Cherub Rock
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| “Cherub Rock” | |||||
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| Single by The Smashing Pumpkins from the album Siamese Dream |
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| Released | July 13, 1993 | ||||
| Format | Vinyl record (7" & 12") and CD | ||||
| Recorded | 1993 | ||||
| Genre | Alternative rock | ||||
| Length | 4:58 | ||||
| Label | Virgin Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Billy Corgan | ||||
| Producer | Butch Vig & Billy Corgan | ||||
| The Smashing Pumpkins singles chronology | |||||
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| Siamese Dream track listing | |||||
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"Cherub Rock" is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. It was the first single from their second album, Siamese Dream, and was written by Billy Corgan. It was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal at the Grammy Awards of 1994, their first Grammy nomination along with a Best Alternative Music Performance nomination for Siamese Dream. This song features in Guitar Hero III and Rock Band.
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[edit] Composition
The song was one of the last written for the album, and the lyrics relate to Corgan's relationship with his perception of the indie-rock community and larger media.[1] The song was performed in standard tuning with a G sharp octave played at the 11th fret, which the band used on other songs, such as "Drown" and "Starla". Apparently this caused many to bring other bands using the same chord to Corgan's attention as "sounding like The Smashing Pumpkins". The prominent effect on the solo was achieved by recording the guitar solo to two different tapes which were then run simultaneously, with the speed of one tape slightly altered.
[edit] Reception
Corgan insisted that the song be released as the first single from the album, against the wishes of record executives who believed that "Today" would be a stronger opening single. Although Corgan's wishes were honored, the single was indeed received with much less enthusiasm than "Today", although it remains a fan favorite. An acoustic version of the song is performed on Vieuphoria and its CD companion, Earphoria.
The song was a moderate success for the band, being performed on Saturday Night Live and making it to the Triple J Hottest 100 at number 43. Readers ranked Cherub Rock at number 97 in Guitar World's list of the 100 greatest guitar solos of all time. In March 2005, Q magazine placed it at number 67 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. In October 2005, the Fox Broadcasting Company used "Cherub Rock" to advertise their Major League Baseball postseason coverage. Also for some time, professional wrestler Psicosis used "Cherub Rock" as his entrance theme. The song also appears in the video games Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Rock Band.
[edit] Music video
The video features footage of the band performing the song live in a forest setting. When developing the film, the director, Kevin Kerslake, threw the film into a bath tub to give the video a broken and dirty look. It was shot outside San Francisco entirely on Super8 film at a very modest budget. Corgan was reportedly extremely unhappy with the shooting experience, and the band never worked with Kerslake again.[citation needed]
[edit] Track listing
CD / 12" vinyl version
- "Cherub Rock" -4:59
- "Pissant" -2:30
- "French Movie Theme" / "Star-Spangled Banner" -3:50
7" vinyl version (5000 copies only)
- "Cherub Rock" -4:59
- "Purr Snickety" -2:50
[edit] Personnel
- Billy Corgan - guitar, vocals, production
- James Iha - guitar
- D'Arcy Wretzky - bass, vocals[citation needed]
- Jimmy Chamberlin - drums
[edit] Sample
[edit] References
- ^ Kelly, Christina. "Smashing Pumpkins-The Multi-Platinum Band is over the infighting but can the harmony last?" US Magazine, 1995-12-01.
[edit] External links
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