The Timeless Brilliance of Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

As someone who wasn’t around during the original release of this album, I can only imagine the cultural impact this album had on society at that time. Since we are nearing the thirtieth anniversary of the album’s release, I thought I would rank the songs and go more in-depth about the top 5.

This might be the hardest thing I have ever had to do because this is one of my favorite albums of all time. Every song on here is at least a 7 or above. No songs are bad, but when we are talking about songs that are on the level of the Sistine Chapel, macaroni art isn’t going to cut it. So here we go, all the songs on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness ranked worst to best.

28) Tales of a Scorched Earth

27) Take Me Down

26) In The Arms Of Sleep

25) Where Boys Fear To Dread

24) Jellybelly

23) An Ode To No One

22) We Only Come Out at Night

21) X.Y.U

20)To Forgive

19) Bodies

18) Lily (My one and only)

17) Stumbline

16) Farewell and Goodnight

15) By Starlight

14) Love

13) Zero

12) Beautiful

11) Muzzle

10) Galagapos

9) Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness

8) 1979

7) Bullet With Butterfly Wings

6) Through the eyes of Ruby

Now here are the top 5 songs

5) Tonight, Tonight

Words cannot describe how much I adore Tonight, Tonight. The hook of the Vocals and track

behind it from the beginning, the fact that this is the first song with words on the album and one of the best, the reference to “the city be the lake” being my (and their) hometown of Chicago, and the way he sings Tonight in the chorus is dream-like. A truly magical song that sets the tone from the beginning.

4) Here is No why

The powerful and, at the same time, meaningful vocals of this song are Smashing Pumpkins at their finest. The signature pumpkininess of this would almost definitely be the song I would show a new Pumpkins fan. The instruments come together to have a cohesive whole by the end. This song is Billy Corgan at his most honest and open, and it is beautiful. If you have never listened, you are missing out.

3) Cupid De Locke

One of the most unique and underrated songs on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The song feels like a Victorian dream from the harp to the way Corgan delivers the lyrics is a far cry from songs like Zero and Tales of a Scorched Earth. It’s almost a break between rage-like songs into more of a love letter to star-crossed lovers and what love can do for a person. The most beautiful song I have ever heard

2) Thirty-three

If you don’t know why this is two, then go and listen to the song. It is beautiful, simple, lovely, spiritual, and heavenly. Feels like floating on a cloud. The lyrics are about rediscovering love

and remembering the people who care. A gorgeous song that will be remembered for

generations to come. I was very close to putting this song at one, but the song that I did put at one means so much to me.

1) Porcelina and the Vast Ocean

Emotional Centerpiece. That’s how I would describe this song, a nine-minute masterpiece of music. It is everything the band has come to represent. This is them at full power: sweeping

music, powerful and meaningful lyrics, emotional vulnerability, and musical rage. Despite being the 90’s alternative era, Porcelina feels like it could belong anywhere- its emotional scope and beauty could fit anywhere at any time. Even today, it’s a reminder of what rock was and what I can be. The song embodies everything the album stands for, which, in my opinion, is beauty born from chaos.