Spaceboy
| "Spaceboy" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Smashing Pumpkins | |
| Released | 1993-07-27 |
| Studio sessions | |
| Length | 4:27 |
| Label | Virgin |
| Songwriter(s) | Billy Corgan |
"Spaceboy" is a song from The Smashing Pumpkins' second studio album, Siamese Dream. Billy Corgan has stated that "Spaceboy" was written as a tribute to his autistic half-brother, Jesse Andersen.[1]
| “ | That’s about my little brother. He’s an interesting character. It’s kind of about how he’s different. He has physical handicap, it’s hard to explain. He has a rare chromosomal disorder, it gives him a some what different genetic make up. He has different physical and mental problems and yet somehow by all accounts, I’m physically and mentally OK. But I feel our lives are the similar. (Similar in the way that we are both) Freaks of nature, freaks of society, I always keep going back to something by Henry Miller. No matter how much he smiled, told jokes, shook hands, patted people on the back. People still looked at him funny, they still sensed something wasn’t right. I’ve always felt that way, that no matter how normal I appear, I was treated differently. | ” |
| — Billy Corgan, Feelnumb.com[2] | ||
"Spaceboy" also features Corgan playing the Mellotron. An alternate version of this song (most commonly seen in the unofficially released collection of rarities Mashed Potatoes) features Pink Floyd-esque slide guitar playing in the chorus instead of the Mellotron.
The album version features a hidden message after the song, with audio recording of some late night show (rumoured to be HBO's "Real Sex", although Billy Corgan never confirmed it because of copyright lawsuit possibility) with an anonymous woman speaking: "Now it's, uh, kind of strange, and, uh, kinda awkward for me to talk about, but I thought maybe you could help, um, when we start getting physical, rather than having intercourse, he ends up just masturbating himself, and I end up feeling very alienated and unsatisfied, and it's really come between us." The clip fades in slowly, but the volume is set to be very low, probably to make unaware listener turn up the volume manually and get taken aback by loud and heavy intro riff of the next track, "Silverfuck".
Lyrics
Feel it
Break your bones
Mr. Jones
Taste me
As I bleed
Taste my need
And spaceboy I've missed you
Spinning round my head
And any way you choose me
You'll break instead
Watch me
Death defy
Defile my life
I don't need
I don't care
Please
I want to go home
I want to go home
I want to go home
I want to go home
'cause when a lover aches
That's when a lover breaks
I want to go home
I want to go home
And spaceboy they'll kill me
Before I'm dead and gone
And any way you choose me
It won't be wrong
And anyway you choose me
We won't belong
We won't belong
We won't belong
We won't belong
We won't belong
We won't belong
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 | |
| Acoustic Series | Bootleg | |
| The Cutting Edge | June 30, 1993 – Hilversum, NL (studio / acoustic) | Bootleg |
| Mayonaise Dream | Bootleg • Live | |
| Mashed Potatoes | Bootleg | |
| Brat Pack | Compilation | |
| Pluggelectric | June 30, 1993 – Hilversum, NL (studio / acoustic) | Bootleg |
| Siamese Dream (Fruit Bats cover) | Tribute |
Tour stats
- Total plays: 125 plays (124 full, 1 abandoned), 77 acoustic, 2 artists
- First performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1992-07-23 at Metro, Chicago, IL, US
- Last performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 2023-09-17 at Madame ZuZu's, Highland Park, IL, US (abandoned)
- Last full performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 2023-09-17 at Madame ZuZu's, Highland Park, IL, US
References
- ↑ Miller, Andrew. "He's My Brother". starla.org. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- ↑ http://www-.feelnumb.com/2010/01/27/jesse-corgan-billy-corgan-brother-and-inspiration-for-the-song-spaceboy/
External links
- "Spaceboy" at SPFC