"Zero"
Single by The Smashing Pumpkins
From the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Single Released	April 23, 1996
Single Format	Cassette tape and CD
Recorded	1995
Genre	Alternative Metal
Song Length	02:41
Record label	Virgin Records
Producer	Flood, Alan Moulder & Billy Corgan
Chart positions
#9 (US Modern Rock Tracks) #15 (US Mainstream Rock Tracks)
The Smashing Pumpkins single chronology
"1979" 1996	"Zero" 1996	"Tonight, Tonight" 1996

Zero is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. It was the third single from their third album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and was a return to the familiar angsty rock of the first single, "Bullet with Butterfly Wings". The song has six rhythm guitars, with two line-in 12-string acoustics. "Zero" was written by Billy Corgan. Image File history File links This image is the cover of an album or single. ... The Smashing Pumpkins is a popular American alternative rock band which formed in Chicago, Illinois 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. ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (114th in leap years). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... For the meaning of cassette in genetics, see cassette (genetics). ... 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... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Musical genres are categories which contain music which share a certain style or which have certain elements in common. ... Alternative metal is an eclectic form of rock music that gained popularity in the early 1990s alongside grunge. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Virgin Records is a British recording label founded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Nik Powell in 1972. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Mark Ellis a. ... Alan Moulder (born 11 June 1959) is one of Britains premier alternative rock record producers. ... William Patrick Billy Corgan, Jr. ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ... Modern Rock Tracks is a music chart 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 (i. ... 1979 is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Tonight, Tonight is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The Smashing Pumpkins is a popular American alternative rock band which formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short record, usually featuring one or two tracks as A-side, often accompanied by several B-sides, usually remixes or other songs. ... 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. ... Bullet with Butterfly Wings is a popular song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... William Patrick Billy Corgan, Jr. ...

Unlike most singles, "Zero" was released as an EP and included "Pastichio Medley", a medley of parts of songs from the Mellon Collie sessions that mostly remain unreleased. The medley runs over 23 minutes and features over 70 songs. The medley also features snippets of songs that actually were released; the snippet of the song "Disconnected" is a riff from an early version of "The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)" and the riff called "Rachel" ended up being worked into the album track "X.Y.U.". An extended play (or EP), is typically the name given to vinyl records or CDs which are too long to be called singles but too short to qualify as albums. ... Zero is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... A medley is a collection of related but different things, served as one. ... The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right) is a b-side off the Thirty-Three CD single by The Smashing Pumpkins. ...

The track "Tribute to Johnny" is an instrumental; a homage to guitarist Johnny Winter. Not long after the release of the EP, Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin died of a heroin overdose, leading many uninformed fans to assume this song was a tribute to Melvoin. Johnny Winter album cover Johnny Winter (born John Dawson Winter III on 23 February 1944 in Beaumont, Texas) is an American blues guitarist and singer, well known for his albinism, as well as his musical skills. ... 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. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The cover artwork featured photography by Corgan's girlfriend, Yelena Yemchuk, who also directed the music video. Yelena Yemchuk is a professional photographer, painter and film director, most notable for her work with The Smashing Pumpkins. ...

The song was featured on The Simpsons episode "Homerpalooza", where the Smashing Pumpkins appeared as themselves. The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox network. ... Homerpalooza is the twenty-fourth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. ...

Live Performance

"Zero" was played virtually intact, but simply played quicker than usual during the Mellon Collie... tour. It was almost never played during the promotion and tour for Adore, only as a brief teaser, but was reintroduced in the brief Welcome Back Jimmy (also known as Arising!) tour. The Sacred & Profane tour included a variant: it started off with a pulsing drumbeat and build-up to the song, which then would be played in style reminiscent of speed metal, removing much of the nuance and grunge-sludge anthemic appeal of song. Late in the tour, the band would segue from "Cash Car Star" into "Zero", the same as "Everlasting Gaze" was segued into "Heavy Metal Machine" or "Bullet with Butterfly Wings". Billy changed "and God is empty just like me" part for "and God is empty just like you" for the tour. Adore is the fourth studio album from Chicago alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. ... The Everlasting Gaze is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... Bullet with Butterfly Wings is a popular song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ...

Video

The music video was directed by Yelena Yemchuk, her first of many contributions to the band. The concept of it was to set it in a Roman Mansion, with guests living in luxury, while the band plays to them as entertainment. Another aspect of the video that makes it striking is the facial expressions of the band as they play to the crowd. Rather then the MTV style playing found in the video to Bullet With Butterfly Wings (their first single from their 1995 album Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness), the band play with uncaring, fixed faces. It is supposed this is to illustrate the "Zero" aspect of the song, the emptiness inside. Yelena Yemchuk is a professional photographer, painter and film director, most notable for her work with The Smashing Pumpkins. ... The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Bullet with Butterfly Wings is a popular song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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 band wear primarily black, which acts as a contrast to the room's vibrant wine-stained colours, often associated with the Roman period. This aspect could relate to the difference between the singer and other people, further stressed by the lack of connection between audience and band, save from some welcoming claps.

Trivia

• The band, Evanescence performed this song live. It was sung horribly off key and some people in the crowd booed.

Evanescence is a Grammy Award winning rock band from Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. Early in their career, the band garnered local fame in Little Rock before releasing their debut album Fallen, an album which went on to sell over 14 million copies worldwide. ...

EP tracklist

1. "Zero" (Billy Corgan) - 2:39
2. "God" (Corgan) - 3:09
3. "Mouths of Babes" (Corgan) - 3:46
4. "Tribute to Johnny" (James Iha/Billy Corgan) - 2:34
5. "Marquis in Spades" (Corgan) - 3:17
6. "Pennies" (Corgan) - 2:28
7. "Pastichio Medley" (Corgan) - 25:59