The 30 Best Smashing Pumpkins Songs, from Siamese Dream to Mellon Collie

What is the Smashing Pumpkins' most famous song?

"1979" is the Smashing Pumpkins' most famous song and their biggest hit, a number 12 single on the Billboard Hot 100 that topped the alternative chart in 1996. "Tonight, Tonight", "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", "Today" and "Disarm" are their other signature songs.

The Smashing Pumpkins' biggest hits

1. "1979", 1996: a nostalgic, shimmering song about teenage restlessness.
2. "Tonight, Tonight", 1996: an orchestral epic with one of the most famous videos of the decade.
3. "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", 1995: a furious, Grammy-winning number 22 hit.
4. "Today", 1993: a bright-sounding song that hides a dark story.
5. "Disarm", 1994: a stark ballad with strings and bells.
6. "Cherub Rock", 1993: the roaring opener of Siamese Dream.
7. "Zero", 1996: a heavy, stuttering riff from Mellon Collie.
8. "Thirty-Three", 1996: a gentle, acoustic number 39 hit.
9. "Ava Adore", 1998: the dark, electronic-tinged lead single from Adore.
10. "The End Is the Beginning Is the End", 1997: their Grammy-winning song for Batman and Robin.

Songs from Gish (1991) and Siamese Dream (1993)

11. "I Am One", 1990: their first single, released on a Chicago indie label.
12. "Siva", 1991: the first single from Gish, all heavy riffs and dynamics.
13. "Rhinoceros", 1991: a dreamy, slow-building favorite from Gish.
14. "Rocket", 1994: a soaring single from Siamese Dream.
15. "Mayonaise", 1993: a fan favorite that many call their best song.
16. "Soma", 1993: a nearly seven-minute slow burn.
17. "Hummer", 1993: a long, layered deep cut.
18. "Spaceboy", 1993: Corgan's tender song for his younger brother.
19. "Landslide", 1994: their delicate cover of the Fleetwood Mac song, from Pisces Iscariot.

Songs from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)

20. "Muzzle", 1995: a soaring, hopeful rock song.
21. "Jellybelly", 1995: a heavy, driving deep cut.
22. "Here Is No Why", 1995: a melodic fan favorite.
23. "By Starlight", 1995: a slow, dreamy song near the end of the album.
24. "Porcelina of the Vast Oceans", 1995: a sprawling nine-minute epic.

Songs from Adore, Machina and the reunion years

25. "Perfect", 1998: a synth-pop single whose video revisits the characters from "1979".
26. "To Sheila", 1998: a quiet, acoustic opener from Adore.
27. "Stand Inside Your Love", 2000: a number two alternative hit from Machina.
28. "The Everlasting Gaze", 1999: a heavy return to guitars.
29. "Tarantula", 2007: the comeback single from Zeitgeist, another number two alternative hit.
30. "Solara", 2018: the first single of the reunion with James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin.

Who are the Smashing Pumpkins?

The Smashing Pumpkins formed in Chicago in 1988 when singer and guitarist Billy Corgan teamed up with guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Their 1991 debut, Gish, made them alternative rock contenders, and Siamese Dream, produced by Butch Vig in 1993, made them stars. In 1995 they released Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, a 28-song double album that debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and produced five hit singles. D'arcy Wretzky left in 1999 and Melissa Auf der Maur played bass on the final tour. The band split in 2000, re-formed in the mid-2000s around Corgan and Chamberlin, and reunited with Iha in 2018.

Smashing Pumpkins albums in order

• Gish (1991): a heavy, psychedelic debut produced by Butch Vig.
• Siamese Dream (1993): the breakthrough, built on layer after layer of guitars.
• Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995): the 28-song double album that debuted at number one.
• Adore (1998): a quieter, electronic turn made after Jimmy Chamberlin's departure.
• Machina/The Machines of God (2000): a concept album with Chamberlin back on drums.
• Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music (2000): a companion record that Corgan gave away free online.
• Zeitgeist (2007): the comeback album, with "Tarantula".
• Oceania (2012): a lush, melodic album that critics welcomed as a return to form.
• Monuments to an Elegy (2014): a short, punchy album with Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe on drums.
• Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 (2018): the reunion with Iha and Chamberlin, produced by Rick Rubin.
• Cyr (2020): a synth-heavy double album.
• Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts (2023): a sprawling sequel to the worlds of Mellon Collie and Machina.
• Aghori Mhori Mei (2024): a return to heavy guitars.

If you are new to the band, start with Siamese Dream, then take your time with Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

The story behind 1979

Billy Corgan wrote "1979" about the restless feeling of being on the edge of adulthood; he turned 12 in 1979. Its looping beat and chiming guitars made it unlike anything else the band had released. The video, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, follows a group of suburban teenagers through one long night, and "Perfect" later revisited the same characters as adults.

The story behind Today and Disarm

"Today" sounds sunny, but Corgan wrote it during a period of deep depression, and the contrast between its cheerful melody and its darker meaning is the point. Its video casts him as an ice cream truck driver. "Disarm" is a reflection on Corgan's difficult childhood, carried by strings, bells and acoustic guitar instead of distortion. Both came from Siamese Dream, which the band made under enormous pressure and which is now considered one of the great albums of the 90s.

The story behind Tonight, Tonight

"Tonight, Tonight" was recorded with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and its video, directed by Dayton and Faris, is an homage to Georges Méliès' 1902 silent film A Trip to the Moon. The video won six MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year in 1996.

Grammy wins

The Smashing Pumpkins won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance two years in a row: for "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" in 1997 and for "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" in 1998.

Smashing Pumpkins songs for a wedding or a sad day

"Tonight, Tonight" and "Stand Inside Your Love" are popular with alternative couples for a first dance or an entrance, and "Thirty-Three" is a gentle choice for a slideshow. For a hard day, "Disarm", "Spaceboy" and "Landslide" are quietly beautiful. For more, see our rock love songs and sad songs.

Smashing Pumpkins songs for a road trip or a workout

For a long drive, start with "Cherub Rock", "Rocket" and "1979", then ease into "Thirty-Three" and "Tonight, Tonight" as the sun goes down. For a workout, "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", "Zero", "Jellybelly" and "Geek U.S.A." hit the hardest, and "Siva" makes a great warm-up. For more driving music, see our road trip songs.

More 90s rock

If you love the Smashing Pumpkins, try our Soundgarden songs and 90s wedding songs.

A song as personal as their favorite album

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