Smashing Pumpkins are due to release two new albums in the next year or so, and fans of the longtime alt-rock outlet now have the first sampling of Billy Corgan and co.'s new album, Monuments to an Elegy. Today (Oct. 20), Smashing Pumpkins released its first single in two years, the slow burning ballad "Being Beige."
Smashing Pumpkins took things down a few notches for the lead single. "Being Beige" begins with the soft, familiar strum of an acoustic guitar, touches of a piano and a soft, touching drumbeat courtesy of none other than Tommy Lee.
Though the song begins slowly and softly, it doesn't stay there for long, in typical Smashing Pumpkins fashion. The first chorus explodes into a swell of loud guitars, ripping drumbeats and emotional pleas from Corgan, though don't ask him to explain the meaning behind "Being Beige" too much.
Despite seemingly heartbreaking lyrics such as "Yes, I loved you / As a matter of fact / Your fires are wrapped up / And that is that" and "You once made me smile / Then you strayed," Corgan isn't sure whether or not there is much "honesty" in the song's lyrics.
"People always ask me to explain songs, and honestly I can't," Corgan said in an interview with Rolling Stone. "But if there's honesty in this lyric, it's that there's something amiss in our cosmos. Yet still, we must love."
"Being Beige" is a far cry from the heyday of Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins' career, but it still manages to tug at some sort of heart and emotional plea, so it's still a successful nugget of alternative rock.
Listen to Smashing Pumpkins' new single "Being Beige" below:
"Being Beige" is the lead single from Smashing Pumpkins' upcoming album Monuments of an Elegy. The album is due for release on Dec. 9.
