SPCodex:Did you know

The Did You Know... factoids appear on the main page and are intended to give brief, fun trivia. If you would like to propose additions, please ask on the talk page.

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...that the original cover for Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was supposed to picture a Victorian-style set with the full band in costume, but the artist demanded too much money?
...that the song "Siva" was originally called "Shiva" in reference to Indian/Asian folklore, and the band still pronounces it "Shiva"?
...that the arrangements for TheFutureEmbrace followed an unusual process of splitting melodies into four parts based on their pitch, and the production team would program synths in each voicing and combine them into a multitrack recording?
...that a music video was recorded for "I Am One" in 1992, but because the band was unhappy with the results, it wasn't released until 2001 on the Greatest Hits Video Collection?
...that a live recording of the first show as a full band was given away for free at the last show (pre-2007), both at the same venue?
...that Billy Corgan briefly worked with basketball superstar and rapper Shaquille O'Neal? Corgan began work on a track loosely inspired by Dr. Dre, but the collaboration fell through. The drumbeats that survived were used in "Eye", which appeared on the Lost Highway soundtrack.
...that the guitar solo on "Siva" is the band's first use of the Big Muff pedal that was famously used on Siamese Dream?
...that "Thru the Eyes of Ruby" contains approximately 70 guitar tracks, while "To Forgive" consists of only one live guitar take?
...that Sharon Osbourne briefly managed The Smashing Pumpkins in late 1999?
...that the cost of recording Siamese Dream was $250,000 over budget? Virgin Records grew impatient with the costs and being behind schedule, but the band refused to cut corners if it meant they had to compromise the sound.
...that briefly there was belief that one of the girls on the cover of Siamese Dream was actually former bassist Nicole Fiorentino? The actual girls were later found and reunited in 2018.
...that former drummer Mike Byrne played in a band called The Mercury Tree, which is the name of an old version of "The Crying Tree of Mercury"?
...that Zeitgeist was the first Smashing Pumpkins album Jimmy Chamberlin helped produce? Regarding the aggressive drumming, he said "the world is ready for something with some balls behind it."
...that Gish was named after silent film icon Lillian Gish? In an interview, Corgan said his grandmother told him "one of the biggest things that ever happened was when Lillian Gish rode through town on a train".
...that the compact disc version of the Pisces Iscariot cover depicts a blurry Polaroid photo of Billy Corgan's ex-wife, Chris Fabian?
...that the In Ashes animated series was named after Sumerian Records CEO, Ash Avildsen? The joke was that by signing with Sumerian Records, The Smashing Pumpkins and Sumerian are "going to go up in flames … and end up in ashes."
...that The Smashing Pumpkins contributed to a various artists compilation album that parodied the hideous 70's and 80's K-tel compilations? Each participating band was to cover an obscure 70s song. The Pumpkins went with "Jackie Blue" by Ozark Mountain Daredevils.
...that the Mellon Collie sessions were The Smashing Pumpkins' first to use computer technology. Pro Tools was ran on a Macintosh 8100, which has less computing power than mobile phones have today.
...that Matt Sweeney's (of Zwan) former band Skunk helped inspire the composition that became "Frail and Bedazzled"?
...that the original idea for the "Cherub Rock" music video was for the band to play for "metal kids", with angels swinging from ropes, and Billy Corgan dressed as Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th?
...that Billy Corgan was the original bassist for The Smashing Pumpkins? Their very first show included Corgan on bass, Iha on guitar, and a drum machine.
...that "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" was one of 165 songs strongly recommended to be pulled from radio following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks?
...that former touring Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Mark Stoermer was an additional executive producer on the live action music video for "Wyttch"?
...that the "Siva" song title long predates the song, and Billy Corgan considered naming the band Siva instead of The Smashing Pumpkins?
...that The Smashing Pumpkins single "Untitled" was chosen to be the end credit song for Shrek, but the offer was withdrawn and given to Smash Mouth instead?
...the drowning Statue of Liberty on the Zeitgeist cover was meant to portray global warming and the eminent demise of many founding United States ideals? There are six editions of the album in different colors and with varying bonus tracks.
...that the cover song "Never Let Me Down Again" was recorded in 1993 at BBC Radio One by request of bassist D'arcy Wretzky?
...that the girls on the cover of the "Today" single are D'arcy Wretzky's sister and a family friend?
...that a cheat code in the game Doom is a reference to a 1993 Usenet joke called Smashing Pumpkins Into Small Piles Of Putrid Debris (SPISPOPD), and this is reason the Doom explosion sound was sampled in "Where Boys Fear to Tread"?
...that the original concept for the "Tonight, Tonight" video was for a Busby Berkeley theme, with "people diving into champagne glasses", but Red Hot Chili Peppers did a similar video for "Aeroplane", almost identical to what the band wanted to do?
...that the renowned Gish guitar (stolen in 1991 and returned to Corgan 27 years later), was sold to Corgan by Jimmy Chamberlin, even though it wasn't his to sell?
...that the Siamese Dream booklet was supposed to be by an outsider artist, but after disagreements with the label, Corgan was forced to step in at the last minute? On the day after their wedding, he and his wife scrambled to put something together, using photos of strangers and Corgan's family with lyrics handwritten on top.
...that the Pumpkins' July 17, 1998 performance was a free show that drew upwards of 125,000 fans, and that the mayor declared July 17 "Smashing Pumpkins Day"?
...that Corgan originally intended for "Jellybelly" to be the first single from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness?
...that until the release of The Offspring album Smash in 1994, Gish was the best-selling independently released album of all time?
...that "The Crying Tree of Mercury" had an online interactive music video directed by Billy Corgan that was released by MTV?
...that months prior to Zeitgeist's release, two thieves broke into the band's rehearsal space, stole photographs of the album booklet artwork and leaked them online? They were arrested by Chicago Police and charged with felony burglary.

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