later efforts that experimented with their sound
Must Listen To Tracks: Tonight, Tonight, Zero, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Galapagos, Muzzle, Porcelain of the Vast Ocean, 1979, W.Y.U.
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