My all time favorite album is Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins. Everything about it is a genX manifesto, from the self indulgent double disk treatment to the whine-sneer of Billy Corgan’s voice. The landscape of the record is amazing–150ish minutes of wandering from hard rocking tunes from the 70’s (Bullet w/Butterfly, Muzzle) to songs (porcelina) that were truly lovely and kind. I’m sure that I don’t understand all of Billy’s intentions with the record, only that it was a title shot and to me it won. None of the songs were my favorite, having just DL’d the American Gothic EP you can see hints of the latter in the former.
Anyway, the Late 90’s were a pretty confusing time for me. I was totally without identity, trying to get the approbation of my parents (while still rejecting their workaday values). Was in my early 20s, and I remember the days and the women (when I was 23….it was), the apartments and the bars and everything vividly when I hear some songs. The list below isn’t a list of ‘favorites’ by any means, it’s a list of songs that I deliberately listened to and sometimes didn’t deliberately listen to, but always takes me back.
10. My Philosophy: Ben Folds Deliberate Listen. My friend Will introduced me to them. I’d probably also want to include The Rascal King on this list.
9. The Poet Game By Greg Brown. WYEP out of Pittsburgh introduced me to this chestnut, and GB is probably the most underrated songwriter in existence. I remember this song very well. And I linked you to a reasonably good cover. Better voice, but less expressive than GB’s original.
8. Summertime- The Sundays. This was the song that got me on napster, actually. I loved this tune so much. And it was a hot little chick, wasn’t it?
7. Radiation Vibe: Fountains of Wayne I remember the summer of 1997 in DC, running across the bridges and rollerblading down hills. One of my very favorite songs before and after.
6. Disarm/Today: Pumpkins Siamese Dream didn’t do it for me like Mellon Collie, but these two songs lifted out of it are still magnificent. They are the same song, I used to go from 3 skip skip 6 all the time on some CD player I had.
5. The Cardigans: Love Fool. No, I didn’t like this song, but it was everywhere.
4. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Roller Coaster ubiquitous. Maybe “music is my aeroplane” should be here, that takes me back.
3. Republica- Ready To Go dunno when this song came out, but it was on a mix tape. I didn’t hear it a lot then, but it takes me back.
2. Dave Matthews- Crash. In a bit of foolishness I was listening to this song in my DC apartment in the early summer of 1997. I got punched in the arm because I told the girl I was with that it reminded me of someone else. She never spoke to me again, ever. I deserved that for being obtuse. I remember the original girl in the late spring of 1996 or even 1995 (don’t remember exact dates memory = fuzzy). It dawned on both of us that This Was a Song About Sex and It Was Dirty. we were both innocent. I had only heard the single on the radio as background music.
1. Third Eye Blind: Losing A Whole Year: This is it. About how I felt, just sorta cheerful and then looking back, and lonely. Wanting someone to dig me like I dug myself, and like me for the RIGHT reasons, not just cause i was around. And not want to change me or parse what I was saying.
I’d put counting crows and cranberries on the list but that was more of a mid 90’s thing. Most of this music was popular, and I didn’t broaden my tastes much out of the conventional stuff until probably 2000. Still, thsese are the songs that bring me to a place and a state of mind so quickly.
I think 1997-1999 was when I was at my absolute craziest I’ve been. (First year of marriage was close). I’ve always had demons (who doesn’t), and the whole time was giddy and euphoric–probably like the housing boom felt in 2005. I remember seemingly every day something new being possible, and it’s probably still happening, but I had the sense of wonderment that I haven’t found since then. But when you’re 22, the whole world is a blank canvas. you don’t know it’s OK to do things that are different so you try to keep your options open by not being authentic, etc, etc.
Anyway, this is probably 1997 and 1998 to me, I don’t know when the songs actually came out, really, (2 second lookup) but this is the top of mind stuff that I hear and saw.
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“when you’re 22, the whole world is a blank canvas. you don’t know it’s OK to do things that are different so you try to keep your options open by not being authentic”
I hear that. I’m 22 now, recently graduated, jobless, aimless, feeling like a failure because I don’t know what I’m “allowed” to be. I’m so used to taking cues from teachers, parents, and such. What do I do now that I’m finally in charge? I guess that’s partially why I’ve always loved the Smashing Pumpkins, too. I was about nine when Mellon Collie came out. The Pumpkins was one of the first rock bands of which I took notice in my “awakening” to pop music culture (you know, anything not Disney). Though many find him obnoxiously arrogant, I’ve always admired Billy for doing what HE wants. People seem to forget that Corgan was always doing stuff that pissed somebody off. Why they find it so objectionable now is beyond me.
I can’t remember how I found your blog, but it’s cool to read someone who accepts Corgan for who he is. I love him not because he’s lovable, but for the total package, which includes the (as you put it in a previous post) “overblown, bloated narcissism,” and “the ideas that everything matters.”
Corgan said in an interview on Chris Isaak’s show that “the American public loves the idea that we’re all humble, but you can’t really do what we do with humility. It’s not that kind of game.” I’m all for humility, myself, but I also don’t mind people being proud of their accomplishments.
Whatever my meandering point may be, bottom line is thanks. This post and “Don’t Lose Passion like the Killers” were refreshing. Our ages may differ by several years, but we’re both kids of the 90s. Our emotional memories of the decade are quite similar. And it was a pretty cool one music-wise. “Today,” the song and video, will always retain that definitive 90s flavor for me.
Have a nice day!
Thanks. I dig the best of billy. Same thing: one masterpiece, catching lightning in a bottle…one time…makes an entire lifetime worthwhile. Makes an entire body of work OK. You don’t have to be…perfect all the time
Thanks for reading/watching/listening. Be fascinated to know how you found me, but welcome and whatnot.
Feel free to connect elsewhere, I’m genuinechris everywhere.