Rhinoceros (song)
Encyclopedia
"Rhinoceros" is a song by American alternative rock
band The Smashing Pumpkins
from their debut album, Gish
. It was written by Billy Corgan
and is one of the few songs from Gish that has been performed consistently throughout the band's career.
The song is an early indication of the loud/soft dynamic that would come to define the band's overall sound. The song was cited as a turning point by Corgan in an interview circa Siamese Dream
: "I can remember bringing in 'Rhinoceros', which didn't sound like anything else we had. But after a while you get used to playing 'Rhinoceros', so you bring in something that's a little weirder." In an early radio appearance from 1989, Corgan can be heard referring to the tune, which D'arcy
audibly protests playing, as "that real slow one". The album recording reportedly features 17 tracks of feedback.
Instead of being released as a CD single, "Rhinoceros" was instead featured as the first track on Lull
. Songwriter Billy Corgan has mentioned that Lull is known within the band as "the Rhinoceros single".
was also made for "Rhinoceros", which was one of the Pumpkins earliest videos. It was directed by Angela Conway, who also directed "Siva
". There are three main parts to the video.
The first is footage filmed on a sound stage featuring the band members "looking bored", and playing guitars. In one part of these scenes, D'Arcy is playing with a white ping pong ball which appears to float, an effect that was achieved by filming the scene in slow motion and then running it backwards. It is one of the most well-known scenes from the video.
Corgan has said in the commentary DVD for the video that the original plan for the video was to have these scenes filmed in a very small red room, so small that the band members were constantly on top of each other. This idea was inspired in part by the video for "Close to Me" by The Cure
. When they arrived at the set to film, they were given a very large purple room, so instead of being cramped together, the band moved as far away from each other as they could.
There is also live footage from a small club show in London
. This footage did not work out as planned and so it is only shown near the end of the video, starting with the guitar solo
. The third type of footage used in the video consists of shots of the band in Hyde Park, London
. The four members of the band took a video camera to the park and filmed themselves in various poses to make up for the poor live footage.
American rock band Phish
opened their show at Deer Creek on 8 March 1998 with a cover of "Rhinoceros".
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
from their debut album, Gish
Gish
Gish is the debut album by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released in May 1991 through Caroline Records. Frontman Billy Corgan described Gish as a "very spiritual album"...
. It was written by Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
and is one of the few songs from Gish that has been performed consistently throughout the band's career.
The song is an early indication of the loud/soft dynamic that would come to define the band's overall sound. The song was cited as a turning point by Corgan in an interview circa Siamese Dream
Siamese Dream
Siamese Dream is the second album by the American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released on July 27, 1993 on Virgin Records. The album fused diverse influences such as shoegazing, dream pop, grunge, classic rock, heavy metal, and progressive rock.Despite recording sessions fraught...
: "I can remember bringing in 'Rhinoceros', which didn't sound like anything else we had. But after a while you get used to playing 'Rhinoceros', so you bring in something that's a little weirder." In an early radio appearance from 1989, Corgan can be heard referring to the tune, which D'arcy
D'arcy Wretzky
D'arcy Elizabeth Wretzky is an American musician. She is best known for her work as the original bass player of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins...
audibly protests playing, as "that real slow one". The album recording reportedly features 17 tracks of feedback.
Instead of being released as a CD single, "Rhinoceros" was instead featured as the first track on Lull
Lull (EP)
Lull is an EP by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released in 1991.- Background :"Rhinoceros" was taken from Gish , "Blue" later appeared on Pisces Iscariot, and a live version of "Slunk" later appeared on Vieuphoria and its soundtrack album Earphoria."Bye June" is a 1989...
. Songwriter Billy Corgan has mentioned that Lull is known within the band as "the Rhinoceros single".
Music video
A videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was also made for "Rhinoceros", which was one of the Pumpkins earliest videos. It was directed by Angela Conway, who also directed "Siva
Siva (song)
"Siva" is a song by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. It was the first single from their debut album Gish, and was written by Billy Corgan...
". There are three main parts to the video.
The first is footage filmed on a sound stage featuring the band members "looking bored", and playing guitars. In one part of these scenes, D'Arcy is playing with a white ping pong ball which appears to float, an effect that was achieved by filming the scene in slow motion and then running it backwards. It is one of the most well-known scenes from the video.
Corgan has said in the commentary DVD for the video that the original plan for the video was to have these scenes filmed in a very small red room, so small that the band members were constantly on top of each other. This idea was inspired in part by the video for "Close to Me" by The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
. When they arrived at the set to film, they were given a very large purple room, so instead of being cramped together, the band moved as far away from each other as they could.
There is also live footage from a small club show in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. This footage did not work out as planned and so it is only shown near the end of the video, starting with the guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
. The third type of footage used in the video consists of shots of the band in Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
. The four members of the band took a video camera to the park and filmed themselves in various poses to make up for the poor live footage.
American rock band Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
opened their show at Deer Creek on 8 March 1998 with a cover of "Rhinoceros".
Track listing
Chart performance
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
27 |
External links
- Allmusic