Throwback Thursday ‘1979’ by The Smashing Pumpkins (1996)

The Smashing Pumpkins are coming to Sioux Falls on August 21st so I thought they would make a perfect Throwback Thursday song!

I know The Smashing Pumpkins had a ton of hits, but the one that pops into my head first is "1979."

"1979" was the second single off of their album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

Frontman, Billy Corgan wrote the song about his coming of age. He was 12 in 1979 hence the title of the song.

The video features Billy in the backseat of car driving around a suburban town. Corgan wanted it to depict an 'idealized version of teenage life.'

The other members of the band are in the video as well playing different characters. According to Wikipedia, "James Iha appears as a convenience store clerk, D'arcy Wretzky as an irate neighbor, Jimmy Chamberlin as a policeman, and all three of them appear together as the band in the party scene."

Apparently, the band had to reshoot the party scene because all the footage was lost when someone left it on top a car and drove away. Something they later alluded to in the music video for "Perect," which is considered a sequel to "1979." Hos 90's is that? Today all the footage would be digital and saved in 12 places.

"1979" has plenty of accolades. Wikipedia states, "The song was nominated for the Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards, and won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video. In 2012, it was voted the second-best Smashing Pumpkins song by Rolling Stone magazine readers."

"1979" went to #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock and Alternative Songs chart. It also peaked at #12 on the Hot 100 chart.

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