In Lieu Of Failure

"In Lieu Of Failure" is the fifth track from Act III of the The Smashing Pumpkins' 2023 rock opera, ATUM.

Billy Corgan has compared the feeling of the song to that of Mellon Collie-era B-sides, in an assertion that that "machine" of songwriting is still very much alive. "That's what this song sort of represents both narratively and personally," he said on the Thirty-Three podcast.

Synopsis
Shiny is invited to a celebration event hosted by a group of fans who are now out in the open after being in secret for so long. At the event, a cover band plays all of Shiny's hit songs. Near the end of the show, they begin to play this song in which Shiny gets up on stage and begins singing with the band. While singing, A person in a hood walks up on stage and takes the mic out of Shiny's hand. This person is revealed to be Osirah and she starts denouncing Shiny. She eventually gets the crowd to turn against Shiny. As the crowd grows ever more violent, Ruby comes out of nowhere and pushes past Osirah to take Shiny away. They run out of the building and into the night together.