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255-201: Every Smashing Pumpkins Song Ranked

This is every officially released Pumpkins track ranked. Alternate versions of tracks (like on the Machinas) are allowed. No demos, live tracks, and no covers unless they were officially released on compilations or eps (not on re-releases or deluxe versions). Also nothing from Earphoria was released as 1. that’s primarily a live album, and 2. I couldn’t get access to hear it online.
55The Smashing Pumpkins
Zero

Pastichio Medley:
I’d only recommend this song to those that are absolute Pumpkins or Mello-Collie diehards, as it’s not even a song—rather it is a medley of over 70 unreleased tracks that never made it out of the Mellon Collie sessions. Some are genuinely unique and cool peeks at songs I’d die to heard the full versions of, others are just endless and indistinguishable 10-second riffs before jarringly cutting off into the next, some of which are recognizable in other tracks on the album or subsequent b-sides. If it were presented a bit more smoothly and shorter (this thing is 23 minutes long), I might be able to actually rate it. But unfortunately, it’s just going to have to end up here at the end for all to see. It also ends on one of the most repetitive and uninteresting demos, which lasts over 8 minutes in length.
54The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina/The Machines of God

255. The Imploding Voice:
Jesus fuck this song hurts my ears. I’m sure there’s something salvageable here underneath the layers of distortion and effects, especially the halfway-decent chorus. But overall this is just the ugliest song the Pumpkins have ever put forth, and the worst by a large margin. It seemingly meanders back and forth from bit to bit without much thought put into it, all while mindlessly assaulting the listeners ears. Do NOT listen to this with headphones This is almost single-handedly why Machina is their weakest album in my mind
53The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music

254. Vanity:
Amongst some of the most heavy and sonically murky music the Pumpkins have ever released, this pop rock quasi-ballad sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest of Machina II’s b-sides. It’s woefully uninspired both lyrically and melodically, and sounds to me like Corgan at his most tired and uninterested. I don’t know man, something about this one just bothers me.
52The Smashing Pumpkins
Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, Vol. 2

253. Freak:
An uncomfortable mix between poppy vocals and a thundering deep guitar riff, the song feels eternally torn between a weird chanty anthemic chorus and annoying melodies. It feels like every 90s Pumpkins song was churned together with every pop song and distilled into a fine syrup. It doesn’t suck, but it’s frankly just a mess of a song.
51The Smashing Pumpkins
Zeitgeist

252. Come On (Let’s Go):
While the I enjoy the rest of Zeitgeist far more than the average Pumpkins fan, “(Come On) Let’s Go!” mars the album with another unpleasant blend of pop and hard rock that jumps back and forth between tired riffs and uninteresting vocal melodies. It’s probably the most filler-y Pumpkins track of all time, even if there is some slight enjoyment to be had here and there.
50The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music

251. Heavy Metal Machine (Alt Version):
A sparser and more deliberate version than the original Machina take, this is the weaker of the two as it still retains many of the original’s faults. Containing a looping beat and electronic beats, it’s even farther from its title than the first. However, it does remain interesting throughout even if it somehow manages to be even more monotonous and repetitive.
49The Smashing Pumpkins
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

250. Tales of a Scorched Earth:
An ugly, undignified track that sounds like a tired attempt and sounding heavy, but just sounds like flat noise compared to other heavier epics like “X.Y.U.” and “Fuck You.” Even though the chorus does work significantly better than the verses and there’s some interesting stuff going on instrumentally, nothing can better the fantastically misguided distortion in the vocals.
48The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina/The Machines of God

249. Heavy Metal Machine:
Honestly, this song has some good stuff going for it. It’s got an effective opening riff and the bridge works way better than it deserves to. The main problem about the song is the promise of it’s title; it announces a soul crushing display of power, and instead delivers something filled to the brim with monotony and ugliness. While the repetition, vocal effects, and increasing distortion of the outro make it come close, the song falls short of even being just good.
47The Smashing Pumpkins
Nothing Ever Changes (Demo)

248. The Vigil:
There’s some genuinely great guitar work going on here (which is present on much of the Pumpkins’ early work), but the vocals are beyond rough, rendering the song an interesting if sometimes annoying listening experience to any fan trying to sort through the olden days. The melodies are alright and it’s a solid song overall, but yeah the vocals here are ass.
46The Smashing Pumpkins
The Aeroplane Flies High

247. Clones (We’re All):
Just a pretty standard and boring cover from the Bullet with Butterfly Wings EP, with a repetitive riff and otherwise bland melodies. I suppose it’s not really fair to blame Corgan for this entirely, but he doesn’t succeed in making it especially interesting as a cover either. It’s decent but it doesn’t catch the listener’s ear much at all.
45The Smashing Pumpkins
Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, Vol. 1

246. Widow Make My Mind:
The strangely released Teargarden EPs certainly had some interesting tracks on them, and this is no exception. Blatently abusing the vocal overdubs from Zeitgeist, and at the same time foreshadowing the emphasis on electronica once again in the Pumpkins’ music to be heard on Oceania, in many ways this track emphasizes all the worst cliches to be found in the New Pumpkins discog. However, when everything’s said and done, it is a pretty decent song. the riffs are alright, the bridge is interesting, theres some cool instrumentation. But for the life of me I don’t understand why I used to like it so much when I first heard it. It was probably that rad organ in the background.
44The Smashing Pumpkins
Nothing Ever Changes (Demo)

245. Holiday:
As with many of the early releases, the distorted production just destroys this song. While there’s a lot of potential in this post-punk style track, it’s squandered in this type of recording. The robotic beat and Corgan’s vocals are attractive enough, but it’s just messy sounding and quite the missed opportunity.
43The Smashing Pumpkins
Rarities & B-Sides

244. Christmastime:
A ridiculous oddity in the Pumpkins discography, and yet as it progresses it manages to surprisingly work as a genuine Christmas song, if less so a Pumpkins song. The instrumentation is so forced and cheesy in the perfect holiday spirit that it sounds like Billy is just vocalizing over Christmas karaoke. Overall, this makes it a genuinely good Christmas song, but just something completely strange and out there for the Pumpkins to have made. It’s even hard to rank just because it feels like it’s from a completely different world than the rest of their material.
42The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music

243. Real Love:
Pristine melodies and shimmering guitars clash directly with a heavily distorted backdrop that makes what sounds like a would-be love song sound like it was found on a deteriorated 8-track from hell. There’s a great song hiding deep within this track, yet it’s so deep that only glimmers of it can be seen from the surface. Clocking in at little over 4 minutes, it feels far longer than it actually is, which is never a good thing.
41The Smashing Pumpkins
SP (Demo)

242. She:
Considering this is a live recording, it should have way worse quality than it does especially compared to some of the other demos, but it sounds pretty clear even if there’s some unneeded reverb that’s to be expected. Built around a fun guitar riff, some uncharacteristic vocals from Corgan, really bad backing vocals, and straightforward drumming, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a Cure cover band. I’m being serious. It’s something else, alright.
40The Smashing Pumpkins
Zeitgeist

241. Pomp and Circumstances:
Apparently Danny Elfman was supposed to do the string arrangement for this track, but it fell through for some reason. One can only imagine how much more interesting this would sound if Corgan hadn’t came up with this uninteresting closer by himself, but now all we have is this strange and ill-fitting track to sound out the most straightforward Pumpkins’ album yet. That’s not to say there aren’t some good melodies and solos here, but that whole “lalala” thing really just kills this song.
39The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music

240. Glass (Alt Version):
A pretty cool different look at the original track that contains the power of the main release but weirdly suffocates it with a production technique that can only be described as sounding like it’s all being played underwater. Still, there’s some great energy here and the false stop/drum outro is fabulous.
38The Smashing Pumpkins
Zeitgeist

239. 7 Shades of Black:
Unfortunately placed right after the similar sounding but far more effective “Doomsday Clock,” this song comes off as unnecessary and annoying even if it’s a pretty damn solid song in its own right. Despite some really annoying vocals and uncreative moments, it’s got some serious balls on it for its heavy sound, shorter length, and playful attitude.
37The Smashing Pumpkins
Judas O

238. Rock On:
This is widely considered to be one of the weakest official Pumpkins releases ever, and while it’s clearly a bit formless and long in the tooth, I daresay it’s a pretty enjoyable track. It’s a tad repetitive and it could do more to stay interesting, but it’s just fun to hear them having fun onstage. It’s got a great riff and some amazing drumming, and yeah it’s a jam, no shame.
36The Smashing Pumpkins
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

237. We Only Come Out at Night:
I’m equally as angry that this song exists that I am happy that it exists. Why, oh, why couldn’t it have just been a b-side? The verses are dope, though.
35The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music

236. Dross:
A trudging and half-hearted riff leads this cut to pretty uninteresting territory. Regardless, it’s a solid Pumpkins cut thanks to the vocals and drumming overcoming the sometimes frustratingly one-note guitarwork. It’s a forgettable but good track with just the right amount of angst to make it work.
34The Smashing Pumpkins
Lull

235. Bye June:
A simple but effective track that served as an early showcase for Corgan’s potential talent behind an acoustic guitar, with the entire track resting on his affecting performance vocally and with the strum pattern. It’s nothing compared to the heart-breaking acoustic ballads he’d one day pen, but it’s great insight into what would eventually be.
33The Smashing Pumpkins
Zero

234. God:
Billy gets angsty about God again. It’s a pretty solid song on its own with the usual Pumpkins trademarks; thundering guitars and murmured vocals. The bass and drum work actually shines here far more than the others, but ultimately it doesn’t cover any ground that was already featured on the album, so it’s easy to see why this didn’t make the cut.
32The Smashing Pumpkins
Judas O

233. Winterlong:
Now, I’m usually a huge fan of acoustic Pumpkins’ stuff, and it’s not that I don’t like this (I do, quite a bit), but this is what people mean when they say Billy’s voice is grating. It simply doesn’t match what he’s trying to do with the music — unlike other acoustic tunes like “Sparrow” — and the chorus is mindlessly repetitive and honestly pretty boring. The track is also far too long. Other than that, this is admittedly very pretty and listenable, and acoustic Pumpkins is always interesting.
31The Smashing Pumpkins
Zero

234. Marquis in Spades:
Probably one of the more forgettable songs in the Pumpkins’ repertoire, Marquis serves as a pretty effective and solid distillation of their heavier sound in the Mellon Collie era, but it doesn’t retain and unique sound or bite of its own when compared to the other greats from that time. It does get significantly better by the end of it, though. Overall? Good, but greatly flawed.
30The Smashing Pumpkins
American Gothic

231. Sunkissed:
A laidback and pretty acoustic track. It maintains the same strum pattern throughout, creating a sense of calm that makes its repetitive structure more relaxing than mundane, but at five minutes, the length really hurts the track. There’s nothing really wrong with the song other than that, but it still doesn't stand out much compared to the rest of the acoustic goodies in their discography.
29The Smashing Pumpkins
Rarities & B-Sides

230. Czarina:
A glimmery and shimmery little acoustic driven b-side from Adore, it benefits from it’s mellow instrumentation that creates a lovely atmosphere and a feeling of earnestness. However, the unnecessary length and monotonous, strangely bored-sounding vocals from Corgan detract more from the song than they add to it.
28The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music

229. Let Me Give the World to You (Machina II):
A gutted version of the long-lost (but now resurfaced) Adore version, the song has clearly been reframed to fit the uncomfortably saccharine nature of many Machina-era tracks that just don’t fit that well with the toxic and down-trodden vibe of the majority of the albums, except with even more impenetrable production than usual. Still, it’s a ridiculously catchy track whose melody I almost know by heart despite the relatively few times I’ve lent it my ear, so that’s gotta count for something.
27The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music

228. Crash Car Star:
Yes it’s fun as hell, and yes it’s probably a great driving song, but it’s definitely not one of the Pumpkins’ more accomplished works. That being said, there’s some awesome guitar work and drumming going on here, giving the song an endlessly propulsive feeling that carries on non-stop throughout. It does in some ways sound like a toned down version of “Fuck You,” but the more I listen to it, the more I find myself enjoying it.
26The Smashing Pumpkins
Adore

227. Shame:
This pretty but severely overlong track is easily the weakest on Adore. Despite lovely vocals and endearing guitar melody, it’s hard to understand why they decided to make the simplest and most repetitive track on the album also be the longest, ultimately creating a strangely listenable but tepid song surrounded by greatness on all sides.
25The Smashing Pumpkins
Rarities & B-Sides

226. F.O.L.:
Ridiculously repetitive to a point of annoyance, but it does accurately a sound of the older Pumpkins far better than most of what the New Pumpkins had released up until that point, and the verses carry a lot of power to them. But when the song feels like one giant chorus, it doesn’t exactly help too much.

Note: Not actually on B-Side and Rarities as this was released as a non-album single post-Zeitgeist.
24The Smashing Pumpkins
Rarities & B-Sides

224. Owata:
As forced and strangely optimistic as any of the Teargarden releases, still one has to admit that there’s a certain arresting nature to the musicianship. Whether it be in the aggressively bouncy synths to the passionate acoustic-driven bridge, there’s certain something great to this song, even if it’s buried under 50 tons of sugary sweetness—a song not befitting Corgan’s voice.

Note: Not actually on B-Side and Rarities as this was released as a part of the planned Teargarden Vol. 3 post-Zeitgeist.
23The Smashing Pumpkins
Moon (Demo)

223. With You:
A pretty straightforward early Pumpkins cut, playing up all the bands strengths to that point without doing anything particular new or interesting. It’s got a cool guitar sound, solid vocals, and yeah, that’s pretty much it. It’s more than enough to be a good track though.
22The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina/The Machines of God

222. Glass and the Ghost Children:
Famous for being one of the Pumpkins’ longest tracks and being the tentpole to the heavily convoluted Machina storyline (made all the more disjointed due to the fucked-up release), “Glass and the Ghost Children” is in of itself a pretty cool song. Making use of some really neat riffs and atmospheric qualities, the song noticeably sags more as it goes on due to a boring and downright weird spoken-word portion in the middle and a repetitive vocal melody to close it out.
21The Smashing Pumpkins
Judas O

221. Because You Are:
A strange claustrophobic mess of conflicting and contrasting sounds that don’t quite work together and yet somewhat do, it’s easy to see why this track didn’t make it to an official release until this point. Still, the bridge is ridiculously good with it’s intertwining guitars and pounding drums, and there’s something strangely enticing about the alien quality of it. It’s so different and yet familiar, just like all good Pumpkins tunes.
20The Smashing Pumpkins
Rarities & B-Sides

220. French Movie Theme:
Another one of those “What the fuck?” early ones where you’re not really sure whether anyone new what they were doing other than trying to make some weird shit, to which they succeeded this time around. Built around nothing but some simple drumming/strumming that fades in and out over repeating “yeah-yeahs” and a murmur or two from Corgan. Yeah, idk either. Who said ranking these was easy?
19The Smashing Pumpkins
Oceania

219. The Chimera:
A far too complicated vocal melody holds this song back from greatness, ending up in by far the weakest number in the whole of Oceania. Still, the band is lively and clearly having loads of fun, with energetic drumming, lovely guitars, a jam or two here and there, it’s indicative of what new Pumpkins can offer, even at one of their weaker points.
18The Smashing Pumpkins
Moon (Demo)

218. Stars Fall In:
A fine example of early Pumpkins’ work, with lovely vocal melodies and unpredictable musicianship. It’s easy to see the groundwork for which Gish came from in here, and it’s just a really solid song despite the obvious audio quality issues. I wish they had done this one again in the future, because there’s a lot of potential in this one.
17The Smashing Pumpkins
Oceania

217. Inkless:
A pretty strange and directionless tune that doesn’t really make it’s own voice unique against the other far superior tracks on Oceania, it’s still got some triumphant vocals and a greater sense of purpose than one would expect, steadily increasing in quality as it goes on.
16The Smashing Pumpkins
Monuments to an Elegy

216. Run2Me:
The moment the insipidly titled “Run2Me” begins with its chirping synths, one rolls his eyes in an “Oh, God” fashion. Ultimately however, the song does prove to be adequately anthemic without succumbing to banality or boredom. It’s a fun song that does manage to change things up as it goes along, and it’s far better than it deserves to be, so take that as you will.
15The Smashing Pumpkins
Rarities & B-Sides

215. Summer:
A gentle and moving effort from Iha that effective sets up a summery effort without having to do much else. I’ll be honest, the track isn’t anything truly special nor is it particularly memorable, and I actually forgot it existed until just now, but regardless, you enjoy when you listen to it, and it makes you feel exactly the way it wants you to. What else is there to want?
14The Smashing Pumpkins
Pisces Iscariot

214. Plume:
Fuzzed out to the max, this track thrives on the rumbling guitar that serves as the backbone. I actually can’t tell whether it’s a guitar or bass to be honest. The song is cool enough, but it doesn’t really manage to create a flavor of its own, which is likely why it was wisely left off of Siamese.
13The Smashing Pumpkins
American Gothic

213. Again, Again, Again (The Crux):
A percussive and propulsive venture into more acoustic based territory similar to the rest of the EP, this song is pretty damn likable even if it doesn’t add very much to Pumpkins canon. It exists as just another one of the countless songs in their catalogue without much of a unique voice of its own, but that being said it’s more than a bit enjoyable of its of merits. It also goes on far too long for its own good.
12The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music

212. Cash Car Star (demo):
More loose and free than the “album version,” somehow this just seems to emanate more power despite there not really being too much of a difference between the two, and thus it inherits the same fulats. Musically the main difference is that the vocals here are slightly distorted and the length helps sustain the powerhouse of energy, but otherwise it just seems like everyone’s having more fun on this cut.
11The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina/The Machines of God

211. With Every Light:
Strangely placed between the two massive and dark “The Crying Tree of Mercury” and “Blue Skies Bring Tears,” this song brings a strangely upbeat and happy quality that almost sounds forced and/or ironic due to its placement, and I’m really not sure if this is what was intended or not. Either way, it’s a nice little track that works well enough on its own despite its curious meaning in terms of the overall work.
10The Smashing Pumpkins
Monuments to an Elegy

210. Monuments:
The mostly self-titled track from an otherwise great album doesn’t represent the aggressive but somewhat poppy sound of the album nearly as well as others do. Okay, maybe it does, but it’s just not a very good song compared to the others. Driven by a repetitive synth melody with occasionally forceful guitars, “Monuments” does actually do some cool stuff, especially with its false stop and toned-down bridge, and it never once falls into the annoyance of “Run2Me,” as repetitive as it may get.
9The Smashing Pumpkins
Nothing Ever Changes (Demo)

209. Cross:
An atmospheric cut from the band that sounds very confident compared to the rest of their material for period. The spacey guitar and full drum sound helps to combat some seriously flawed sound quality (the version I heard had tinnitus-esque ringing in the background throughout the entirety). It’s not among the best from the period, but it is further proof that there was something to their sound that could only get better from there.
8The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music

208. If There Is a God:
A strange but nice little footnote of a song that works far better than it should given its repetitive nature. Some pretty gorgeous instrumentation works with the distortion rather than against it, creating a dreamlike atmosphere that turns the track into more of a full-fledged work than a simple interlude.
7The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music

207. Glass:
Far heavier and faster than its sister “b-side” version off of the EPs that came with the main release of Machina II, “Glass” is still a flawed song that nevertheless works far better than the alternate version thanks to it finally succumbing to its punky and dirty tendencies without fighting back.
6The Smashing Pumpkins
Pisces Iscariot

206. Frail and Bedazzled:
This is essentially like if someone took all the tracks from Gish and Siamese Dream and threw them in a blender and the most generic sounding cut from the both of them came out. It is kinda cool in some ways, though, especially because of how it seems like it could really seem to work on either of the album perfectly. It’s like the bridge between the two, and this as well as some solid moments throughout make a very enjoyable if flawed and forgettable cut from Pisces.
5The Smashing Pumpkins
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

205. Jellybelly:
While it might capture the “I don’t give a fuck” mood of much of Mellon Collie extremely well and its malicious guitar riffs gallop seamlessly between the verses and choruses, it ultimately marks another cut from Mellon Collie that I would easily have given up for a large number of b-sides. Still, I must admit that the triumphant choruses and vocal melodies playfully contrast with the heaviness of much of the song, and… yeah it’s pretty damn good overall.
4The Smashing Pumpkins
The Aeroplane Flies High

204. Jupiter’s Lament:
A straightforward and simple acoustic ditty, nevertheless rendered powerful by Corgan’s impassioned guitar playing and emotional singing voice. Something about the guy just works way damn better than it should with acoustic pieces, even when there isn’t much to them.
3The Smashing Pumpkins
Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, Vol. 2

203. Spangled:
Weirdly cheesy and more than a bit absurd, Corgan manages to take a bunch of different sounds that shouldn’t quite mix and plaster them all together in a way that manages to create an effective song that doesn’t quite sound like anything he’s done before. In conclusion, this shouldn’t work, but it does.
2The Smashing Pumpkins
Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music

202. Slow Dawn:
Just a pretty darn cool song. Great atmospheric intro with some excellent mellow guitar work in the verses that helps overcome a middling vocal performance from Corgan and eventually builds to a lovely solo. It’s not perfect, and it rightfully exists along with the other demo-quality tunes, but it’s a nice example of what the Pumpkins can do when they’re not even close to their greatest.
1The Smashing Pumpkins
Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, Vol. 1

201. Teargarden Theme:
A strange little instrumental b-side that opens with a strangely canned-sounding tune that switches over halfway to a pretty nice guitar/organ piece with far more weight than it deserves. As instrumental throwaway tracks go, this is one of the better ones I’ve heard.
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