BONUS Robbed hit of the week 5/2/19 - The Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm"...

"Disarm" - The Smashing Pumpkins
from the album Siamese Dream (1993)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: unable to chart
Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #48

Ed. Note: Since there were too many amazing also-rans in this period, and that moment had to choose between Alice In Chains and Smashing Pumpkins, I couldn't , so this week we get a bonus "robbed hit"...

This week's second "robbed hit" comes from the alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins, who came together in the late 1980s in Chicago, Illinois. Fronted by ex-goth rocker Billy Corgan, he assembled guitarist James Iha, bass player D'Arcy Wretsky, and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain. After locally gigging for awhile, the band released an independent single, "I Am One", in 1990, which proved a big success in town. That eventually led to a record deal with hard-rock label Caroline, which put out their debut full-length album Gish. From that set, the song "Rhinoceros", which starts off slow and pensive but grows into an epic loud sound collage, got enough airplay to place it on Billboard magazine's Modern Rock radio chart at #27. Another cut from the album, the eastern-touched "Siva", became a minor hit in New Zealand at #45, and a re-recorded "I Am One" became the band's first minor British hit at #73. After an EP named Lull, which included "Rhinoceros", as well as a cut on the very influential film soundtrack for Singles, "Drown", which hit #24 on the Modern Rock chart, the band switched over to Caroline parent Virgin, where they started to record their sophomore effort Siamese Dream. It was a turbulent and brutal process, with Chamberlain wallowing in addiction, Iha and Wretsky splitting romantically, and Corgan stuck in depression, but taking control with producer Butch Vig over most of the making of the disc. The lead single, the anti-critic screed "Cherub Rock", came out in the summer of 1993, and was immediate a big hit, climbing to #7 on Billboard's Modern Rock radio chart and crossing over to #23 on their Mainstream Rock format list (it also was their first top-40 hit in the UK at #31). The second release from the record, "Today", would eventually find its audience and become Siamese Dream's biggest rock radio hit, but before that, it was overtaken by the song "Disarm". The orchestrally beautiful yet decidedly dark number which has vague lyrics people have connected to abortion but I had always taken as cutting as in literal self-harm cutting, nevertheless had a majestic quality to it that drew the listener in to Billy's world. Meanwhile, MTV got totally on board, and finally the Pumpkins entered the bigtime...

While "Disarm" was never released as a single in the U.S., therefore unable to chart on Billboard's pop Hot 100, the song received enough airplay on mainstream radio to almost make the top-40 on their airplay component chart in May of 1994. The song reached the top ten on both the Modern/Alternative (#8) and Mainstream (#5) radio format charts as well. Internationally, the single made the top-40 in the UK (#11), Canada (#13), Australia (#16), and New Zealand (#29).

During the success of "Disarm", American rock radio also started to play "Today", which had already been a minor British hit at #44. This time around the track went to #4 on the Modern Rock and #28 on the Mainstream Rock chart, but again since it wasn't a true physical single, it couldn't make the Hot 100 (it peaked at #69 on the airplay chart). Finally, the psychedelic-tinged "Rocket" was offered as the fourth radio single, where it went to #28 on the Mainstream Rock tally while being a top-40 hit in Canada at #31 and New Zealand at #26.

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Here's the band playing an intimate gig for MTV in 1993...