"Thirty-Three"
Single by the Smashing Pumpkins
from the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
B-side
  • "The Last Song"
  • "The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)"
  • "Transformer"
  • "The Bells"
  • "My Blue Heaven"
ReleasedNovember 11, 1996 (1996-11-11)
Genre
Length4:10
LabelVirgin, Hut
Songwriter(s)Billy Corgan
Producer(s)Flood, Alan Moulder, and Billy Corgan
The Smashing Pumpkins singles chronology
"Tonight, Tonight"
(1996)		 "Thirty-Three"
(1996)		 "Eye"
(1997)
Alternative cover
UK CD single 2

"Thirty-Three" is a song by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. It was the fifth and final single from their third album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995), in November 1996. It was the first single released after the firing of Jimmy Chamberlin and death of Jonathan Melvoin. The song peaked at 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's fourth and final top-40 hit there, number seven in New Zealand and the top 30 in Canada and the United Kingdom. In Canada, it coincidentally finished at number 33 on the RPM Alternative 30 year-end chart for 1997.

Background

The song was described by Billy Corgan as "a simple song in a country tuning", and was the first song that he wrote after the Siamese Dream tour. The guitars in the song are tuned to EGBGBE half a step down, and the drum machine track is exactly the same track Corgan recorded when he laid down the demo version of the song, because he was unable to recreate it.[3]

In a taping of VH1 Storytellers on August 24, 2000, Corgan joked that he planned on making "Thirty-Three", "Sixty-Six", and "Ninety-Nine", but only finished "Thirty-Three".[4]

When the band released their greatest hits collection in 2001, Thirty-Three made neither the international nor the US version.[5] It was included, however, on the Greatest Hits Video Collection.[6]

Single release

At the time of its release, the plan to release the song as the album's final single was a point of disagreement for insiders. Sources close to the band claim that "Muzzle" was in fact due to be released as the final single, as is evidenced by the fact that a promotional single for the song was issued to radio stations worldwide.[7]

Music video

The music video for "Thirty-Three", directed both by Billy Corgan and then-girlfriend Yelena Yemchuk, is a series of images shot in stop-motion, ending with a re-enactment of the Mellon Collie album cover. Jimmy Chamberlin is notably absent from shots of the band. Although the group's videos habitually avoid the literal interpretation of a song's lyrics, the video for "Thirty-Three" was created with images closely related to the words of the song, as an intentional stylistic departure.[8]

B-sides

The B-side "The Last Song" features a guitar solo by Corgan's father, Billy Corgan Sr.[9] and was performed live only once, at the Pumpkins' final show at Chicago's Cabaret Metro.[10]

The B-side "My Blue Heaven" features piano by Keith Brown,[11] a song written in 1927 by George A. Whiting and Walter Donaldson.[12]

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne and Ivy fame contributed piano for the B-side "The Bells".[11]

Track listings

US and UK promo CD singles
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Thirty Three"Billy Corgan4:09
US and UK maxi-CD singles
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Thirty Three"Billy Corgan4:09
2.""The Last Song""Billy Corgan3:55
3."The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)"Billy Corgan8:31
4."Transformer"Billy Corgan3:25
UK CD single CD2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Thirty Three"Billy Corgan4:09
2."The Bells"James Iha2:17
3."My Blue Heaven"George Whiting/Walter Donaldson3:20
CD single from the Aeroplane Flies High box set and Japanese promo CD single
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Thirty Three"Billy Corgan4:09
2.""The Last Song""Billy Corgan3:55
3."The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)"Billy Corgan8:31
4."Transformer"Billy Corgan3:25
5."The Bells"James Iha2:17
6."My Blue Heaven"George Whiting/Walter Donaldson3:20

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom November 11, 1996 CD [26]
United States November 12, 1996 Virgin [27]
Japan January 16, 1997 [28]

References

  1. ↑ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1995". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. pp. 547–548. ISBN 9781493064601.
  2. ↑ Cohen, Ian (December 5, 2012). "The Smashing Pumpkins: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 3, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  3. ↑ Guitar World, 1997
  4. ↑ "Pumpkins' Billy Corgan Pulls Back Curtain For 'Storytellers'". MTV News. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Greatest Hits - Smashing Pumpkins | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Smashing Pumpkins: Greatest Hits Video Collection | Reviews @ Ultimate-Guitar.com". www.ultimate-guitar.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Smashing Pumpkins: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Retrospective". AlternativeNation.net. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  8. ↑ Commentary for "Thirty-Three" music video. The Smashing Pumpkins 1991–2000: Greatest Hits Video Collection (Virgin Records, 2001).
  9. ↑ "Thirty Three [US] - Smashing Pumpkins | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  10. ↑ Smashing Pumpkins Live at Metro on 2000-12-02 : Free Download & Streaming, retrieved October 26, 2015
  11. 1 2 "The Aeroplane Flies High - Smashing Pumpkins | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Thirty-Three [6 Track EP] - Smashing Pumpkins | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  13. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 257.
  14. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7766." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9795." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  16. ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins – Thirty-Three" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  17. ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins – Thirty-Three". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  21. ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  22. ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  23. ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  24. ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  25. ↑ "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  26. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. November 9, 1996. p. 29. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Thirty Three". Amazon. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  28. ↑ "サーティ・スリー | スマッシング・パンプキンズ" [Thirty Three | Smashing Pumpkins] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
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