"Muzzle" is a song by American
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...
band
the Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Ch ...
from their third album, ''
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
''Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness'' is the third studio album by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released on October 24, 1995, in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United States on Virgin Records. Produced by ...
''. It was one of the last songs written by
Billy Corgan for ''Mellon Collie'', with the song's lyrics referring to what Corgan thought the public's perception was of him at the time. It was rumored to be the Smashing Pumpkins’ fifth and final single from this album, as is evidenced by the fact that a
promotional single
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
for the song was issued to radio stations worldwide. However, the song "
Thirty-Three" was released as the fifth and final single instead.
There was a rumor that a
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
was actually filmed for "Muzzle" with drummer
Jimmy Chamberlin
James Joseph Chamberlin (born June 10, 1964) is an American drummer and record producer. He is best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Following the 2000 breakup of the band, Chamberlin joined Pumpkins fro ...
, but was never released. Billy Corgan has, however, denied this. The band went on to perform "Muzzle" for their next television appearance on ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...
'' with replacement drummer,
Matt Walker.
Chart performance
"Muzzle" reached number 10 on the US
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number eight on the US
Modern Rock Tracks chart.
It reached number one on the alternative chart in Canada.
Track listing
US promo CD
# "Muzzle" (Billy Corgan) – 3:43
Charts
See also
*
List of ''RPM'' Rock/Alternative number-one singles (Canada)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muzzle (Song)
The Smashing Pumpkins songs
1995 songs
1996 singles
Song recordings produced by Alan Moulder
Song recordings produced by Billy Corgan
Song recordings produced by Flood (producer)
Songs written by Billy Corgan