"Starla" is a song from The Smashing Pumpkins' 1994 compilation album, Pisces Iscariot, originally released on the "I Am One" single in 1992.
| "Starla" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Smashing Pumpkins | |
| Released | 1992 |
| Studio sessions | Spring 1992 – Soundworks |
| Length | 11:01 |
| Songwriter(s) | Billy Corgan |
| Producer(s) | Kerry Brown |
| “ | i met this girl in dallas when we were on tour with the chili peppa's and that was where i got the idea for the name for the song because when she said her name i thought wow, what a great title for a song. 2 1/4 years later i run into this same girl at a party and i say did you hear that song we recorded using your name, starla? and she said, no my name is darla but hey starla, darla whatever it doesn't matter, so there you go. never trust a girl who ends up with well i can't say. | ” |
| — Billy Corgan, Pisces Iscariot liner notes | ||
Recording
The full recording as heard on Pisces occurred in a single all-night session to meet a hard deadline.[1] An epic, mesmerizing track built up around extended solos, "Starla" was produced by Kerry Brown and recorded through a Soundcraft TS12 board onto a TASCAM MS16 one-inch tape machine. Brown used a Yamaha SPX90 for the reverb effect on Corgan's voice, and an Eventide H3000 Ultra-Harmonizer is responsible for the backwards effect that runs through the first third of the song. "I remember that overdub guitar solo," says Brown. "Just him, the headphones, and the cabinet. You don’t hear that much anymore. You can’t simulate what you can do with a cabinet in front of you. I mean, Billy was bending notes on a mic stand!"[2]
Videos
Lyrics
i'm in here
please take me home
starla dear, i'm all alone
when you can't decide what's on your mind, it's clear
i'm near
starla dear
to disappear takes some more time
starla dear, you're on my mind
soon, soon i'll be leaving
soon, soon i'll be leaving
i hear all you're saying
i hear all you're failing
i'm in here
please take me home
starla dear, i'm all alone
when you can't decide what's on your mind, it's clear
i'm here
starla dear
serve yourself
no one else can do for you like you
no one else fails like me
in my eyes i burn alive
fly like a bird
no more words just you and i
high in the sky
Availability
| Title | Notes | Type |
|---|---|---|
| I Am One | Gish CD version and UK 7" and 12" vinyl releases | Single |
| Gish | 2011 Reissue bonus CD – Trippin' Through the Stars | Studio |
| Siamese Dream | 2011 reissue bonus DVD – Live at the Metro (Live on August 14, 1993) | Studio |
| Pisces Iscariot | Main release | Compilation |
| The Smashing Pumpkins (Machina promo) | Promotional | |
| Ghost Children: A Tribute To The Smashing Pumpkins | Tribute | |
| Rarities and B-Sides | Compilation | |
| If All Goes Wrong | The Fillmore Residency | Video |
| Smashing Pumpkins 4/12/94 | Live |
Tour stats
- Total plays: 185 plays (180 full, 5 tease, 6 soundcheck), 1 acoustic, 7 piano, 2 artists
- First performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1992-07-23 at Metro, Chicago, IL, US (soundcheck)
- First full performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1992-07-23 at Metro, Chicago, IL, US
- Last performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 2023-05-26 at BottleRock Napa Valley, Napa, CA, US
- Longest performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1992-07-23 at Metro, Chicago, IL, US [10:48]
- Shortest performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1993-07-04 at Raymond Revue Bar, London, UK [6:10]