by Peter Moore

Number Thirteen – Tonight Tonight: The Smashing Pumpkins

It’s difficult to think of a song that conjures more of a vivid atmosphere than Tonight Tonight by the Smashing Pumpkins does. Set at the beginning of the double album, Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness, the repetitive guitar arpeggios fuse with a heavy orchestral sound that sets the mood for a record of shy beauty and epic depth.

The video for Tonight Tonight is a certified peculiarity. With roaring spaceships, exploding characters and a post-modern mesh of genres and fashion – it immediately throws up obvious connections with the work of Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam. As it happens, Terry Gilliam has nothing whatsoever to do with the curious video, which is the work of directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who were inspired by the wistful ballad to create something reminiscent of a silent movie.

Along with the unmistakeable helium-fuelled vocals of Billy Corgan, the melodic beauty of the track and the bizarre imagery of the video ensure that it lodges in the mind. But it hasn’t achieved a place in this vibe box for being memorable, it’s achieved it’s position because it’s a bloody good song.