“Here Is the Dumb Beat, Here Is the Big Rock Chorus”: The Smashing Pumpkins Commercial Smash-Hit That Proved Billy Corgan’s Point

Musicians and folks in suits typically don’t mix well. It’s a timeless tale and a narrative that has frequented the music scene ever since its mass commercialization. Thus, it’s been around for an incredibly long time and affected every musician worth a sweat. Well, one musician who has been open about his battle with the business is the Smashing Pumpkins frontman, Billy Corgan.

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Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins epitomize grunge, punk, and rebelliousness. That being so, Corgan and his band members have never been fans of the business ethics their profession entails. Unlike the majority of musicians silenced and censored by these forces, Corgan has never let anybody put a lid on his opinions. And frankly, they’re opinions that every musician should hear.

The Commercial Truth of Billy Corgan’s “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”

In an interview with Howard Stern on The Howard Stern Show, Billy Corgan pulled no punches regarding his disdain for one the Smashing Pumpkins’ hit. Corgan’s general dislike for the song derives from the commercial curation surrounding it. In short, it was a song they created because the label knew it would sell. Corgan prefaced his story by telling Stern, “If you would just make a f— hotdog you’d be 10x bigger and make a lot more money.”

Corgan extended his analogy stating, “Give me more of [the songs] that sell sausages.” “‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’ was my of saying, you want me to be this rat in a cage, here I am. Here is the dumb beat, here is the big rock chorus, and it was a big hit and they were like great give me more of that,” Corgan added.

Corgan’s thoughts about the song go far deeper than his annoyance with the kitschy commercial side of music. To him, when Corgan was told to make music such as “1979” and “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” his self-worth took a major hit. He told Stern, “It reconfirms everything your parents told you, which is, ‘If you’re not this you’re worthless.”

In short, Corgan’s musical censorship is something he holds very near and dear to his heart, and for a multitude of reasons that is. So in all, it seems Corgan doesn’t like one of his biggest songs for one premier reason. Someone told him to do it because they believed that’s what would make him worthy. A sad truth that has resided in the music industry for nearly its entire existence.

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