A Song for a Son
2009 song by The Smashing Pumpkins
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"A Song for a Son" is a 2009 song by the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. It was the first track released from Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, Vol. 1: Songs for a Sailor from the band's 8th album Teargarden by Kaleidyscope.
| "A Song for a Son" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Smashing Pumpkins | |
| from the album Teargarden by Kaleidyscope | |
| Released | December 8, 2009 |
| Recorded | 2009 |
| Genre | Art rock[1] |
| Length | 6:02 |
| Label | Self-released |
| Songwriter | Billy Corgan |
| Producers | Kerry Brown, Billy Corgan, Bjorn Thorsrud |
Recording and composition
The song contains an extended guitar solo, inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page, recorded live by Billy Corgan.[2] Written on an acoustic guitar, Corgan left the meaning of the song vague, but later realized it has a lot to do with his relationship with his father.[3] Corgan consciously set the song in 1975, the year he started listening heavily to rock music, considering Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, UFO, and Rainbow influences on the sound.[4]
Reception
Rolling Stone, after the release of "A Song for a Son" wrote, "Nothing in Corgan’s prolific recording history could have prepared us for the over five minutes of classic rock that is “A Song for a Son,” which starts off with a “Stairway to Heaven”-esque riff before exploding into the rest of ZoSo’s touchstones... If “A Song for a Son” is any indication of what we can expect from 'Billy', each EP will likely be the length of Exile on Main Street".[5]
Ryan Dombal of the online magazine Pitchfork Media described "A Song for a Son" "an epic" saying that "There's a contemplative intro, a shredding solo, and plenty of classic rock panache in between".[6] Matthew Perpetua of Pitchfork gave the song a 2 out of 10, saying the song "is not awful so much as it is bloated and dreary. It has all the signifiers of a big, serious art-rock ballad, but there's nothing to it but empty gestures."[7]
The song was also reviewed by About.com's Tim Grierson, who calls Corgan "charitable with Teargarden by Kaleidyscope":[8] "Led by a stately piano figure reminiscent of Adore, "A Song for a Son" eventually introduces electric guitars into the mix, climaxing with an ecstatic solo. Overall, it's a moody, vaguely psychedelic number that's a promising start to this ambitious, unconventional, and awesome album.[9]
Personnel
- Musicians
- Mike Byrne – drums
- Billy Corgan – vocals, guitar, keyboards,[10][11] production
- Mark Tulin – bass guitar
- Technical personnel
- Kerry Brown – production
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering
- Bjorn Thorsrud – production, engineering