To Sheila
| "To Sheila" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Promotional single by The Smashing Pumpkins | |
| Released | June 1, 1998 (Adore) January 1999 (promo single) |
| Studio sessions | |
| Length | 4:46 |
| Label | Virgin |
| Songwriter(s) | Billy Corgan |
| Producer(s) | Billy Corgan, Brad Wood |
"To Sheila" is a song from The Smashing Pumpkins' fourth studio album, Adore. It was released again as a promotional single in 1999. The song features backing vocals by Dennis and Jimmy Flemion of The Frogs, who were close friends with The Smashing Pumpkins.
Billy Corgan performed it as a solo artist at the memorial service for his friend Lisa Marie Presley on January 22, 2023. This likely is what caused the song to chart at #3 and #4 on the Billboard LyricFind Global and U.S. charts, respectively, in early February 2023.
Background[edit | edit source]
The song was written while the band was on tour in Poland. Billy Corgan has said the lyrics came to him as they were driving down a country road in their van. He later wrote the music around the lyrics. He also explained that the song was not written about a real person:
| “ | Written in Poland, the lyrics coming to me as I rode with our band party down a non-descript county road. The first take on the first day of the album, and the song that trumpeted in softly a new era; or what was the final era; or the end of the only era; or the beginning of this era. Either way, the melody and simplicity of chords presented is both a coming and going; or better said, a door in and out. There was no Sheila, but if she does exist somewhere beyond the limits of my imagination I imagine her to be Gaelic. One other impression: the line, 'you make me real,' strikes me as odd as its intention would be that up until this point I wasn't; or that your narrator never was. For that which is struck into negation still exists, and is a law of love that tyrants can never understand. | ” |
| — Billy Corgan, liner notes of the 2014 reissue of Adore | ||
On the Thirty-Three podcast, Corgan detailed how terrifying it was to sing the song in the studio. On previous albums, there was pressure from the producers to record many vocal takes, but on this track – the first one recorded for Adore – the acoustic guitar and vocals were recorded live in a single take.[1]
Lyrics[edit | edit source]
twilight fades through blistered avalon
the sky's cruel torch on aching autobahn
into the uncertain divine
we scream into the last divide
you make me real
you make me real
strong as i feel
you make me real
sheila rides on crashing nightingale
intake eyes leave passing vapor trails
with blushing brilliance alive
because it's time to arrive
you make me real
you make me real
strong as i feel
you make me real
lately i just can't seem to believe
discard my friends to change the scenery
it meant the world to hold a bruising faith
but now it's just a matter of grace
a summer storm graces all of me
highway warm sing silent poetry
i could bring you the light
and take you home into the night
you make me real / lately i just can't seem to believe
you make me real / discard my friends to change the scenery
strong as i feel / it meant the world to hold a bruising faith
you make me real / but now it's just a matter of grace
Track listing[edit | edit source]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "To Sheila" | 4:40 |
| 2. | "To Sheila" (Call Out Hook) | 0:10 |
Release history[edit | edit source]
| Released | Label | Catalog ID | Format | Country | External sites | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1999 | Virgin | DPRO-13674 • 7087 6 13674 2 3 | CD | US | Discogs | MusicBrainz | [1] |
Additional personnel[edit | edit source]
- Matt Walker – drums
- Dennis Flemion – backing vocals
- Jimmy Flemion – backing vocals
Production[edit | edit source]
- Billy Corgan – producer
- Bjorn Thorsrud – engineer, editor
- Brad Wood – engineer, producer
- Flood – mixer
- Howard Willing – assistant mixer
Charts[edit | edit source]
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| LyricFind Global Songs (Billboard)[2] | 3 |
| LyricFind U.S. Songs (Billboard)[3] | 4 |
Availability
| Title | Notes | Type |
|---|---|---|
| As Featured on MTV | Video • Promotional • Live | |
| Adore | Main release | Studio |
| To Sheila | US promo CD | Promo |
| Ghost Children/Friends and Enemies | Tribute | |
| The Bridge School Collection, Vol.1 | Compilation | |
| Neath The Darkest Eves | 'Neath The Darkest Eves: The Complete Sessions | Live • Video |
| Live at the Viper Room 1.15.98 | Billy Corgan acoustic set | Live |
Tour stats
- Total plays: 312 plays (308 full, 2 tease, 2 abandoned, 5 soundcheck), 181 acoustic, 10 piano, 2 artists
- First performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1997-10-18 at Bridge School Benefit, Mountain View, CA, US
- Last performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 2023-05-25 at JaM Cellars Ballroom, Napa, CA, US
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Corgan, Billy. "Avalanche (with Austin idol)". iHeartPodcasts. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (LyricFind Global Songs)". Billboard.
- ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (LyricFind U.S. Songs)". Billboard.
External links[edit | edit source]
- "To Sheila" at SPFC