Disavowing the punk rock roots of many of their alt-rock contemporaries, they have a diverse, densely layered, and guitar-heavy sound, containing elements of gothic rock, heavy metal, dream pop, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, shoegazing, and, in later recordings, electronica. Corgan is the group's primary songwriter; his musical ambitions and cathartic lyrics have shaped the band's albums and songs, which have been described as "anguished, bruised reports from Billy Corgan's nightmare-land".
The Smashing Pumpkins broke into the musical mainstream with their second album, 1993's Siamese Dream. The group built its audience with extensive touring and their 1995 follow-up, the double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart. 1998's Adore would just barely miss out, peaking at number two. With 30 million albums sold worldwide, the Smashing Pumpkins were one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands of the 1990s. However, internal fighting, drug use, and diminishing record sales led to a 2000 break-up.
In 2006, Corgan and Chamberlin reconvened to record a new Smashing Pumpkins album, Zeitgeist. After touring throughout 2007 and 2008 with a lineup including new guitarist Jeff Schroeder, Chamberlin left the band in early 2009. Later that year, Corgan began a new recording series with a rotating lineup of musicians entitled Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, which encompassed the release of stand-alone singles, compilation EP releases, and two full albums that also fell under the project's scope—Oceania in 2012 and Monuments to an Elegy in 2014. Chamberlin and Iha officially rejoined the band in February 2018. The reunited lineup has released three albums so far—Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. in November 2018, Cyr in November 2020, and ATUM in 2023.
Once In A Lifetime
The Smashing Pumpkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once in a while for you
The shades will draw
Once in a while for you
Destiny will hide the sense of your time
Once in a while
The soldiers will fall
Once in a while for you
The shades will crawl
Once in a while for you
You'll take the walls
I will take the new ring
Once in a while
Once in a while it's you
Once in a while it's you
Once in a while
You'll make it on your own
You'll make it so alone
Feel so alone
You'll try to care
Once in a while for me
And I will be there
Once in a while
Once in a while for you
Once in a while for you
Once in a while for you
The lyrics of "Once in a Lifetime" by The Smashing Pumpkins describe a sense of detachment and loneliness. The repetition of the phrase "once in a while for you" reinforces the idea of infrequency or rarity, suggesting that these moments of connection and support are hard to come by. The imagery of horses running, shades drawing, soldiers falling, and walls being taken all invoke a sense of action and conflict, but the overall tone is one of resignation and acceptance: these events happen, but they are not necessarily significant or meaningful.
The line "Destiny will hide the sense of your time" speaks to the idea that the future is uncertain and unpredictable, and there may be times where you feel lost or directionless. The contrast between this pessimistic sentiment and the hopeful chorus ("Once in a while it's you / You'll make it on your own / You'll make it so alone / Feel so alone") is striking, suggesting that while the singer acknowledges the difficulties of life, they still believe that there is hope and strength in individual resilience.
Overall, the lyrics of "Once in a Lifetime" are open to interpretation, but they seem to reflect a sense of existential angst and an awareness of life's inherent ephemerality.
Line by Line Meaning
Horses run
Opportunities arise
Once in a while for you
But they are rare and may not happen again
The shades will draw
There will be times of darkness and uncertainty
Destiny will hide the sense of your time
It may seem as though you have no control over your life's direction
The soldiers will fall
Obstacles will arise
The shades will crawl
Those obstacles will be difficult to overcome
You'll take the walls
You will face challenges head on
I will take the new ring
I will try something new and uncharted
Once in a while it's you
Sometimes you are the one who succeeds and prevails
You'll make it on your own
You will have to rely on yourself to achieve your goals
You'll make it so alone
It could be a lonely journey
Feel so alone
It will be emotionally taxing
You'll try to care
You will still try to help others even when facing your own struggles
And I will be there
I will support you when you need it
Once in a while for you
As mentioned before, those rare moments of opportunity will arise
Once in a while for you
And when they do, they will be for you to seize
Once in a while for you
So make the most of those chances when they come
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: WILLIAM PATRICK CORGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
T Parker
1:08 is the best part, love their take on the song.
CrAfTIng sHaFt
Guys it's their own rendition. Separate from the original, yes we can all agree the original was better. Just a thought to keep in mind
RadioNul
1979 is brilliant. That's all I will say...
Arik
Same as it ever was
Richard Walsh
once in a lifetime is too many times to listen to this version
jacob ryan
The talking pumpkins? pumpkin heads? :3
phillip hawkins
His Landslide cover was MUCH better. Just sayin
rob fogg
Cant tell its once in a lifetime cover tho. Sounds like hes coughing up flem to me
Rope Kittens
Why so many dislikes? Like, this is just fucking awesome to me!
M W
Rope Kittens I saw them do this live back in 2000 at Wembley Arena. It was awesome then and it is still awesome!