Number 811 - Smashing Pumpkins

Number 811

Smashing Pumpkins

"Bullet With Butterfly Wings"

(1995)
.
.

Genre:Alternative Rock

The world is a Vampire ! I remember when i first heard those lyrics ripping out of a stereo for the first time. I said to myself ....... WTF? (I know its not creative writing, its just the truth of that moment)

Ah the joys of hearing a song for the first time aye?

"Like the subsequent Mellon Collie single "Zero

", "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" was one of the Smashing Pumpkins' darker songs and one of the first signs of change in the band's style, although it certainly does not represent the aural or thematic scopes of the album.

Critics of the song have sometimes claimed that the lyrics are supposed to refer to the alleged suicide of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. This is usually assumed because of the lines "but can you fake it/ for just one more show", which may refer to Cobain's attempt to disband the group before he died. However, Corgan later said that the line refers to the band's headlining slot on the 1994 Lollapalooza tour, where they supposedly became disillusioned with the idea of "alternative" rock. This interpretation is also supported by the fact that the first fully played incarnations of the song occurred at a few Lollapalooza shows, as well as on demos recorded early that year. A very embryonic version was apparently recorded during the recording of Siamese Dream; according to Corgan, "somewhere, I have a tape of us from 1993 endlessly playing the 'world is a vampire' part over and over." In fact, these lines quoted do not appear in the song until a demo from late 1994, although Corgan was more likely referring to that section of the song rather than the lyrics themselves."

"The music video for the song, in which lead singer Billy Corgan wears a black shirt emblazoned with the word "ZERO", is the last one filmed before Corgan famously shaved his head.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" was one of the songs put on Clear Channel's list of possibly inappropriate songs."

Also see Number 864

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (To loud for us old timers, golly yes) and the Album ranked at Number 360

This song has a crowbarred rating of 63.5 out of 108

The Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet with Butterfly Wings - Video
Uploaded by james_gandolfini

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