ThePumpkins.net

To give birth to new meanings on songs, it probably isn’t a good idea to bring up a top 6 with songs that the Pumpkins brought forward. But still, like you meet new people, who shine a different light on you; it can ‘expand’ your self. So, maybe, other visions and ideas of songs that come to my ears in mostly one fashion, will gain more range and depth, when listened with other ears. Your ears.

So if you want, throw in your top 6 of Pumpkin songs (live versions maybe) and with an explanation where possible.

Here is mine:

1. Methusela
Plain beautiful to me. Unfortunately it isn’t in quite good condition and (to my knowledge) only available as this version. Is this about his problematic relationship with his father?
2. 1979
This one never bores me. The video captures the sphere of the sound just perfectly. Teenagers running around, tearin’ up the place, getting drunk, getting high, etc. Easy to identify with…
3. Do You Close Your Eyes
A demo from the Adore period. A romantic love song. His voice is kinda raw on this, I like that. I wonder why it’s never released. Can listen this song for hours on repeat.
4. Blissed and Gone
I never liked it real much, but after listening this in another context, it came through, or something. It always makes me think and feel that here Billy reflects on all that was, and it all converges in the last lines and as a last cry, when he sings ‘I had no voice…I had no drive…I had no choice…I've done my time…I had myself…Had my band…I had my love…Had no hand in watching it all fall apart …’
5. Glass and the Ghost Children
A lot of sentimental memories on this one, actually on all of the Machine album. When under the influence of whatever, it is hallucinating to hear the song shift towards the hypnotising as-she-counting-the-spiders. Fabulous.
6. The End is the Beginning is the End
Especially the clip is so significant to me. The non-verbal movements of Corgan just, to me, grasps the exact emotion surrounding his melancholy mysteries really well. ‘Does it make you happy? You are so strange’, does that got anything to do with the character of Batman? I never saw this movie, is the song played completely and with which scene actually?

Oh well… Sorry to sound a bit vague and pretentious. But I am sincerely curious for your interpretations on some of your favourites.

1) Age of Innocence - A song I can relate to a great deal. I love the lyrics and bass and the way the song gets progressively more powerful while still remaining somber.

2) 1979 - This song can make anyone feel nostalgic for their childhood years. The subject was perfectly captured in this song.

3) Bullet With Butterfly Wings - This is the first Pumpkins song I've heard. It never got old for me.

4) Disarm - The subject of separation from you / innocence is something that's always intrigued me. Great instrumentation.

5) Today - A simple positive message, but delivered so well.

6) Spaceboy - I think this is the saddest Pumpkins song.

Sorry about posting so many singles, but that's the way it is.

ooo good idea for a topic, ive often toyed with the idea of what certain songs mean to me from just any band in general, but i normally keep it to myself.... but as long as we are sharing interpritations... here's my top 6...

1. Starla - The song is total bliss to me, one of those songs that you plug in at 2 in the morning and just sit and reflect on life about, when i listen to this song i think about endless patterns of color swearling into a point at the middle of the picture... kinda trippy i guess

2. Ugly - This song better represents me then probibly any other smashing pumpkin song... to me its the beleaf that you are truely never going to fit into the 'real world' because they will never exept that you are diffrent from them, and they are too perfect to let your ideas infect theirs

3. Jelly Belly - This was the first song i ever heard... i refer to it as the 'fight song' sometimes because when i listen to it sometimes i just want to punch people in the face and be like "hahaha! you sons of B###s take that!"

4. I of the Mourning - When i listen to this song, i picture a guy driving down a lone highway right after his girlfriend broke up with him, and he got evicted from his apartment, and he's driving back to his hometown to try and scrap up his life...

5. Geek U.S.A. - a personal favorite for me... for some reason playing this song with my friends (i play bass, and try to sing) i just get swept away by the grunge power that the song yeilds... i sort of lose my mind to the song and just go for it, not really caring what people think

6. Frail and bedazzled - another from picies iscarrot (sp?), this song carries the message for me that no matter how bad it gets i can just look at life as "oh, well i was just frail and bedazzled!" and laugh it off like its no big deal! sometimes it really helps when im having a tough time dealing with love, or friends or whatnot, ill just pull out this song and be like "oh yeah im here to ROCK!"

and there ya go!

AMP

1. I guess this has got to be XYU. It took me a while to even notice this song as MCIS is so long.....but now I just love it . Dark, loud and beautiful. In honour of this Corgan masterpiece I got a tattoo done of the keys.

The rest in no particular order
Rocket: I love the lyrics, pure simplicity but very moving. A very personal song for me

Ava Adore: one hell of a video, good tune, totally gothed out.

Geek USA: always remained one of my favs, cool bass

Bodies: love the ways Billy screeches and how it follows on from where boys fear to tread. Pure excellence.
hey, there's so many more: starla, plume.......

i'm not doing a whole lot, but:

1. Annie-Dog. hands down. so damn good but never gets any cred. yah?

That movie sucks. The only reason to watch it is Alicia Silverstone. The video has nothing to do with the movie, you only can see some vague scenes. The song is not played when the movie is running, you can hear it in it's entirity during the staff-text on the end. You remember that terrible song "Gotham City" by R. Kelly? Well, it's from the same movie.

Did you check the VH1 Storytellers where Billy told about writing Today? I was surprised when he told it had to do with suicide! The message itself can be considered positive, although the thought behind it was very negative. Good song, especially in acoustic versions.

Soma~ Saved my life...

Stand Inside your love~ Makes me cry...

Thirty Three~ Cheers me up...

Hello Kitty Kat~ Gets me going (especially the live? version)...

Daphne Descends~ Makes me want to go horseback riding...

Glass and the ghost children~ Puts me in a trance...

F*ck You...(Ode to no one)~ GOOD song when im a "tad upset"


What can I say? Billy toys with my emotions...

And in no particular order we have....

1. Disarm - The first song I heard by The Pumpkins. It knocked me over when I first heard/saw it and it still does. The intensity and raw, exposed feeling just blow me away. I would go so far as to suggest it may be the best song I've ever heard.

2. Obscured (B side to Today) - perfectly encapsulates the "softer" side to the Pumpkins. Beautifully melodic, it feels like floating. It reminds me of Sunday afternoons in Summer. I know that is so cliched...

3. XYU - Cos it's rockin. And when they played it live during the Mellon Collie tour.... My God, Billy would just go off his head!!!

4. Stand inside your love - I love the juxtaposition of emotions in this song. I'm happy, but I'm trapped. I love you, but you make me wanna kill myself. It's such a reflection of real emotion. Nothing is black and white, and in my experience, relationships are just that kind of exquisite agony.

5. Ava Adore - The film clip is amazing (most of them are) and the sentiments ring true. Plus I feel that it may be a little tongue in cheek and I like that.

6. Annie-Dog - I agree that it is very under rated. Most of Adore is, and I love that album. It's tear inducing beautiful.

Men ... just 6 songs it's hard but I'll try, not specific order of course!! please forget any mistakes. English isn't my native language

1.Ava adore: I already knew the pumpkins with thirty-three and 1979 and I liked them in a normal way but this song possessed me and I got crazy about it so I bought the record and just loved it ... then I discovered the rest. It's not just the song that "introduce me" officially the pumpkins it's a great song with a great video. I hate that Adore it's so underrated

2.Cherub rock: I still remember how I felt with that guitar in the beginning the first time I play it and I still feel the same. This song is such a 100% pumpkin's rock that you can't describe it, you just hear it and let yourself go. I can feel adrenaline everytime I listen it

3.Aeroplane flies high: just love this song, for me it represents like many others Smashing Pumpkins's songs what's this band about; great lyrics, awesome sound, very powerful. 7-8 aren't long at all when you hear it!!!. Specially love the "wishing you were real to me wishing i could make believe I'll take my secrets to the grave" part


4.1979: I don't care if is a "hit" I just love it, when I listen this song I can feel freedom, not only you can see it in the video it's there in the song ... that feeling of being young, being rebel, going crazy and don't bothering about the stupid world. Lyrics & sound just perfect

5.Jupiter's Lament: cause it's beautiful, cause it's peaceful, cause breaks my heart in four pieces when I hear it. I know Corgan can sing really bad but in some songs like this one his voice is just beautiful along with a simple but great sweet melody. The whole "TT" single is amazingly beautiful but Jupiter's lament alone is a masterpiece

6.To forgive: I can be related to this song ... simple as that, is beautiful and for me is one of the best lyrics on MCIS. Those typical changes along the song, the sound, the lyrics proves you why MCIS is the album that it is. A big everytime favourite

That's was hard to say in another language, hope you can understand the feelings I described, sure you can, every person that loves TSP doesn't need too much explanation when another fan talks, you feel it yourself

Pennies: Sweet and superb

Stand inside your love: just.....awesome

Hummer: Perfection?

Bury Me: Perfection?

Behold! the Nite Mare: All you have to do.....

off the top of my head.

I'm not going to make a list... God knows for me that'd be impossible...

I think the greatest thing The Pumpkins have done and probably ever will do is the Tonight Tonight video. Something just works... to make that video indescribably awesome to me...

Another one of my favorite songs is XYU. No one knows what it stands for. It sounds like a pretty cool song name for three letters. It's a dark, long, and insanely angry song, but it never really just goes off on this whole cursing rant... there's just that pure hate in his voice. And Mary had a Little Lamb? Genious.

Soma -> From "One last kiss goodnight..." till the end of the song // Very "pumpkin" moment, the distortion makes me cry !

For Martha -> Too much sadness in this song... the solo is !!! the distortion is fabulous !

Crestfallen -> The "Who am I ?" part is f***** great...

Glass + the ghost ch. -> Puts me in a trance too...^^

Galapogos + Muzzle + Porcelina of the vast oc. -> 3 great songs. Highlights : Galapogos "too late to turn back now"; Muzzle "And I knew..." is the climax; Porcelina's instrumental scheme and distortion.

Beautiful + Lily + By starlight -> I can't separate these 3 songs... they make a whole. "So let the clouds roll by..." is the climax.

(( J, I/MSOTS -> Jimmy rhythmic pattern : ))

1.) why am i so tired - satisfying if you've got time to listen to it.

2.) set the ray to jerry - great when you're high. good straight, too.

3.) this time - sounds a bit like billy's solo career. 'cept better.

4.) go - i appreciate all of james iha's work. i like "take me down", too.

5.) suffer - i really like that woody flute near the middle of the song.

6.) eye - love that loud build-up. also those weird chords at the end.

7?) french movie theme - tee hee! yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah.

"Landslide" - Unlike others whom I've heard, when Billy sings it, he sounds like he really means it. Hearing this song made want to cry for the loss of the child I once was. I think I might have.

"Farewell and Goodnight" - In moments where life seems unbearably cruel, this sad but calming lullaby brings you a little closer towards peace. The solo piano at the end evokes images of gazing with childlike wonder and contentment at the moon and stars, while drifting away from sadness, and falling in slowly towards comfort and sleep.

"Medellia of the Gray Skies" - This song is so hard to describe...it's nostalgic, loving, reverent, dream-like, heartbroken...this song makes me think of the blissful dreams of a 4 year old.

"Daphne Descends" - A perfect representation of the bizarre and passionate madness, the deepest, darkest devotion you feel when you're in love/infatuated. I almost wish I was a girl so I could identify better with the lyrics.

"Age of Innocence" - There are such complex emotions in this song. It's like a feeling of freshness and liberation, but tinged with bitterness and feelings of being lost. It's like someone losing their faith in God and the afterlife, and accepting their eventual death.

"Home" - The imagery in the song is so strong--it makes me feel like I'm in a post-apocalyptic setting, in a dark, dry and bleak landscape, seeing the "city lights so far and dull." It makes me think of the last scenes of the book The Giver, by Lois Lowry.

I have to go out in a minute so I don't have time to give explanations as to why this is my top 6, but here it is:

1. XYU
2. Soma
3. Disarm (live, London '93)
4. Ava Adore
5. Love
6. Today