"Tonight, Tonight" | ||||
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The single cover of "Tonight, Tonight" is credited to Billy Corgan.
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Single by The Smashing Pumpkins | ||||
from the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness | ||||
Released | April 15, 1996 (Europe) June 11, 1996 (U.S.) |
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Format | CD | |||
Recorded | 1995 | |||
Length | 4:16 | |||
Label | Virgin | |||
Writer(s) | Billy Corgan | |||
Producer(s) | Flood, Alan Moulder, Billy Corgan | |||
The Smashing Pumpkins singles chronology | ||||
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"Tonight, Tonight" is a song by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, written by the band's frontman, Billy Corgan. It was the third single and second track on the first disc from their third album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and was released in April 1996 in Europe and later in June 1996 in the United States. "Tonight, Tonight" was critically acclaimed and commercially well-received upon its release. The music video accompanying the song was also successful and won several awards.
A shorter acoustic version of the song, titled "Tonite Reprise", was included as a B-side to the single and on the triple LP version of Mellon Collie. This single also later appeared in an extended form on the box set The Aeroplane Flies High. Additionally, the song appears on the band's greatest hits release, Rotten Apples.
Billy Corgan began writing for the follow-up to Siamese Dream after the tour in support of that album; however, the recording of "Tonight, Tonight" first began while the Pumpkins were still on the Siamese Dream tour when Corgan booked the band into a local Chicago studio to record all of their song ideas on tape.
On The Howard Stern Show, Corgan has said that the song pays homage to Cheap Trick, with its black humoresque lyrics and theme, and that the song is addressed to himself, who escaped from an abusive childhood against all odds, so as to keep him believing in himself.
"Tonight, Tonight" is written in the key of G, performed on instruments tuned down a half-step so the actual pitch is G♭. In the original recording sessions, "Tonight, Tonight" was initially written in the key of C instead of G. However, since Corgan was unable to sing the song in C, he wrote a version during the Mellon Collie recording sessions to suit his range. The strings for the song were arranged by Billy Corgan & Audrey Riley, and recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Corgan said that recording with a 30-piece string-section for the song "was probably one of the most exciting recording experiences I have ever had."