1979 (song)
Encyclopedia : 1 : 19 : 197 : 1979 (song)
| "1979" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Single by The Smashing Pumpkins | ||
| From the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness | ||
| Released | 1995 | |
| Single format | Vinyl record (7" and 12"), cassette tape and CD | |
| Recorded | 1995 | |
| Genre | Alternative rock | |
| Song Length | 4:23 | |
| Record label | Virgin Records | |
| Producer | Flood, Alan Moulder & Billy Corgan | |
| Chart positions | ||
| ||
| Professional Reviews | ||
| The Smashing Pumpkins single chronology | ||
| "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" 1995 | "1979" 1996 | "Zero" 1996 |
"1979" is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. It was the second single from their third album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The song was written by Billy Corgan and nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
The band took a rather uncharacteristic approach to the song, featuring for the first time loops and samples. It was so popular that it spawned a second single CD featuring remixes of the song called "The 1979 Mixes".
One of the most frequently asked question about the song concerns the origin of the 'ooh-ahh-ahh' sound at the end of each phrase. While Flood and Billy Corgan were tracking the song, Corgan started humming the 'oohs' like a melody line. He then sang them to tape. The pertinent ones were sampled, electronically manipulated, and looped against the drum beat.
The controversial Milwaukee band The Frogs have charged that the main guitar riff from "1979" was plagiarized from the riff in their song "Pleasure". Frogs vocalist Jimmy Flemion claims that he gave Billy Corgan a demo containing "Pleasure" in 1993. However, at a concert at the GM Place in Vancouver, B.C. on January 8th, 1997, Billy Corgan claimed that he wrote the song when he was 12 years old. This could be a joke, however, as Corgan was 12 years old in 1979, and the song has been interpreted as being written from an adolescent's point of view.
The cover of the single features the band at a roller disco.
The music video for "1979" won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video in 1996. It stars actors Larry Capelli and Giuseppe Andrews. The video was directed by the team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.
"1979" was the Smashing Pumpkins highest charting single, reaching number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Notably "1979" peaked at number 54 on the US Hot Digital Songs in 2005, 9 years after first being released.
Single tracklist
- "1979" (Billy Corgan)
- "Ugly" (Corgan)
- "Believe" (James Iha)
- "Cherry" (Corgan)
1979 Mixes single tracklist
- 1979 (Vocal Mix)
- 1979 (Instrumental Mix)
- 1979 (Moby Mix)
- 1979 (Cement Mix)
The Aeroplane Flies High single tracklist
- "1979" (Corgan) - 4:28
- "Ugly" (Corgan) - 2:52
- "The Boy" (Iha) - 3:04
- "Cherry" (Corgan) - 4:02
- "Believe" (Iha) - 3:15
- "Set the Ray to Jerry" (Corgan) - 4:10
Samples
See also
List of songs about teenage fun
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