Less influenced by punk than many of their contemporaries, the Pumpkins had a densely layered, guitar-heavy sound, with powerful loud-to-soft-to-loud transitions, while still picking up grunge, heavy metal, power pop, psychedelic rock, shoegazer-style production.
In later recordings, namely Adore, the fourth album, an electronica flair filtered in after Jimmy Chamberlin temporarily left the band for drug rehab. Though Chamberlin returned for their fifth album, Machina/The Machines of God, electronica undertones remained. The emotional tone of bandleader Billy Corgan's songs ranged from angry (X.Y.U.) to dour (Disarm) to jubilant (Cherub Rock).
Selling more than 18.3 million albums in the United States alone (as of 2006), The Smashing Pumpkins were one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands of the 1990s. However, internal fighting, diminishing sales, drug problems, cultural vitality, and what is speculated to be improper treatment from their record company, hampered the band in their later years, leading to the 2000 break-up.
Prior to the complete dissolution of the original line-up, their final tour (dubbed "Sacred and Profane"), featured former Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur to fill in the gap left by D'arcy Wretzky, who left in September of 1999. Besides touring with the band she also appeared in the videos accompanying "Machina/The Machines of God".
The band's final album, "MACHINA II / The Friends And Enemies of Modern Music" was unofficially released on vinyl in 2000, prior to their break-up, with the record company refusing to back the band with a pressing. Only 25 vinyl copies were made, each signed by the band. The album was then released across various fan sites by those who received the album and transferred it digitally, as a final tribute to the band's supporters.
Problems have been seen since then with Billy Corgan, James Iha (who later joined A Perfect Circle), and D'arcy Wretzky, both of whom started their own record company Scratchie Records.
Billy Corgan would continue from there first forming the band Zwan with members Matt Sweeney, Paz Lenchantin, David Pajo, and Jimmy Chamberlin. After a bad breakup shortly after their debut album Mary Star Of The Sea Billy turned solo and released the album TheFutureEmbrace. Jimmy Chamberlin formed the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex, and Corgan recorded vocals for them on the track entitled Loki Cat.
In mid-April 2006, The Smashing Pumpkins "reunited" with original members Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin. They performed live as The Smashing Pumpkins for the first time in 6 and a half years on May 22, 2007 in Paris, France. There, the band unveiled new members Jeff Schroeder, Ginger Reyes and Lisa Harriton who took over rhythm guitarist, bassist and keyboard duties respectively.
The band's latest studio album, titled "Zeitgeist", was released on July 10, 2007 to mixed reviews. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, #1 on the United World Chart, and in the top ten for several other countries.
On Jan 2, 2008 the Pumpkins released the American Gothic EP exclusively on iTunes as part of an expanded version of Zeitgeist. The four tracks: "The Rose March", "Again Again Again (The Crux)", "Pox", and "Sunkissed" demonstrate a more acoustic sound when compared to the rest of Zeitgeist.
In March, 2008 the group contributed the song "Superchrist" to a compilation CD released by Guitar Center. Though Corgan and Chamberlin have continued to record as a duo, Jeff Schroeder indicated that he might be contributing to future recordings. No longer signed to a record label, Corgan and Chamberlin purchased a recording studio in Chicago and began recording in May, again, as a pair. The band released the single G.L.O.W. on October 1st of 2008.
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Wound
Smashing Pumpkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In bathing light and naked blue
You're a part of me eternal one
By grand design and setting sun
If you wait I will wait
Taste I will taste
If you love I will love
To my last breath
Last night I turned around and thought I saw myself turning
Inside the strangest dream of life unloved and cities burning
Awake in my arms you cry unshamed
Our age of the hours while they still devour all
So take it all, I doubt if we will know it's gone
'Cause we've been here since time began
Begged God awake and make these plans
Wound opens, reveal this broken man
And soon there's notions of blood on his hands
If you wait, I will wait
Taste, I will taste
If you love, I will love
Run, I will run
To my last breath
Last night I turned around and thought I saw myself turning
Last night I turned around and thought I watched the world ending
Inside the crushing down I felt a pang, the tide was turning
Destroyed in the wake
The jealous ingrates
Who'll tear this world down
To spite God above
With his own love
With his own love
If you wait, if you wait
If you wait, I will wait
Taste, I will taste
If you love, I will love
Run, I will run
To my last breath
The lyrics of Wound by Smashing Pumpkins are very enigmatic and emotive. The song is about a lover who has been with the singer since the beginning of time. The lover is described as eternal and all-encompassing, as the singer offers themselves in return. The song speaks of waiting for one another, of feeling pain and pleasure, of running until one's last breath. The lyrics paint a picture of a deep and unbreakable bond that exists between two people, regardless of the world around them.
The opening line of the song, "There you are as you always were," speaks to the idea of eternal love and the notion that one's true love never changes. The phrase "bathing light and naked blue" could be interpreted as a reference to the sky or the ocean, both of which have been used in poetry to symbolize infinity and the boundless. The chorus repeats the line "If you wait, I will wait," which emphasizes the patience required when experiencing something as vast as eternity. The song's title "Wound" could be taken to mean both emotional wounds caused by love and physical wounds inflicted by time.
In the second verse, the lyrics take a turn towards imagery of destruction and violence. The lines "Last night I turned around and thought I saw myself turning / Inside the strangest dream of life unloved and cities burning" create a sense of unease and foreboding. The verse then transitions to a scene of vulnerability and tenderness, as the singer comforts their lover who is crying in their arms. The final lines of the song speak to the destructive nature of mankind and the jealousy that fuels acts of violence.
Overall, the lyrics to Wound are haunting and emotive, exploring themes of love, time, and destruction. The song is a love letter to an eternal partner, filled with complex imagery and a deep sense of longing.
Line by Line Meaning
There you are as you always were
You have remained consistent and unchanged over time
In bathing light and naked blue
The environment around you is illuminated and exposed
You're a part of me eternal one
You are an essential and everlasting aspect of my being
By grand design and setting sun
Your presence is divinely orchestrated and significant, even as things come to an end
If you wait I will wait
I am willing to be patient for you, if necessary
Taste I will taste
I am willing to experience what you experience, even if it's unpleasant
If you love I will love
I am capable of reciprocating your affection
Run I will run
I am willing to move forward with you, even if it's difficult
To my last breath
Until I have no more time on this earth
Last night I turned around and thought I saw myself turning
I experienced a strange and surreal moment of self-reflection
Inside the strangest dream of life unloved and cities burning
Within a weird and unsettling dream, everything seemed bleak and hopeless
Awake in my arms you cry unshamed
You express your emotions openly and without shame, while with me
Our age of the hours while they still devour all
Time continues to pass us by and take away everything, while we grow older
So take it all, I doubt if we will know it's gone
We should cherish what we have now, because we may not realize when it's all taken away
'Cause we've been here since time began
Our existence has been present since the beginning of time
Begged God awake and make these plans
Requesting divine intervention to create and execute a specific plan
Wound opens, reveal this broken man
An emotional wound causes me to confront my weaknesses and limitations
And soon there's notions of blood on his hands
I begin to feel guilty for my past actions and shortcomings
Last night I turned around and thought I saw myself turning
I had another moment of introspection and self-reflection
Last night I turned around and thought I watched the world ending
I witnessed a metaphorical or symbolic collapse of society
Inside the crushing down I felt a pang, the tide was turning
I experienced a feeling of discomfort or unease, indicating that change was coming
Destroyed in the wake, the jealous ingrates
Envious, ungrateful people were left behind in the aftermath of destruction
Who'll tear this world down to spite God above, with his own love, with his own love
There are individuals who intentionally cause destruction in order to defy a higher power or authority, despite having the potential to create and love
If you wait, if you wait, if you wait, I will wait
Reiterating my willingness to be patient and wait for you
Taste, I will taste, if you love, I will love, run, I will run
Reiterating my willingness to experience what you do, reciprocate affection, and continue to move forward
To my last breath
Reiterating my commitment and dedication until the very end
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WILLIAM PATRICK CORGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind