Song · The Smashing Pumpkins
“Siva” by The Smashing Pumpkins
From the album Gish (1991)
“Siva” by The Smashing Pumpkins appears on 12 radio countdowns from 7 stations between 1991 and 2023. It was first released in 1991 on the album Gish. Its best result is #27 on the John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1991 (the 'Phantom Fifty'). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #138 alternative song of 1991 and #2,999 alternative song of all time.
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"Siva" came out as the first single after the Smashing Pumpkins' 1991 debut Gish on Caroline, and it was also the first video the band ever shot. Billy Corgan wrote it, came up with the title before the song existed, scrawled it across dozens of tapes, and even thought about calling the band Siva. The riff arrived on an acoustic guitar while he was working at a Chicago record store.
He first called it "Shiva", after the Tantric pairing of Shiva and Shakti as male and female forces, then dropped the h to steer clear of the Hindu god. Corgan and Butch Vig produced, with James Iha on guitar, D'Arcy Wretzky on bass and Jimmy Chamberlin drumming up a storm, and the solo marks the band's first run through a Big Muff pedal, the fuzz that would later define Siamese Dream. It was also one of three songs they played for John Peel in 1991.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 87 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1991 | 91 |
| 1991 | 101 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1991 | 105 |
| 1991 | 27 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1991 (the 'Phantom Fifty') | 50 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 487 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) | 500 |
| 1996 | 408 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) | 498 |
| 1999 | 693 | Q101 | Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1017 |
| 1999 | 655 | 107.7 The End | The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1077 |
| 1999 | 329 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) | 500 |
| 2000 | 282 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) | 500 |
| 2001 | 283 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) | 498 |
| 2004 | 449 | 107.7 The End | The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) | 500 |
| 2023 | 808 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s | 893 |
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