When tuning into The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration, viewers expected to see Mickey Mouse and maybe even Michael Bolton. However, no one probably had the alternative band The Smashing Pumpkins on their bingo card.
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The Smashing Pumpkins appeared alongside several other performers for the two-hour special including Robin Thicke, Mickey Guyton, DJ Khaled, and Tori Kelly. Rather than play one of their iconic tunes, the band embraced the holiday spirit with a rendition of “Silver Bells” by Bing Crosby.
The contrast between the band’s alternative roots and the joyous nature of the song was enough to send fans of the band over the edge. For many, the performance stood out in the special as a surreal experience that they struggled to understand.
For instance, one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, “Smashing Pumpkins being on #DisneyHolidayCelebration is wild to me.”
One viewer wrote that the performance drove them to go get a drink, “What in the f&@k of all f&@ks is happening here? The plastic I don’t know what their talent is (don’t tell me dancing. 382 Million ppl around the world can dance) Hough kids just introduced Smashing Pumpkins doing this… I love Disney history..and Christmas..but i’ma need a drink.”
It turns out that The Smashing Pumpkins actually performed two songs for the event, but only one made the air. The band also performed an original Christmas tune as well. In an interview with ABC, frontman Billy Corgan opened up about why the band performed.
He said, “When you get the call to come play at Disney World, you just don’t want to play any weird old Smashing Pumpkins song. We decided to play one unreleased Smashing Pumpkins Christmas song, which I wrote a few years ago, and of course, ‘Silver Bells,’ which is one of my favorite Christmas songs.”
According to Corgan, all the members of the band are huge fans of Disney, and they regularly take their families to Disney World. It was almost a no-brainer, and Corgan leapt at the chance to perform as part of the special. For what it’s worth, The Smashing Pumpkins previously recorded the Christmas-themed “Christmastime” for A Very Special Christmas 3 in 1997.
(Featured Image by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for KROQ/Entercom)
