The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning
| "The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Smashing Pumpkins | |
| Released | June 2, 1997 |
| Studio sessions | March 1997 – Chicago Recording Company |
| Length | 5:00 |
| Songwriter(s) | Billy Corgan |
"The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning" is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. It is one of four versions of "The End Is the Beginning Is the End", and along with the main version, was included on the Batman & Robin soundtrack. Unlike the other versions, "The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning" has a slower, gothic feel to it with different lyrics for the verses. It also appeared on Rarities and B-Sides and the 2014 reissue of Adore.
The song was used in a trailer for the 2009 superhero film Watchmen directed by Zack Snyder. Its appearance in that trailer helped the song break into the iTunes Top 100 during the summer of 2008 as well as reaching #53 on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart, and The Smashing Pumpkins added this version to their tour roster in August.[1][2] The band played "The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning" through the rest of their 2008 tour and in future tours.[3] Prior to its inclusion in the trailer, it was "a version of that song that never seemed to get any notice", but as Corgan ultimately discovered, "[certainly] the massive jump in online sales seems to indicate it might be worth it for us and for the movie".[4] Corgan complimented its use in the trailer, but joked that his fans "seem to be confused when the outside world appreciates our work".[4]
Videos[edit | edit source]
Lyrics[edit | edit source]
send a heartbeat to the void that cries through you
relive the pictures that have come to pass
for now we stand alone
the world is lost and blown
and we are flesh and blood disintigrate
with no more to hate
is it bright where you are?
and have the people changed?
does it make you happy you're so strange?
and in your darkest hour, i hold secrets flame
we can watch the world devoured in its pain
delivered from the blast
the last of a line of lasts
the pale princess of a palace cracked
and now the kingdom comes
crashing down undone
and i am a master of a nothing place
of recoil and grace
is it bright where you are?
and have the people changed?
does it make you happy you're so strange?
and in your darkest hour, i hold secrets flame
we can watch the world devoured in its pain
time has stopped before us
the sky cannot ignore us
no one can separate us
for we are all that is left
the echo bounces off me
the shadow lost beside me
there's no more need to pretend
cause now i can begin again
is it bright where you are?
and have the people changed?
does it make you happy you're so strange?
and in your darkest hour, i hold secrets flame
we can watch the world devoured in its pain
strange
Chart[edit | edit source]
Note that Billboard incorrectly lists the title as "End is the Beginning is the End".
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[5] | 53 |
Availability
| Title | Notes | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Batman & Robin | Soundtrack | |
| Adore Demos I | Bootleg | |
| The End Is the Beginning Is the End | Main release | Single |
| Adore | 2014 Reissue CD 5: Malice, Callous and Fools | Studio |
| Rarities and B-Sides | Compilation | |
| Celebrating *20* Years of Sadness | Live |
Tour stats
- Total plays: 70 plays (69 full, 1 tease, 4 soundcheck), 2 artists
- First performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1997-07-08 at Spodek, Katowice, PL (tease)
- First full performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 2008-08-08 at Adler Theater, Davenport, IA, US
- Last performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 2018-10-18 at Unipol Arena, Casalecchio di Reno, IT
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Smashing Pumpkins Song Boosted by Appearance in Watchmen Movie" Gigwise.com. July 22, 2008.
- ↑ spfc.org : tour history : The Beginning is the End is the Beginning.
- ↑ "Tour History – The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning". spfc.org. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Hero Complex: Corgan Talks 'Watchmen' Music" Los Angeles Times. July 29, 2008.
- ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved April 5, 2021.