Rocket
"Rocket" | ||||
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Single by The Smashing Pumpkins | ||||
B-side | "Never Let Me Down Again" | |||
Released | July 1994 | |||
Format |
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Studio sessions | ||||
Genre | Alternative rock, psychedelic rock, psychedelic pop, art pop, shoegaze | |||
Length | 4:06 | |||
Label | Virgin | |||
Songwriter(s) | Billy Corgan | |||
Producer(s) | Butch Vig, Billy Corgan | |||
The Smashing Pumpkins singles chronology | ||||
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"Rocket" is the fourth and final single from The Smashing Pumpkins' second album, Siamese Dream, and was written by Billy Corgan. The song charted in Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, as well as on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It was one of the few singles that did not appear on the Smashing Pumpkins' greatest hits album Rotten Apples.
Background[edit | edit source]
"Rocket" was the first song written for Siamese Dream. It was performed during the Gish tours, even before the lyrics had been completely written, so Corgan would make them up at each show.[1]
Corgan once commented,
“ | There's this line from the song 'Rocket', 'Bleed in your own light'. I wanna fuckin' bleed in my own light, not in Kurt Cobain's, not in Perry Farrell's. I wanna go down in my own fuckin' ship. That's what I'm about. | ” |
Composition[edit | edit source]
"Rocket" is a rock song.[2] Being more melodic than Siamese Dream single "Cherub Rock" and the band's Gish-era work in the vein of the track, it was described as a "standard Pumpkins fuzzed-out heavy blissness." The song also features a repetitive guitar line pulsing through, creating a wall of sound effect.[3]
Release and reception[edit | edit source]
A seven-inch vinyl record was released in the United Kingdom as part of the Siamese Singles box set, and on its own. Its B-side (not taken from the album) was a cover version of the Depeche Mode song "Never Let Me Down Again." The CD single was commercially released only in Australia and is considered a valuable rarity by fans of the band. Promo CD singles, with no B-side songs, were also released in the United States and Spain. The single included the same cover of "Never Let Me Down Again". The song was recorded by request of bassist D'arcy Wretzky who is a long-time Depeche Mode fan. It was recorded at the BBC, perhaps in one take.[4] It featured on the Depeche Mode tribute album For the Masses, as well as the soundtrack for the film Not Another Teen Movie.
"Rocket" spent five weeks on the New Zealand Singles Chart, peaking at number 26.[5] It also charted within the top 30 on the US Album Rock Tracks chart and the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart in 1994.[6][7] On January 1, 1995, the single made its only appearance on the UK Singles Chart, debuting and peaking at number 89.[8]
Music video[edit | edit source]
The music video features a group of scientifically-minded children who receive an interplanetary broadcast sent by the Smashing Pumpkins. They set out to build a rocket to fly to another planet to see the Pumpkins perform. They build the advanced rocket piece-by-piece, with no help from their indifferent parents, and fly into outer space. When they arrive on the planet, they discover that the band members have grown old since their first transmission, much to the children's surprise. The band's 2001 Greatest Hits Video Collection DVD also includes a different cut of the video with only the band's performance. It was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who would go on to direct more videos for The Smashing Pumpkins.
Live videos[edit | edit source]
Lyrics[edit | edit source]
Bleed in your own light
Dream of your own life
I miss me
I miss everything I'll never be
And on, and on
I torch my soul to show
The world that I am pure
Deep inside my heart
No more lies
A crown of thorns
An image formed deformed
The mark I've borne
A mark of scorn to you
Consume my love, devour my hate
Only powers my escape
The moon is out, the stars invite
I think I'll leave tonight
So soon I'll find myself alone
To relax and fade away
Do you know what's coming down
Do you know I couldn't stay free?
I shall be free
I shall be free
I shall be free
I shall be free
I shall be free free
Free of those voices inside me
I shall be free
I shall be free
Track listing[edit | edit source]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rocket" | Billy Corgan | 4:05 |
2. | "Never Let Me Down Again" | Martin Gore | 4:01 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rocket" | Billy Corgan | |
2. | "Today" | Billy Corgan |
Release history[edit | edit source]
Released | Label | Catalog ID | Format | Country | External sites | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
July 1994 | Hut Recordings | HUTL 48 • 7243 8 92723 7 6 | 7" | UK | Discogs | MusicBrainz | [1] |
1994 | Virgin | 8927232 | CD | Australia | Discogs | MusicBrainz | [1] |
1994 | Virgin | 4349894 | Cassette | New Zealand | Discogs | [2] |
More releases: Discogs • MusicBrainz
Charts[edit | edit source]
Chart (1994–1995) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] | 29 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[5] | 26 |
UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 89 |
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[6] | 28 |
Availability
Title | Notes | Type |
---|---|---|
Quiet and Other Songs | Demo • Bootleg | |
Siamese Dream (promo) | UK and France CD | Promotional |
Siamese Dream | Original release | Studio |
Unplugged: 100% Pure Acoustic Performances | Bootleg | |
Mashed Potatoes | Bootleg | |
Siamese Singles | Rocket | Box set |
3 Feet High | Bootleg • Live | |
Mayonaise Dream | Bootleg • Live | |
The Cutting Edge | June 30, 1993 – Hilversum, NL (studio / acoustic) | Bootleg |
Acoustic Series | Bootleg | |
Rocket | UK/Australia single | Single |
Pluggelectric | June 30, 1993 – Hilversum, NL (studio / acoustic) | Bootleg |
ONXRT: Live from the Archives Volume 3 | Compilation | |
The Aeroplane Flies High | 2013 Reissue CD 6: Live Inside the Dark Globe | Box set |
Greatest Hits Video Collection (1991–2000) | Video | |
MySpace Smashing Pumpkins Tribute | Tribute | |
Inside the Dream Machine | Bootleg • Live | |
Mayonaise Dream: Broadcast from Tower Records. July 1993 | Bootleg • Live | |
Siamese Dream (Fruit Bats cover) | Tribute | |
Smashing Pumpkins 4/12/94 | Live |
Tour stats
- Total plays: 464 plays (370 full, 89 tease, 5 abandoned, 6 soundcheck), 34 acoustic, 2 artists
- First performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1991-06-22 at Reckless Records, Chicago, IL, US
- Last performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 2024-08-21 at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre (Maryland Heights, Missouri), Maryland Heights, MO, US
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Billy Corgan, Siamese Dream remaster liner notes, November 2011
- ↑ Calvert, John (December 6, 2011). "Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream". The Quietus. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
- ↑ True, Chris. "Smashing Pumpkins - Rocket". AllMusic. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
- ↑ "Smashing Pumpkins Unlock Adore to New Sound." Undercover Magazine, June 1998. Retrieved on September 23, 2007.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Charts.nz – The Smashing Pumpkins – Rocket". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2585." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
External links[edit | edit source]
- Songs
- Singles
- The Smashing Pumpkins singles
- Siamese Dream songs
- The Smashing Pumpkins songs
- Music videos
- The Smashing Pumpkins music videos
- 1994 singles
- 1994 songs
- Songs written by Billy Corgan
- Songs produced by Butch Vig
- Songs produced by Billy Corgan
- Canada Top Singles (RPM) songs
- New Zealand Top 40 songs
- UK Singles (OCC) songs
- Billboard Mainstream Rock songs
- Virgin Records singles
- Music videos directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris