"Quasar" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
song by The Smashing Pumpkins from the album Oceania | ||||
Released | June 19, 2012 | |||
Recorded | April – September 18, 2011 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:55 | |||
Label | ||||
Writer(s) | Billy Corgan | |||
Producer(s) |
|
|||
Oceania track listing | ||||
|
"Quasar" is a song by American alternative rock band, The Smashing Pumpkins. It is the opening track of the band's eighth studio album Oceania, released on June 19, 2012. The song was written and produced by the band's frontman Billy Corgan and was co-produced by Bjorn Thorsrud.
"Quasar" features the use of wall of sound and delay effects along with a drop-D tuned guitar work. Lyrically, the song deals with spiritual themes. A central theme throughout the lyrics is the search for "God", or faith. This search, for God and spiritual truth or direction is conveyed in lyrics such as "Fated One, hold me down... ...Do I know you?" As well, the song shows the vast diversity of Billy Corgan's spirituality, referencing the Christian God, the disciple Mark, the Hindu God Krishna, and referring to the ineffable name of God used in the Hebrew Bible. Ironically, all of these references appear in the same verse; "God, right on!/Krishna, right on!/Mark, right on!/Yod He Va He Om!", with "Yod He Va He" referring to the Hebrew letters which represent the ineffable name; YHVH.
"Quasar" received mostly positive reviews. Joseph Viney of Sputnikmusic described the song as "a rambunctious, wailing beast of a song with a number of different speeds and moods." Rick Florino of Artistdirect praised the song, declaring that it is "one of the band's heaviest and most hypnotic gems ever." He also eulogized drumming parts of Mike Byrne, Nicole Fiorentino's basslines and Jeff Schroeder's fuzzed-out guitar work, along with Billy Corgan's vocal style. The guitar work of the song was also compared to those of Television by Thomas Conner of The Chicago Sun. He also described the song's style as "Earthy Deep Purple, meet heavenly Kula Shaker."