Ava Adore

From SPCodex, The Smashing Pumpkins wiki
"Ava Adore"
Single by The Smashing Pumpkins
Album
Lyrics
Lyrics
Tabs
Video
Spotify
ReleasedMay 18, 1998
Format7" vinyl record, CD
Studio sessions
Genre
  • Electronic rock[1]
  • synth-pop[2]
Length4:21
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)Billy Corgan
Producer(s)Brad Wood, Billy Corgan
The Smashing Pumpkins singles chronology
"The End Is the Beginning Is the End"
(1997) 		"Ava Adore"
(1998) 		"Perfect"
(1998)
  1. To Sheila
  2. Ava Adore
  3. Perfect
  4. Daphne Descends
  5. Once Upon a Time
  6. Tear
  7. Crestfallen
  8. Appels + Oranjes
  9. Pug
  10. The Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete
  11. Annie-Dog
  12. Shame
  13. Behold! The Night Mare
  14. For Martha
  15. Blank Page
  16. 17

"Ava Adore" is the first single from The Smashing Pumpkins' fourth album, Adore, and exhibited a new sound from the band which integrated traditional instruments with loops and electronic music. "Ava Adore" and the B-sides were written by Billy Corgan. The recording features drums by Matt Walker, and production from Brad Wood.

When released as a single in May 1998, "Ava Adore" reached number one in Iceland, number two in Greece, number five in New Zealand, and the top 20 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the song reached number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, number three on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, and number eight on the Mainstream Rock chart.

Background[edit | edit source]

Lyrically, Corgan explained the song was "ostensibly written about some objectified person", and that there is no actual Ava. He further explained the lyrics "more a screed to my frustration at the fairer sex than say what might meld two souls together; 'we must never be apart' more a demand than any state of absolution."[3]

The bulk of recording took place in a single morning and afternoon. Corgan, who produced the song with initial assistance from Brad Wood, said he might have "made a better effort to examine what made the track provocative, and for its time, too strange" had he known it was going to released as the album's lead single.[3]

The cover artwork is of fashion model Amy Wesson, photographed by Corgan's then-girlfriend and collaborator Yelena Yemchuk.[4]

Music video[edit | edit source]

The music video was released on June 1, 1998 and was directed by Dom and Nic, featuring the band in gothic-inspired clothing and walking through a variety of scenes. The video, filmed in one long take, is notable for its use of slow and fast motion while the speed of the camera is apparently static, and the band continues to lip sync to the song in perfect rhythm. The calculations required to work out the speed changes caused massive delays on set, causing the band to nearly call off the entire plan.[5] The sets seen in the video were arranged in a configuration resembling a hallway, in which a rave sequence functioned as the end of the hall. Instead of continuing to the right, the camera rotates to the left, revealing the artifice of the visuals.

The music video won an award for "most stylish video" at the 1998 VH1 Fashion Awards.[6] It also received several nominations, such as Video of the Year from the Los Angeles-based Music Video Production Awards (MVPAs), and Best Foreign Hit at Denmark's GAFFA-Prisen Awards.

Lyrics[edit | edit source]

it's you that I adore
you will always be my whore
you'll be a mother to my child
and a child to my heart

we must never be apart
we must never be apart

lovely girl you're the beauty in my world
without you there aren't reasons left to find

and I'll pull your crooked teeth
you'll be perfect just like me
you'll be a lover in my bed
and a gun to my head

we must never be apart
we must never be apart

lovely girl you're the murder in my world
dressing coffins for the souls I've left to die

drinking mercury to the mystery
of all that you should ever leave behind
in time

in you I see dirty
in you I count stars
in you I feel so pretty
in you I taste god
in you I feel so hungry
in you I crash cars
we must never be apart

drinking mercury to the mystery
of all that you should ever seek to find

lovely girl you're the murder in my world
dressing coffins for the souls I've left behind
in time

we must never be apart

and you'll always be my whore
cause you're the one that I adore
and I'll pull your crooked teeth
you'll be perfect just like me

in you I feel so dirty in you I crash cars
in you I feel so pretty in you I taste god
we must never be apart

Track listings[edit | edit source]

All songs written by Billy Corgan

Main release
No.TitleLength
1."Ava Adore"4:22
2."Czarina"4:43
3."Once in a While"3:33
UK Limited Edition numbered 7" vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."Ava Adore"4:22
2."Czarina"4:43

Release history[edit | edit source]

Released Label Catalog ID Format Country External sites
May 18, 1998 Virgin V25F-38647 • 7243 8 38647 2 0 CD US Discogs MusicBrainz [1]
May 1998 Virgin 7243 8 38647 4 4 Cassette US Discogs [1]
May 18, 1998 Hut Recordings • Virgin HUTCD 101 • 7243 8 95120 2 1 CD UK & Europe Discogs MusicBrainz [1]
May 1998 Hut Recordings • Virgin HUT 101 • 7243 8 95120 7 6 7" UK Discogs [2]

More releases: Discogs • MusicBrainz

Charts[edit | edit source]

Additional personnel[edit | edit source]

Production[edit | edit source]

Availability

TitleNotesType
Ava AdoreMain releaseSingle
As Featured on MTVVideo • Promotional • Live
AdoreMain releaseStudio
The Smashing Pumpkins 1991–1998Promotional CDPromotional • Compilation
The VideosVideo • Promotional
A Gothic–Industrial Tribute to Smashing PumpkinsTribute
Rotten ApplesNorth American versionCompilation
Greatest Hits Video Collection (1991–2000)Video
Rarities and B-SidesCompilation
Ghost Children/Friends and EnemiesTribute
MySpace Smashing Pumpkins TributeTribute
Celebrating *20* Years of SadnessLive
Oceania: Live in NYCLive • Video
Live at the Viper Room 1.15.98Billy Corgan acoustic setLive
London By DayLive

Tour stats

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Raymer, Miles (August 29, 2014). "Travel back to the late '90s with Puff Daddy's Smashing Pumpkins remix". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  2. ↑ Parks, Andrew. "Smashing Pumpkins Share 'Adore' Bonus Tracks, Including a Banjo Take and Diddy Remix". Wondering Sound. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 2014 Adore reissue liner notes
  4. ↑ http://www.spfc.org/band/faq.html?faq_id=44
  5. ↑ Corgan, Billy and James Iha. Band Commentary for "Ava Adore. " Greatest Hits Video Collection DVD. 2001.
  6. ↑ "The SP Heart: Awards won by the Smashing Pumpkins (and Nominations)". www.steveprutz.com. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – The Smashing Pumpkins – Ava Adore". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3655." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3635." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  10. ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (Canadaian Digital songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 23. June 6, 1998. p. 14. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Smashing Pumpkins – Ava Adore". w:GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 26. June 27, 1998. p. 13. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 24. June 13, 1998. p. 14. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (18.6. – 25.6. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). June 19, 1998. Retrieved October 3, 2019.CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  16. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Ava Adore". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Smashing Pumpkins – Ava Adore" (in Dutch). w:Single Top 100. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Charts.nz – The Smashing Pumpkins – Ava Adore". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Smashing Pumpkins – Ava Adore". VG-lista. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Notowanie nr859" (in Polish). LP3. July 17, 1998. Retrieved April 25, 2019.CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  21. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Smashing Pumpkins – Ava Adore". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  24. ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  25. ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  26. ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  27. ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (Active Rock Songs)". Billboard.
  28. ↑ "RPM's Top 50 Alternative Tracks of '98". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 100 – Vinsælustu Lögin '98". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 2, 1999. p. 34. Retrieved February 8, 2020.CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)

External links[edit | edit source]

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