Oceania

Once again, wrong lyrics XD but that's ok, because i know the correct ones.

it's strange, the album it totally different from pre-Oceania, to post-Oceania. less reliance on power-chords, more unique beats and riffs, (ESPECIALLY Pale Horse.) i love the 3 solos' at the end, they feel so cold and quick. i would love to know if Schroeder did any of them, because it doesn't sound like Billy's sound, you know? a truelly amazing song, "I'm so alone, so alone, but better then i ever was.." is a really cool analogy of the missing band. IN MY OPINION, Billy's better off without the old band. they didn't help in any of the other albums anyway, they were just his puppets for concerts. but Oceania (the album) sounds like it was highly influenced by the new band, like Billy let them actually DO stuff! maybe he loosened up over the years. anyway, they made a great album like they haven't done since '95. a perfect Pumpkin lineup. a variety of different sounds, ALL unique in their own way, yet making a few subliminal references to other songs, (IE: Quasar's opening riff is like Cherub Rock's opening riff; Panopticon is kind of like Bodies, in some ways.) maybe i'll go through Mellon Collie song-by-song one day.

Oceania is a great song, but it's kind stretched. i would much rather have a 5-minute Unique master-piece, than a 9-minute, beat-the-dead-horse distortion party. on second thought, thats exactly what Starla is, but i absolutely LOVE Starla. on third thought, Nine minutes is EXACTLY what Oceania NEEDED. the only really long song is Oceania, and that's great. if you don't like long-songs, don't listen to it. but if you like the Smashing Pumpkins, then you KNOW that they are really good at long songs (Silverfuck, Starla, Geek U.S.A, United States). when you look back on it, Oceania sounds like it's divided into multiple parts. and the Oceania-riff is mysteriously painful sounding. Billy said "I wanted to make an album like the 90s; i would think, how did i make a rock song in the 90s? how would i make an emotional song in the 90s? how would i make a slow song in the 90s" and so on. so he is really going back to his roots, by going through and Re-mastering Gish and Siamese Dream, he was finding out how he used to think, and THAT'S how Oceania was born.

I think that this song does, in some ways, conclude the "concept" portion of the album that began with Violet Rays and carried through Pinwheels.

1) Violet Rays was about the initial loss 2) My Love is Winter is about Billy's hardening/blame following the loss 3) One Diamond, One Heart is about healing/forgiveness through the selfless actions of another 4) Pinwheels seems like an acceptance, but not really a resolution. it's almost a delusional and carefree acceptance. 5) Oceania seems like a resolution... not that it is a happy one, but a realistic one.

The narrator realizes they are better off and accepts that love is still a journey that is going to have "dark nights", but as long as one stays the course they will eventually find truth and happiness.

The end of this is in the following lyrics:

Find the faith on me My mistake as the last remaining soldier Was to take the place of you Love the way love the way and learn

I feel like there is definitely something I'm missing, but I don't know what it is.

Part of me feels that I'm WAY off on Pinwheels. I'd love to hear other interpretations.

I don't think that this song in any way references the "old" Pumpkins. I don't think that any of this is directed at them, though, I could be wrong.

I think that because I just don't believe that Billy views the old Pumpkins as a "wretched world"... he wouldn't have taken out an ad in the Chicagoland papers trying to bring everyone back together if he viewed them in that manner (in my opinion).

Sidenote: Some of the solos/riffs in this song are absolutely awesome.

I think this song could be considered an "opus" if i am using that word right.