The Smashing Pumpkins are one of the seminal bands of the 1990s. They hold a special place in my heart as being one of my early favorites from my youth when I was first discovering music. The band dominated the airwaves, both on radio and MTV, throughout the mid- to late-90s. Grunge adjacent, the Chicago-based Pumpkins capitalized on the the growing trend of aggressive music, down tuned guitars, and angst-ridden lyrics to become one of the most recognizable acts from their era.
As you probably know, the Smashing Pumpkins are led by Billy Corgan – a prolific song writer and control freak with an unmistakably unique vocal style. You’ve never heard a song and wondered if Billy Corgan is singing on it – you know immediately. His passionate, emotional, if not whiny style is one of the band’s most notable trademarks.
The classic lineup of the band features Corgan on guitar and lead vocals, James Iha on guitar, D’Arcy Wretzky on bass, and Jimmy Chamberlain on drums. Though talented musicians all, especially Chamberlain on drums, the Pumpkins’ music is most notably associated with Corgan, for better or worse. Billy was the driving force behind most of the band’s writing, and actually played most of the non-drum parts of the band’s first two albums, 1991’s Gish and and 1993’s Siamese Dream.
The Pumpkins’ most notable work, and perhaps their most popular, is their epic 28-song, double-disc magnum opus Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness. Released in 1995, Mellon Collie catapulted the band to new heights both artistically and commercially. The album spawned 5 singles, which each received massive airplay on MTV and alternative rock radio around the country. This period when the singles from Mellon Collie were in heavy rotation for the Pumpkins was undoubtedly their peak in popularity and relevance. After this run, the band’s trajectory would change significantly – and not for the better.
Arguably, the two biggest hits from Mellon Collie are “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” and “1979,” which are also the first and second singles from the album, respectively. “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” was a perfect lead single for the album. Angry and aggressive, Corgan laments the soul-sucking power of the world at large. If you had to pick an anthemic song that encapsulated the ‘90s rock scene, this song might be second only to “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” In sharp contrast, “1979” bring a much more mellow, carefree, and even happy vibe as Billy reflects on the joy of youth. Showing the full range of what the Pumpkins can do, these two songs could not be further apart in terms of style and subject matter, but are great, generational songs nonetheless.
Both music videos were mainstays on MTV’s Top 20 Countdown with Daisy Fuentes, a popular program for 10-year olds like myself who were up at 7am on Saturday mornings. These videos are essential to discussing what may have gone wrong for the Pumpkins between the release of Mellon Collie and the rest of their career due to one stark difference between them: Billy Corgan shaved his head at some point between when the videos were filmed.
On top, we see Billy with a decent, if not thin mop of hair wearing the classic Zero shirt which has become a classic symbol for the Pumpkins. By next video, Billy has gone full Bic on his head, with a questionable turtleneck to boot. Billy would never appear with a head of hair again and the bald head seen here would became his default signature look.
Based on the release dates for these singles/videos, we can pinpoint Billy Corgan’s decision to shave his head roughly as sometime between October 16, 1995 and January 23, 1996. If we break the history of the Smashing Pumpkins into two separate eras based on these dates, we will see how the band’s decline possibly started at this moment.
The Billy with Hair Era
We can include all Pumpkins albums and recordings up to Mellon Collie (1995) in the Billy with Hair Era. They were all recorded before Corgan decided to shave his head once and for all. We are going to look at each significant release briefly, while also checking in on Billy’s look at the time.
Gish (1991)
The band’s debut album. A psychedelic, innovative album that put the band on the map as a new player in the emerging modern rock scene at the time. Mixing mellow dreamscape-type psychadelia and the rock tone the Pumpkins are now known for, Gish was a diverse and impressive first record for the band that plays all the waythrough. Corgan notably plays most guitar and bass parts on the album, and has incredible flow as noted above.
Standout Tracks: I Am One, Siva, Crush
Sleepers: Rhinocerous, Snail, Daydream (D’Arcy on vocals)
“Drown” (1991)
Featured on the Singles soundtrack, “Drown” could be the band’s most underrated moment. If you haven’t heard it before, give it a spin now. A beautiful, mournful track. Billy’s hair is presumed to be as pictured above (still rockin’).
Siamese Dream (1993)
The band’s most complete and possibly best work. Billy’s cathartic release for dealing with the pain and strife of his youth. On the back of 4 major singles, specifically “Today” and “Disarm,” the band was catapulted into the mainstream and started to receive airplay on MTV thanks for distinctive videos for both songs. The band continue to mix styles from soft to loud, but moves closer to the rock trends of the day rather than the psychedelic vibe Gish carried throughout. Corgan again records most bass and guitar, with a notably shorter haircut. An essential ‘90s rock album.
Standout Tracks: Cherub Rock, Today, Disarm, Mayonaise
Sleepers: Quiet, Geek USA, Rocket, Hummer
Pisces Iscariot (1994)
A collection of B-sides, which will become a trend for the Pumpkins to release, as Corgan is a noted prolific songwriter. For big time fans, this is worth checking out, but for the casual listener, most songs here are forgettable. They’re B-sides for a reason. The most notable track is the band’s take on the Fleetwood Mac classic “Landslide.” Billy’s hair remains present and similar to Siamese Dream.
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)
The band’s most ambitious and most commercially successful album. At 28 songs over 2 discs (named Starlight to Twilight and Dusk to Dawn), Corgan and the rest of the band reach their creative peak. Unlike the prior two albums, contributions from all members of the band make the album, and Billy even lets James Iha sing his own song (“Take Me Down”) to close out the first disc. A massive commercial success thanks to the 5 major singles released getting consistent airplay on radio and MTV. Alternating between acoustic and electric, the band puts together an epic double-album with very few misses between both discs. Billy sports the haircut we see during the “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” video during this era, but we know the end is near.
Standout Tracks: Bullet with Butterfly Wings, 1979, Tonight Tonight, Zero
Sleepers: Tales of a Scorched Earth, Muzzle, Here is No Why, Jellybelly
Based on this brief overview, we can say that the Billy with Hair Era is quite successful for the Smashing Pumpkins. They released three great albums and rose to breakthrough mainstream success during this period. The band stayed intact, despite Billy’s tendency to micromanage and control every aspect of the music, even to a point where the band was able to embark on a truly creative and impressive journey towards creating a double-album.
We all know what happens next. Somewhere between the release of “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” and “1979,” Billy shaves his head. We are going to refer to this as the Bald Billy Era, which we are still currently living in during the year of our Lord, 2022.
The Bald Billy Era
The Bald Billy Era includes everything the band did post Mellon Collie. Billy’s hair will be presumed to be the same as the “1979” video, so picture updates will not be necessary. Just focus on this one below.
The Bald Billy Era started out innocently enough. The Pumpkins release “1979” to much acclaim and seem to be rolling along. They are set to embark on a world tour in support of Mellon Collie beginning in January of 1996, around the time “1979” is released as a single. “Zero” is released in April 1996, which becomes another big hit for the band. Things are progressing as well or better than the band had hoped.
Unfortunately, the next milestone event for the band would not be an album or release, but rather a tragic overdose. Tourist keyboarding Jonathan Melvoin overdosed on heroin in a hotel room on July 12, 1996. Jimmy Chamberlain, who was using with Melvoin that night and tried to revive him, was arrested for drug possession and unceremoniously kicked out of the band immediately. The Infinite Sadness tour continued with Matt Walker as a fill-in for Chamberlain, however, the band would go on to say that it was one of their worst decisions to continue playing shows after this event.
The band eventually finished touring in 1997 after 171 shows in 23 different countries, including a stop at MSG in September 1996 where I got to see them as my very first concert ever. This led them back to the studio to try to create a worthy follow-up to Mellon Collie. Prior to recording, however, the band was quoted as saying that Mellon Collie would be their last traditional rock album and that the future of music was electronic, which would be a harbinger of bad things (and bad songs) to come.
“Eye” (1997)
Off of the very good Lost Highway soundtrack, we see the first electronic elements entering the Pumpkins sound. The result is a cool haunting melody that never really goes anywhere.
Batman & Robin (1997)
The band recorded two songs for this soundtrack, with mixed results. “The End is the Beginning is the End” and “The Beginning is the End is the Beginning” are not only very confusing titles, but very confusing pieces of music as well. Neither are good. More electronic influences are present.
Adore (1998)
The Pumpkins first album release post Mellon Collie. The album features many different drummers to fill the hole left by Jimmy Chamberlain’s exit, including Soundgarden’s Matt Cameron. Corgan had just gone through a divorce and was dealing with the passing of his mother. It is also the first Pumpkins album where James Iha did not have a writing credit. The lead single, “Ava Adore” features a heavy synth beat while opening with the line “Its you that I adore, you will always be my whore.” Not the band’s best work. “Perfect” is a lone bright spot on an otherwise regrettable album.
Machina (2000)
Prior to it’s recording, the band reunited with original drummer Jimmy Chamberlain, but D’Arcy Wretzky departs the band not long after. Allegedly a concept album, the band returned to a somewhat more straight forward rock approach as opposed to the experimental nature of Adore. The standout track here is “The Everlasting Gaze.” There’s not much here to compare to the Billy with Hair Era.
Following Machina’s release, the band announced in early 2000 that it would be breaking up. In the interim, Billy’s lone bright spot was a one-off single, “Honestly,” with a band called Zwan in 2003. Chamberlain and Corgan would reform the band and tour with many configurations of it without original members D’Arcy and Iha during the late 2000s. Eventually, Iha rejoined the band around 2017, but the original lineup has never reunited since 1999.
The Bullet with Butterfly Wings Effect
Did the Smashing Pumpkins take a turn for the worse once Billy Corgan shaved his head? Of course, the act of Billy shaving his head didn’t change the trajectory of the band, unless he’s an alt-rock incarnation of Samson. But after reviewing the releases in comparison to Billy’s hairline at the time, it’s hard to argue that this wasn’t the symbolic midpoint between the band’s rise and fall.
The Pumpkins first three albums are some of the best music produced during the ‘90s, which is saying something when you consider the amount of talented bands that emerged throughout the decade. Traditionally, a band’s most highly regarded releases are the early ones, especially if you ask any fan base, so it may be unfair to blame this all on Billy’s hair. The band also had little choice but to fire Chamberlain, arguably the most talented member of the band behind Corgan, after Melvoin’s overdose. The decision to keep touring after that event also put considerable strain on the band, especially in an environment where Corgan was micromanaging the band’s every recording and move. There were many factors at play that contributed to this once great band’s downfall.
But maybe, just maybe, the start to all of it was Billy shedding his locks once and for all.
