One of the most influential bands of the 90s, The Smashing Pumpkins is in the process
of releasing their third installment of their “double album trilogy” as Billy Corgan calls it. The
album is being released in three separate chunks; the first one was released on Nov. 29th. The
new album is called ATUM: A Rock Opera in Three Acts. This is their third double album, with
the first two being Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and Machina. So while we wait for the
rest of the new album, which to be honest is not looking so great as of right now, Let’s look back
on their first double album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.
Mellon Collie is known as an untouchable masterpiece amongst fans of the pumpkins.
This album has made many people cry. Either because of the sadness in songs like To Forgive,
or because of just the beauty and pure emotion in songs like Tonight, Tonight. This is a pretty
lengthy album, however, it earned its right to be lengthy. Since every song on this album is
nearly flawless, along with the fact that there is such a wide genre variety in here, it is not
difficult to get through the 28 songs at all.
Although there is a decent amount of genre hopping in this album, it can mostly be split
into the slow sad songs, and the fast angry songs. Some slow sad songs include Thirty Three.
Thirty Three’s meaning is hard to tell, some fans speculate that it’s about his feelings toward
Christian spirituality, some say it’s about looking back on memories. Whatever the meaning is, it
is a beautiful, nostalgic-feeling song that depending on the day can inflict different emotions. I
don’t exactly know how but this song feels happy and sad at the same time. Sometimes you
listen to the song and happily remember the old days, and other times you listen to it and get
worked up over how much you miss those same days.
Additionally, another slower song on Mellon Collie is called Take Me Down. An extremely
underrated song, sung by James Iha. This song does not get enough credit, it is a beautifully
heart-wrenching track. Iha is not the greatest at singing, but honestly it makes it better. It sounds
like a genuine message from his heart to a lover. A lot of pumpkins fans online classify this as
their least favorite song on Mellon Collie, which is grossly unfair in my opinion. This song
deserves much more credit than it gets. It would be a great wedding song.
One of the more popular songs on the album is Tonight Tonight. Not only is it a more
recognizable song on the album, it’s one of the band’s more mainstream songs, and for a good
reason. The song somehow resonates with people with its triumphant orchestral hooks filled
with poetic lines from Corgan. Corgan’s sentimental lyrics complimented with his whiney voice
somehow perfectly captivates the melodic but also energetic feeling of this song. The song feels
nostalgic and even melancholic but also triumphant and uplifting at the same time.
Showcasing the heavier side of Mellon Collie, The song Bodies perfectly captures the
band’s angst. The Smashing Pumpkins somehow always could perfectly balance between soft
songs and heavy songs. When the band wants you to feel one thing you feel it in their song.
With the song Bodies definitely meant to feel anger. From its crunchy distorted riff that lunges
you into the song to Corgan’s snarling vocals. The song oozes anger.
Bullet with Butterfly Wings is a raging grungy classic. The song has one of the most
famous hooks of the 90s. The guitars are loud, the drums beat with fury, and Corgan’s vocals
assist to the song’s anger. Even the softer parts of the song are still full of tension building. It is
undoubtedly a 90s rock anthem.
In conclusion, Billy Corgan poured his heart and soul into this album, along with every
other member showing off their ability to create amazing songs made to invoke emotions in the

listener. This album is an 11/10, a perfect example of how a double album should be made. Not
a single miss on this album, every song is essentially genius. The 28 tracks go by before you
even realize. A lot of the time, a double album is a pretentious idea from a band that thinks they
are better than they really are, filled with mediocre tracks and some standouts. However, Mellon
Collie is a double album made when the Pumpkins actually had a surplus of amazing songs.