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.
Rotten Apples
The Smashing Pumpkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With longing and grace, God-given
Suffer her heart
And love her when your love goes unrequited
Where the cool winds blow I must surely go
For my love calls me lo to drag her from the depths of my soul
When will I see her again?
The other side of friends
The empty-breathed desire
Dirty you face
With longing and grace, God-given
Suffer her heart
And love her when you love goes unrequited
Restless in my speech
And ruthless in my teach
So vacant in my breach
I drive the dirt of her garden
Sorrow
She'll never listen again
No other lovers to bend
Just rotten apples to eat
Slathered yellow distant scorn
Dirty you face
With longing and grace, God-given
Suffer her heart
And love her when you love goes unrequited
Life just fades away
Purity just begs
Dust to dust we're wired into sadness
The lyrics to "Rotten Apples" by The Smashing Pumpkins seem to be a meditation on longing, unrequited love, and the sorrow that can come from being unable to connect with someone you care about deeply. The repeated refrain of "Dirty your face with longing and grace, God-given / Suffer her heart and love her when your love goes unrequited" suggests that the singer is trying to adopt a certain posture towards their unrequited love -- one of devotion, of grace, even in the face of rejection.
The song is filled with vivid imagery that underscores the singer's sense of despair and disconnection. The line "I must surely go / For my love calls me lo to drag her from the depths of my soul" seems to suggest that the singer is unable to shake their feelings for this person, and is willing to go to great lengths to try and win their affection. Similarly, the line about "the darkened clouds of death" and "the empty-breathed desire" hint at a kind of emotional darkness or emptiness that the singer is grappling with.
Overall, "Rotten Apples" is a haunting, melancholy song that captures the complicated emotions that can come with unrequited love. The lyrics suggest a desire to cling to hope and grace in the face of disappointment, while also acknowledging the deep sadness that can come from being unable to connect with someone you care about deeply.
Line by Line Meaning
Dirty your face
Get your hands dirty and put effort into pursuing your desires
With longing and grace, God-given
Pursue your desires passionately with a sense of divine inspiration
Suffer her heart
Endure the emotional pain of pursuing someone you love
And love her when your love goes unrequited
Continue to love someone even if they do not return your feelings
Where the cool winds blow I must surely go
I must follow my instincts and go where my heart leads me
For my love calls me lo to drag her from the depths of my soul
My love drives me to dig deep within myself to pursue her
When will I see her again?
Yearn for the person you love and wonder when you'll be able to see them again
The other side of friends
Feeling isolated in your love and unable to confide in your friends
The darkened clouds of death
Feeling overwhelmed by the difficulties of pursuing love
The empty-breathed desire
The feeling of wanting something so badly but not being able to have it
Restless in my speech
Feeling anxious and unable to express your emotions accurately
And ruthless in my teach
Despite feeling anxious and unable to express yourself, be unrelenting and determined in pursuing your love
So vacant in my breach
Despite being determined, feeling empty and depleted in your efforts
I drive the dirt of her garden
I put in the hard work to pursue her despite the difficulties
Sorrow
Feeling deep sadness due to unrequited love
She'll never listen again
The person you love may never listen to you again and your words may fall on deaf ears
No other lovers to bend
Being unwilling to pursue anyone else but the person you love
Just rotten apples to eat
Being stuck in a situation where the only options seem unappealing or bad
Slathered yellow distant scorn
Feeling bitter and resentful towards someone who seems inaccessible
Life just fades away
Life is fleeting and time spent yearning for someone may be wasted
Purity just begs
Feeling that purity, honesty, and goodness is rejected when pursuing love
Dust to dust we're wired into sadness
We are wired to feel sadness and disappointment in the face of unrequited love
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIAM PATRICK CORGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
YigsHorror
Lyrics
Dirty your face
With longing and grace, God-given
Suffer her heart
And love her when your love goes unrequited
Where the cool winds blow I must surely go
For my love calls me lo to drag her from the depths of my soul
When will I see her again?
The other side of friends
The darkened clouds of death
The empty-breathed desire
Dirty you face
With longing and grace, God-given
Suffer her heart
And love her when you love goes unrequited
Restless in my speech
And ruthless in my teach
So vacant in my breach
I drive the dirt of her garden
Sorrow
She'll never listen again
No other lovers to bend
Just rotten apples to eat
Slathered yellow distant scorn
Dirty you face
With longing and grace, God-given
Suffer her heart
And love her when you love goes unrequited
Life just fades away
Purity just begs
Dust to dust we're wired into sadness
Chucky Mota
I don't know how such a beautiful song can almost be completely unknown by people
Elijah Should
@Rod Taylor I just think whatever trip he was on- whatev r he tapped into from like 94-97ish maybe- was just pure like GODDAMN GODSPEED
Like Carl Sagan called us:
STARSTUFF
William Foster
Not by me
My cat loves to watch Tv
Haha . True 💕 .
Destrukto777
Good
Rod Taylor
A lot of their best songs are B-sides
3lullabies
Billy Corgan is the greatest lyricist/poet/penman of his times...he really writes some deep stuff. and its not all riddle like,you can get what hes meaning even when he writes it elaborately. plays interesting guitar parts and conveys great emotion in his singing too. all around solid musician.
Diorama
Billy Corgan is certainly a gift from God.
YigsHorror
Lyrics
Dirty your face
With longing and grace, God-given
Suffer her heart
And love her when your love goes unrequited
Where the cool winds blow I must surely go
For my love calls me lo to drag her from the depths of my soul
When will I see her again?
The other side of friends
The darkened clouds of death
The empty-breathed desire
Dirty you face
With longing and grace, God-given
Suffer her heart
And love her when you love goes unrequited
Restless in my speech
And ruthless in my teach
So vacant in my breach
I drive the dirt of her garden
Sorrow
She'll never listen again
No other lovers to bend
Just rotten apples to eat
Slathered yellow distant scorn
Dirty you face
With longing and grace, God-given
Suffer her heart
And love her when you love goes unrequited
Life just fades away
Purity just begs
Dust to dust we're wired into sadness
pen219
Thanks for post