"MAYONAISE" THE SMASHING PUMPKINS (1993)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

Funny how music albums turn into time machines. You press “play” and then, just like that, you’re back in time. Somewhere great. Somewhere awful. I play The Smashing Pumpkin's’ Siamese Dream and I’m right back inside my dorm in my sophomore year of college. My roommate – who went on to become one of my groomsmen – and I lived and breathed music together. Going to shows. Picking up new CDs at Boston’s Newbury Comics. Writing record reviews for the school paper. And, best of all, blasting tunes like “Mayonaise” on our speakers.

“Mayonaise” is essential Pumpkins. Not an obscure track by any stretch. In fact, it’s considered one of the band’s best songs by some of their biggest fans. But it wasn’t one of Siamese Dream’s singles – and it is Track 9 on the album. A revered deep cut from the mid 90’s, it is languid and sleepy one moment, then the pressure valve releases and musical catharsis happens. “Mayonaise” – a playful spelling of the song’s theme “my own eys” was co-written by Billy Corgan and James Iha, which endears the song to me even more. It cannot be traced back to just the frontman, it’s the band’s song. And in 1993, it was our song.

“Pick your pockets full of sorrow. Run away with me tomorrow.”

"CHERUB ROCK" THE SMASHING PUMPKINS (1993)

Great album openers get the listeners to keep on listening. They can do this in any number of ways. Some openers set the tone by easing us in. Others jump right in and blow our minds from the very beginning. A great album opener isn’t an easy thing to create. More than a great song, it’s all about the sequence. Track 1 has to be the perfect starter. This month, I’m highlighting my favorites. #AlbumOpeningSongs

They say music is the soundtrack of our lives. And Siamese Dream is the soundtrack of my sophomore year in college. It’s the music behind the all-nighters. The lazy afternoons. The post-study, pre-game, always-on music of that year. Siamese Dream kept the grunge era interesting for me. The drums and bass were in perpetual attack mode. The guitars were on fire. And Billy Corgan sang these incredible melodies with some fire of his own. The opening track had a curious name. “Cherub Rock”. The title made me want to listen.
The song itself was a rude awakening. A swift kick in the head. It could’ve been a great closer as well. But you can’t argue with the sequencing of an incredible album like Siamese Dream. “Cherub Rock” is like a pot of boiling water overflowing. Corgan, almost demonically, repeatedly implores, “Let me out.” “Today” and “Disarm” were bigger hits. But “Cherub Rock” was the most potent. An assuring sign that rock & roll was alive and well – and that grunge didn’t have to be cut the same exact way every single time.

“As long as there's some money, who wants that honey?”

"LUNA" THE SMASHING PUMPKINS (1993)

I generally gravitate to the music first before the lyrics. But as a writer, I still marvel at well-spun verses and choruses. This month, I’m joining the music Twitter community in #31DaySongLyricChallenge

Day 21

Languid. Dreamy. Mysterious. On an album stockpiled with alternative bangers, “Luna” ended Siamese Dream like a song for the wee hours. The final jam. It’s one of my favorites from one of the greatest albums of that early 90s grunge - alternative rock era. Corgan’s words had a lot to do with it. A moonlit moment with a lover – and the music that brings them together.

“And those moonsongs that you sing your babies will be the songs to see you through.”

"TODAY" THE SMASHING PUMPKINS (1993)

Each day in November, I’m revisiting a song from the 90’s — a decade that was a sorta coming of age for me. In that span, I experienced high school, college and my time as a young single guy in New York City. It was a decade of ups and downs, and the music never stopped playing during that span. It was always there with me. #30DaysOf90sSongs

I’m not the biggest fan of the grunge era. But when it was happening, it seemed fitting for the times. The genre became so big that it was practically impossible to prevent it from defining our life soundtrack no matter how much we detested it. The band that I liked most of that period was The Smashing Pumpkins. First, the music rocked as hard as the band name did. Second, as much of a control freak Billy Corgan was, I always appreciated his respect and admiration for all the great bands that came before them. And any Rush fan is a fan of mine. Siamese Dream was on heavy rotation in our dorms at college. So many great bangers on that album, but “Today” was the standout.

I’ve written previously about my affinity for songs that employ quiet-loud-quiet dynamics. And The Smashing Pumpkins did it as well as anyone. “Today” is a tale of two cities in rock form, going from quiet, dreamy verses to absolute nightmare fits of distortion in the chorus. At one point in the song, the guitar riff sounds like a siren coming from a fire truck. Then moments later, it sounds like it lit itself in scorching flames. “Today” is not a song for the faint of heart. It’s explosive, and at times sounds more like metal than alt rock. There will never be another rock song quite like it again.

“Today is the greatest day I've ever known. Can't live for tomorrow. Tomorrow's much too long. I'll burn my eyes out before I get out.”

"TONIGHT, TONIGHT" THE SMASHING PUMPKINS (1995)

“Tonight, Tonight” brings me back to the summer of 1995. Up until then, The Smashing Pumpkins were rocking hard and raw, but were pretty much characterized by Billy Corgan doing everything. But then Mellon Collie came out and the rest of the band started to take on larger roles. “Tonight, Tonight” was the ultimate example of this band suddenly opening up, democratizing their sound, and being better for it. It doesn’t sound like one guy laying down 8 different tracks. It’s an epic Smashing Pumpkins anthem with even the Chicago Symphony Orchestra taking a turn in the recording booth. While Siamese Dream leaned grunge, this song leaned head first into grand.

“We'll crucify the insincere tonight. We'll make things right, we'll feel it all tonight. We'll find a way to offer up the night tonight. The indescribable moments of your life tonight. The impossible is possible tonight. Believe in me as I believe in you, tonight.”