"1979"

Smashing Pumpkins
(Virgin, 1995)

Alterna-rock's last great hit? Its nostalgic mood certainly made it feel like a reverie about a passing era: "With the headlights pointed at the dawn/We were sure we'd never see an end to it all." The video suggested something else -- a paean to the next generation, who were just coming into their own. (I still prefer to mishear the penultimate line as "The street heeds the urgency of now.") Whatever. The skittish beats, low rubbery riffs, and Billy Corgan's clear, yearning vocal for once excuse his usual lyrical imprecision, creating a melancholy so palpable you could almost smell it on the breeze.

-- Franklin Soults