Try, Try, Try
Encyclopedia
"Try, Try, Try" is a song by American alternative rock
band The Smashing Pumpkins
. It was the third and final single
from their fifth album, Machina/The Machines of God
. It was written by Billy Corgan
, as was the B-side "Here's to the Atom Bomb".
of the album Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music
and the "Untitled" CD single. The alternate version is a more sparse version of the song, orchestrated on acoustic guitar with a repeating keyboard part, as opposed to the piano, synth, and electric guitar-heavy Machina version.
"Try, Try, Try" replaced "Landslide
" on the international release of the band's Greatest Hits collection Rotten Apples
.
The single cover was designed by Vasily Kafanov and features alchemic symbols such as the 18th century Figuarum Aegyptiorum Secretarum and references to Christainity and Hermes Trismegistus
.
called it "a pretty boring song" and "a bad pop hit" Pitchfork Media
called it one of the album's strongest tracks, comparing it to "New Order
in a crystal convertible flossed out with chrome." Website Spliceoftoday called the single "truly upper echelon"
and was adapted from a short film he made entitled Try, which followed the story of two homeless drug addicts in Sweden
. The video juxtaposes the somewhat upbeat music with graphic footage of a drug overdose, prostitution and larceny. In contrast, there is also a very vibrantly happy dream sequence past the middle of the video, featuring a "perfect family" that suddenly takes an extreme turn for the worse. The fifteen minute short film version, Try, expands the footage of the music video greatly; the lead female is also heard in a voiceover waxing philosophically about her situation during the entire film. Sparse ambient sections of the song are used in this version of the video and Billy Corgan is nowhere to be seen. The long version also features a different ending. Both the music video and the short film are available on the DVD version of the Pumpkins' Greatest Hits Video Collection
.
The video never saw much airtime, however, as its extremely graphic content caused it to be banned from MTV
very early on.
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...
. It was the third and final single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from their fifth album, Machina/The Machines of God
MACHINA/The Machines of God
Machina/The Machines of God is the fifth album by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released on February 29, 2000 by Virgin Records. A concept album, it marked the return of drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and was intended to be the band's final official LP release prior to their first...
. 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...
, as was the B-side "Here's to the Atom Bomb".
Song info
An alternate version of "Try, Try, Try" appears on the third EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
of the album Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music
MACHINA II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music
Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music is the sixth album by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. It was released for free on the Internet on September 5, 2000...
and the "Untitled" CD single. The alternate version is a more sparse version of the song, orchestrated on acoustic guitar with a repeating keyboard part, as opposed to the piano, synth, and electric guitar-heavy Machina version.
"Try, Try, Try" replaced "Landslide
Landslide (song)
The country group Dixie Chicks then covered "Landslide" on their 2002 Home album. This rendition, featuring the group's trademark two- and three-part harmonies reached the Top 10 of both the pop and country charts as well as several other charts. It became the Dixie Chicks' only number 1 single ...
" on the international release of the band's Greatest Hits collection Rotten Apples
Rotten Apples
Rotten Apples is a greatest hits compilation album by alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. In the US, it was released in 2001 along with a bonus disc titled Judas O. The album's concluding track, "Untitled", was the Pumpkins' final recording before their breakup...
.
The single cover was designed by Vasily Kafanov and features alchemic symbols such as the 18th century Figuarum Aegyptiorum Secretarum and references to Christainity and Hermes Trismegistus
Hermes Trismegistus
Hermes Trismegistus is the eponymous author of the Hermetic Corpus, a sacred text belonging to the genre of divine revelation.-Origin and identity:...
.
Critial reception
Upon release, "Try, Try, Try" received mixed reveiws. SputnikmusicSputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
called it "a pretty boring song" and "a bad pop hit" Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
called it one of the album's strongest tracks, comparing it to "New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
in a crystal convertible flossed out with chrome." Website Spliceoftoday called the single "truly upper echelon"
Music video
The music video for "Try, Try, Try" was a very different approach for a Pumpkins video, featuring only Corgan seated in a chair, despite instrumentation in the song from the other band members. The video was directed by Jonas ÅkerlundJonas Åkerlund
Jonas Åkerlund is a Swedish film and music video director, and drummer. He is best known for directing music videos, which are often mock forms of movie trailers and short films...
and was adapted from a short film he made entitled Try, which followed the story of two homeless drug addicts in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The video juxtaposes the somewhat upbeat music with graphic footage of a drug overdose, prostitution and larceny. In contrast, there is also a very vibrantly happy dream sequence past the middle of the video, featuring a "perfect family" that suddenly takes an extreme turn for the worse. The fifteen minute short film version, Try, expands the footage of the music video greatly; the lead female is also heard in a voiceover waxing philosophically about her situation during the entire film. Sparse ambient sections of the song are used in this version of the video and Billy Corgan is nowhere to be seen. The long version also features a different ending. Both the music video and the short film are available on the DVD version of the Pumpkins' Greatest Hits Video Collection
Greatest Hits Video Collection
The Smashing Pumpkins - Greatest Hits Video Collection is a video album containing nearly all of The Smashing Pumpkins music videos released prior to the band's breakup in late 2000...
.
The video never saw much airtime, however, as its extremely graphic content caused it to be banned from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
very early on.
Track listing
Charts
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
73 |