Zero

For iconic shirt and costume worn by Billy Corgan, see ZERO shirt.

"Zero"
Single by The Smashing Pumpkins
Album Lyrics Tabs Video Spotify
Released	April 23, 1996
Format	CD, Cassette
Studio sessions	Fall-Winter 1994 – Sadlands March-August 1995 – Pumpkinland and Chicago Recording Company March 2-3, 1995 – Pumpkinland May 31, 1995 – Chicago Recording Company July 25, 1995 – Chicago Recording Company August 1995 – The Village Recorder
Genre	Grunge, alternative metal, alternative rock
Length	2:41 EP length: 40:53
Label	Virgin
Songwriter(s)	Billy Corgan
Producer(s)	Flood, Alan Moulder, Billy Corgan
The Smashing Pumpkins singles chronology
"1979" (1996) "Zero" (1996) "Tonight, Tonight" (1996)
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness Tonight, Tonight Jellybelly Zero Here Is No Why Bullet with Butterfly Wings To Forgive Fuck You Love Cupid de Locke Galapogos Muzzle Porcelina of the Vast Oceans Take Me Down Where Boys Fear to Tread Bodies Thirty-Three In the Arms of Sleep 1979 Tales of a Scorched Earth Thru the Eyes of Ruby Stumbleine X.Y.U. We Only Come Out at Night Beautiful Lily (My One and Only) By Starlight Farewell and Goodnight

"Zero" is the third single from The Smashing Pumpkins' third studio album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. "Zero" was written by Billy Corgan and was the first song recorded for Mellon Collie. The song has six rhythm guitars, with two line-in twelve string acoustics. Commercially, "Zero" reached number one in Spain and number three in New Zealand. In North America, the song reached number one on Canada's RPM Alternative 30, number 15 on the US Mainstream Rock chart, and number nine on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. In the United States, the song was released as an EP, so it instead charted on the Billboard 200, making it to number 46.

The song was featured on "Homerpalooza", the penultimate episode of The Simpsons's seventh season. The cover artwork is of a Giorgio Armani model, photographed by Corgan's then-girlfriend, Yelena Yemchuk, who also directed the music video.

“ We like to call this style of our music 'Cybermetal.' 'Zero' has six rhythm guitars, with two line-in 12-string acoustics, plus those wacky Iha leads. Tracked live with overdubs added later, this is a true mover as well as the first song that was recorded for Mellon Collie, James has always said this reminds him of Judas Priest. ” — Billy Corgan, Guitar World, January 1997

Background

"Zero" was the first song recorded for Mellon Collie. Lyrically, it touches on religion, with the line "god is empty just like me" being an allegorical reference that god is simultaneously fulfillment and emptiness. Similarly, Corgan may be referring to himself as a rock god, and the song is his response to the public interpretation of him at the time. He is to say he was worth nothing; that is, "I'm not your God, I'm your Zero." Lyrics to the song were first foreshadowed during the "art breakdowns" of "I Am One" performances throughout Lollapalooza 1994.

The namesake is the character behind which Mellon Collie is loosely based, and also shares the name with the iconic shirt that Corgan wore throughout the Infinite Sadness tour. The character named "Zero" would later be renamed "Glass" in the story of Machina, and later "Shiny" for 2023's ATUM.

Music video

The music video was directed by Yelena Yemchuk and described by NME as "very cinematic and creepy at times". The concept of it was to set it in a Roman mansion, with lounging guests, while the band acts as their entertainment. The band predominantly wears black, which contrasts with the room's vibrant wine-stained colors that are associated with the Roman period. The video is the only such release to depict keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, who died in July 1996 from a drug overdose.

Lyrics

my reflection, dirty mirror
there's no connection to myself
i'm your lover, i'm your zero
i'm the face in your dreams of glass
so save your prayers
for when we're really gonna need 'em
throw out your cares and fly
wanna go for a ride?

she's the one for me
she's all i really need
cause she's the one for me
emptiness is loneliness, and loneliness is cleanliness
and cleanliness is godliness, and god is empty just like me
intoxicated with the madness, i'm in love with my sadness
bullshit fakers, enchanted kingdoms
the fashion victims chew their charcoal teeth
i never let on, that i was on a sinking ship
i never let on that i was down
you blame yourself, for what you can't ignore
you blame yourself for wanting more
she's the one for me
she's all i really need
she's the one for me
she's my one and only

B-sides

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)" (originally B-side from the "Thirty-Three" single) and the riff called "Rachel" ended up being worked into the album track "X.Y.U." Eventually, 2012's reissue of Mellon Collie saw a number of tracks from the "Medley" released in full versions, and others on The Aeroplane Flies High reissue.

The track "Tribute to Johnny" is an instrumental, a homage to guitarist Johnny Winter.

EP track listing

All tracks are written by Billy Corgan, except where noted.

Main release

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Zero"		2:39
2.	"God"		3:09
3.	"Mouths of Babes"		3:46
4.	"Tribute to Johnny"	Billy Corgan, James Iha	2:34
5.	"Marquis in Spades"		3:17
6.	"Pennies"		2:28
7.	"Pastichio Medley" (The length was incorrectly put as "25:59".)	Billy Corgan, James Iha, D'arcy Wretzky, Jimmy Chamberlin	23:00

Release history

Released	Label	Catalog ID	Format	Country	External sites
April 23, 1996	Virgin	v25g-38545 • 7243 8 38545 2 3	CD	US	Discogs	MusicBrainz	[1]
April 23, 1996	Virgin	4LM-38545 • 7243 8 38545 4 7	Cassette	US	Discogs	MusicBrainz	[1]
August 19, 1996	Hut Recordings • Virgin	HUTCD 73 • 7243 8 42046 2 4	CD	UK	Discogs	MusicBrainz	[1]
August 7, 1996	Virgin	VJCP-15017	CD	Japan	Discogs	MusicBrainz	[1]

More releases: Discogs • MusicBrainz

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)	1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	3
Spain (AFYVE)	1
US Billboard 200 Charted as an EP	46
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)	9
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)	15

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)	Position
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)	23

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)	Gold	500,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)	Platinum	10,000*
*sales figures based on certification alone

Availability

Title	Notes	Type
Live In Chicago		Live • Promotional
Live At The Riviera		Bootleg • Live
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness	Disc one – Dawn to Dusk	Studio
666		Bootleg • Video
Zero	Main release	Single
Zero	Main release	EP
The Aeroplane Flies High	"Zero"	Box set
The Smashing Pumpkins 1991–1998	Promotional CD	Promotional • Compilation
The Videos		Video • Promotional
MCIS Demos II		Bootleg
A Gothic–Industrial Tribute to Smashing Pumpkins		Tribute
Rotten Apples	North American version	Compilation
Greatest Hits Video Collection (1991–2000)		Video
The Killer in You: A Tribute to Smashing Pumpkins		Tribute
Rarities and B-Sides		Compilation
Celebrating *20* Years of Sadness		Live
Oceania: Live in NYC		Live • Video
London By Day		Live

Tour stats

• Total plays: 808 plays (752 full, 51 tease, 5 abandoned, 9 soundcheck), 6 acoustic, 1 piano, 2 artists
• First performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1994-07-28 at Lollapalooza 1994, Barrie, ON, CA (tease)
• First full performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1995-02-20 at Double Door, Chicago, IL, US
• Last performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 2024-09-28 at Petco Park, San Diego, CA, US

Personnel

• Billy Corgan – guitar, vocals, production, recording, mixing
• James Iha – guitar
• D'arcy Wretzky – bass
• Jimmy Chamerblin – drums
• Flood – producer, mixing, recording
• Alan Moulder – production, mixing, recording
• Chris Shepard – recording
• Barry Goldberg – recording, mixing assistance
• Dave Kresl – recording assistance
• Claudine Pontier – recording assistance
• Howie Weinberg – mastering

External links

• "Zero" at SPFC