"1979"
Single by The Smashing Pumpkins
from the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Released	January 23, 1996
Format	Vinyl record (7" and 12"), CD and cassette
Recorded	1995
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	4:25
Label	Virgin Records
Writer(s)	Billy Corgan
Producer(s)	Flood, Alan Moulder and Billy Corgan
Peak chart positions
#1 (US Modern Rock Tracks) #1 (US Mainstream Rock Tracks) #10 (US Top 40 Mainstream) #12 (US Billboard Hot 100) #16 (UK Singles Chart) #16 (Australian Singles Chart) #17 (US Hot Dance Music/Club Play) #30 (US Adult Top 40) #47 (US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales) #54 (US Hot Digital Songs)
The Smashing Pumpkins singles chronology
"Bullet with Butterfly Wings" (1995) "1979" (1996) "Zero" (1996)
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness track listing
"In The Arms of Sleep" (18)	"1979" (19)	"Tales of a Scorched Earth" (20)

"1979" is an alternative rock song written by Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins and was the second single from their 1995 third album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The song was nominated for the Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video. The song is the highest-charting single of the band's career. Image File history File links This image is the cover of an album or single. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago in 1988. ... Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (also shortened to Mellon Collie or abbreviated to MCIS) is a double CD and triple LP that was released on October 24, 1995 by The Smashing Pumpkins through Virgin Records. ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... A gramophone record, (also phonograph record - often simply record) is an analog sound recording medium: a flat disc rotating at a constant angular velocity, with inscribed spiral grooves in which a stylus or needle rides. ... CD may stand for: Compact Disc Canadian Forces Decoration Cash Dispenser (at least used in Japan) CD LPMud Driver Centrum-Demokraterne (Centre Democrats of Denmark) Certificate of Deposit České Dráhy (Czech Railways) Chad (NATO country code) Chalmers Datorförening (computer club of the Chalmers University of Technology) a 1960s... Typical 60-minute Compact Cassette. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Alternative rock (also called alternative music or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Virgin Records is a British recording label founded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Nik Powell in 1972. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... William Patrick Billy Corgan, Jr. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Mark Ellis a. ... Alan Moulder (born 11 June 1959) is one of Britains premier alternative rock record producers. ... William Patrick Billy Corgan, Jr. ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... Modern Rock Tracks is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. ... The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music but are not modern rock (that is, alternative) stations, which are counted in the Modern Rock Tracks chart. ... Top 40 Mainstream (often also called Mainstream Top 40) is an airplay format from Billboard Magazine. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. ... Billboards Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart is a weekly national survey of what songs are most popular in U.S. dance clubs. ... Adult Top 40 is a another variation on the Top 40 format, in which this genre is more geared towards an adult audience who are not into Rock music teen Pop, Dance music, Hip-Hop, Modern Rock or slower Adult Contemporary fare. ... Hot Dance Singles Sales (formerly known as Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales) is a Billboard is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. ... The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard magazine. ... The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago in 1988. ... Bullet with Butterfly Wings is arguably the most popular and well known song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... Zero is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (also shortened to Mellon Collie or abbreviated to MCIS) is a double CD and triple LP that was released on October 24, 1995 by The Smashing Pumpkins through Virgin Records. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Alternative rock (also called alternative music or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. ... William Patrick Billy Corgan, Jr. ... The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago in 1988. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (also shortened to Mellon Collie or abbreviated to MCIS) is a double CD and triple LP that was released on October 24, 1995 by The Smashing Pumpkins through Virgin Records. ... The jejejeje Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. ... The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal has been awarded since 1980. ... The following is a list of MTV Video Music Award winners for Best Alternative Video. ...

The band took a rather uncharacteristic approach to the song, featuring for the first time loops and samples, with Corgan calling it "not the typical Pumpkins song."^[1] Despite the song's unconventional style, it was popular with critics and fans, becoming a "somewhat surprising hit."^[2] It proved so popular that it later spawned a second single, "The 1979 Mixes", featuring remixes of the song. The 1979 single would later be part of the box set The Aeroplane Flies High, and the song would appear on the greatest hits album Rotten Apples. In electronic music, a loop is a sample which is repeated. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. ... The Aeroplane Flies High was a 5 disc boxed set by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... Rotten Apples is a greatest hits compilation album by the rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. ...

1979 was the first Smashing Pumpkins song with electronic influences. The release of "1979", and the later soundtrack songs "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" and "Eye," foreshadowed the almost exclusively electronic follow-up to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Adore. As James Iha said in 1996, "The future is in electronic music. It really seems boring just to play rock music."^[3] It has been suggested that Electronica be merged into this article or section. ... The End Is the Beginning Is the End (or TEITBITE among fans) is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... Eye is a song by the band The Smashing Pumpkins which featured on the soundtrack of the David Lynch film Lost Highway. ... Adore is The Smashing Pumpkins fourth studio album, released on June 2, 1998 in the United States. ... James Yoshinobu Iha (Japanese: 井葉吉伸, Iha Yoshinobu or ジェームス・イハ, Jēmusu Iha) born March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, USA) is an American rock musician. ...

History

According to statements in interviews, Billy Corgan worked nonstop after the Siamese Dream tour and wrote about 56 songs for Mellon Collie,^[4] the last of these to be written being "1979". As the Mellon Collie sessions came to their conclusion, "1979" was just a couple of chord changes and a snippet of a melody without words. When the time came for choosing the songs to go on the album, Flood, the producer, said "1979" was "not good enough" and wanted to drop the song from the record. This, however, inspired Corgan to finish it in four hours and prove Flood wrong. The next day Flood heard "1979" once and decided immediately to put the song on the album.^[1] Corgan himself considers "1979" the most personally important song on Mellon Collie.^[5] Siamese Dream is the second album and was the breakthrough success for alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released on July 27, 1993. ... Typical fingering for a second inversion C major chord on a guitar. ... Mark Ellis a. ...

Controversial Milwaukee band The Frogs have noted at their shows and on their website that the main guitar riff from "1979" was influenced by the riff in their song "Pleasure".^[6] Frogs guitarist Jimmy Flemion gave Billy Corgan a demo containing "Pleasure" in 1993. Flemion and his brother Dennis are in fact good friends with Corgan, and Dennis was actually the touring keyboarding for the Pumpkins during the 1996-1997 tour, following the heroin overdose by Jonathan Melvoin.^[7] The Frogs are an American rock music band founded in 1980, in Milwaukee. ... Riff is also an alternate spelling of Rif, a region of Morocco. ... Dennis Flemion is a founding member, with his brother Jimmy, of controversial independant rock band The Frogs. ... Heroin ((INN) Diacetylmorphine, (BAN) diamorphine) is an opioid synthesized directly from the extracts of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum. ... Jonathan Melvoin (December 6, 1961 - July 12, 1996) was the touring keyboardist for The Smashing Pumpkins during their worldwide tour for the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. ...

"1979" is one of the most frequently performed songs by the Pumpkins, having been performed at most of the Pumpkins' concerts since 1995.^[8]

Although it did not feature in the soundtrack, "1979" would later appear in the 2006 film Clerks 2, becoming one of the first Smashing Pumpkins songs to later be licensed for commercial use. However, the band had recorded songs specifically for soundtracks in the past, specifically "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" for Batman & Robin and "Eye" for Lost Highway. Clerks II is the 2006 sequel to Kevin Smiths 1994 movie Clerks. ... The End Is the Beginning Is the End (or TEITBITE among fans) is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... Batman and Robin, see Batman and Robin (serial). ... Eye is a song by the band The Smashing Pumpkins which featured on the soundtrack of the David Lynch film Lost Highway. ... Lost Highway is a 1997 psychological thriller directed by David Lynch. ...

Music video

The music video for "1979" was directed by the team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who had previously directed other music videos for the Smashing Pumpkins including "Rocket", and "Tonight, Tonight". This team would also eventually direct the music videos for "The End is the Beginning is the End", and "Perfect". The music video stars actors Larry Capelli and Giuseppe Andrews, the latter of who would reappear in the music video for "Perfect." The Music Video can be seen in the link below. A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... Dayton and Faris during the making of Little Miss Sunshine Jonathan Dayton (born 7 July 1957 in Alameda County, California) and Valerie Faris (born 20 October 1958 in Los Angeles County, California) are an award-winning team of music video directors who have also moved into directing theatrical films. ... Rocket is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... Tonight, Tonight is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... The End Is the Beginning Is the End (or TEITBITE among fans) is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... Perfect is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... Giuseppe Andrews (born Joey Andrews on April 25, 1979, in Key Largo, Florida) is an American actor-writer-director best known for his roles in Detroit Rock City and as a bizarre sheriff in Cabin Fever, as well as appearances in the Smashing Pumpkins videos 1979 and Perfect. His cin...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6m-Oyt6A6c

The Making of the music video can be seen in the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxUMaRqeFgA

The video follows a day in the life of disaffected teenagers living in suburbia. It is based on Corgan's idealized version of teenagehood, while also trying to capture the feeling of being bored as a teenager. Originally, Corgan wanted a scene of violence, in which the convenience store seen at the end of the video was trashed by the teenagers. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris however convinced him to go for something more tame. The band members also had bit parts in the video; James Iha is a convenience store clerk, D'arcy Wretzky is an irate neighbour and Jimmy Chamberlin a policeman. Band manager "Gooch" plays Jimmy's partner.^[9] It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Suburb. ... A bit part is a supporting acting role with at least one line of dialogue. ... James Yoshinobu Iha (Japanese: 井葉吉伸, Iha Yoshinobu or ジェームス・イハ, Jēmusu Iha) born March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, USA) is an American rock musician. ... Darcy Elizabeth Wretzky (born May 1, 1968 in South Haven, Michigan), also known simply as Darcy, is a rock musician best known for her work as a bass player with the highly successful alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. ... James Joseph Jimmy Chamberlin (born June 10, 1964, Joliet, Illinois) is a musician best known as the drummer for the rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. ...

Upon finishing the video shoot, the band flew to New York to perform. However, all tapes of the footage were accidentally left sitting ontop of a car and lost as the driver departed. This meant that the group had to fly back and reshoot the entire video again.^[9]

Originally, the band approached another director, possibly Spike Jonze,^[1] to film the video for "1979". His idea was that all the band members were residents in an alien hotel and they were all going to have especially made alien-elephant masks. This video would have cost over a million dollars.^[9] Spike Jonze (born Adam Spiegel on October 22, 1969), is a American director of offbeat music videos and commercials, and an Academy Award-nominated director and producer in film and television, most notably the 1999 film Being John Malkovich and the 2002 film Adaptation. ... A 1967 Soviet Union 16 kopeks stamp. ...

The "1979" video was highly acclaimed. It won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video in 1996. It was one of Canadian cable television music channel MuchMusic's Countdown number-one videos of 1996. Billy Corgan also viewed it as the Pumpkins' best video,^[9] calling it "the closest we've ever come to realizing everything we wanted."^[1] The following is a list of MTV Video Music Award winners for Best Alternative Video. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... MuchMusic (often referred to only as Much) is a Canadian cable television specialty channel dedicated to music and music related programs. ... Countdown is a ninety-minute music video program block that airs on Canadian music television station MuchMusic. ...

Track listing

• Single track listing^[10]

1. "1979" (Billy Corgan)
2. "Ugly" (Corgan)
3. "Believe" (James Iha)
4. "Cherry" (Corgan)

The 1979 Mixes

• 1979 Mixes single track listing^[11]

1. 1979 (Vocal Mix)
2. 1979 (Instrumental Mix)
3. 1979 (Moby Mix)
4. 1979 (Cement Mix)

Tracks 1, 2 and 4 are by Roli Mosimann. Track 3 is by Moby. William Patrick Billy Corgan, Jr. ... James Yoshinobu Iha (Japanese: 井葉吉伸, Iha Yoshinobu or ジェームス・イハ, Jēmusu Iha) born March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, USA) is an American rock musician. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Roli Mosimann is an accomplished musician and record producer whose contributions range from industrial to pop. ... Moby (born Richard Melville Hall, September 11, 1965), is an American songwriter, musician and singer. ...

• The Aeroplane Flies High single track listing^[12]

1. "1979" (Corgan) - 4:28
2. "Ugly" (Corgan) - 2:52
3. "The Boy" (Iha) - 3:04
4. "Cherry" (Corgan) - 4:02
5. "Believe" (Iha) - 3:15
6. "Set the Ray to Jerry" (Corgan) - 4:10

Charts

"1979" was the Smashing Pumpkins' highest-charting single, reaching number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Notably "1979" peaked at number 54 on the U.S. Hot Digital Songs in 2005, nine years after first being released. The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard magazine. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Samples

Image File history File links 1979. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ...

References