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Cover of Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins
Cover: Siamese Dream

Song · The Smashing Pumpkins

“Today” by The Smashing Pumpkins

From the album Siamese Dream (1993)

“Today” by The Smashing Pumpkins appears on 108 radio countdowns from 39 stations between 1993 and 2026. It was first released in 1993 on the album Siamese Dream. Its best result is #2 on the Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #13 alternative song of 1993, #29 alternative song of all time and #58 of the '90s.

108countdowns
39stations
#2best position
0#1 finishes
12top 10 finishes
1993–2026years charted

Watch

The Smashing Pumpkins - Today

Video from YouTube (SmashingPumpkinsVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

Siamese Dream gave up "Today" as its second single in September 1993; it was the Smashing Pumpkins' second album and their first for a major label, and the song may be the sunniest-sounding track ever written about wanting to die. Billy Corgan wrote it about a day when he was having suicidal thoughts, then dressed it up so brightly, and with so much irony, that plenty of listeners sang along without ever catching the despair underneath.

The trick is all in the contrast. The verses drift, soft and dreamy, as gentle as a lullaby; then the chorus hits and the guitars pile up in thick, distorted layers, Corgan's sweetness curdling into something closer to a howl. Butch Vig produced it and Alan Moulder mixed it, and the sound is enormous without ever turning to mud.

AllMusic credits "Today" and its follow-up, "Disarm", with breaking the band wide open and sending the album skyward, and Blender later called it a defining song of its generation, a mirror held up to the alienation of American kids in the '90s.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1993 9 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1993 107
1993 2 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1993 91
1993 3 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105 Songs of 1993 105
1993 5 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1993 101
1994 25 Triple J Australia (national) Triple J Hottest 100 of 1994 100

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1994 143 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 19 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1995 65 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1995 123 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 300 (July 1995) 300
1996 37 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 23 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1996 432 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1998 40 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1998) 100
1999 26 KROQ KROQ Top 300 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 1999) 300
1999 5 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 26 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 2 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 164 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 18 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 4 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 18 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 24 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 12 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
1999 48 The Buzz The Buzz Top 99 Songs of All-Time (1999) 99
1999 142 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1999) 150
2000 11 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of the '90s (September 2000) 100
2000 13 DC101 DC101 Top 101 Rock Songs of the 90s 101
2000 15 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 24 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2000 23 The Edge KEDJ Countdown 2000 (106 songs) 106
2000 6 103.3 The Edge 103.3 The Edge Top 103 New Rock Songs of the Millennium 103
2001 16 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 23 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 1756 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2001 58 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 24 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 23 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 237 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 895 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 21 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 23 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 101 Q101 Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 67 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 25 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 14 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2005 22 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 90s 96
2005 38 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 27 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 71 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2006 5 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Songs of the '90s (December 2006) 107
2006 45 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 34 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 63 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2007 6 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 31 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 22 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 30 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 158 CFNY 102.1 The Edge The Top 200 Songs of the 90's According to 102.1 The Edge 200
2009 105 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 27 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 57 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of All-Time (2009) 200
2009 78 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (2009) 100
2010 59 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of the 90's (September 2010) 200
2010 31 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 31 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2012 10 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 102 New Rock Songs of All-Time 102
2013 32 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 32 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 128 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2015 122 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2016 211 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2017 222 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2017 213 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 669 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2018 220 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 24 X96 X96's Top 100 Songs of the 90's 100
2019 217 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 478 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 101 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2020 18 DC101 Top DC101 of the 90's 101
2020 442 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 12 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2020 39 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2020 313 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2021 87 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 87 107.7 The End The End Obligatory Top 100 Alternative Songs of All Time (2021) 100
2021 11 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2021 77 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 104 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2022 134 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 7 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2022 401 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2022 75 101X 101X 500 (2022) 498
2022 208 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2023 79 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893
2023 67 91X 91X Top 91 Songs of The Last 40 Years 91
2023 322 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2023 72 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2023 17 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) 420
2024 331 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 23 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2024 20 107.7 The End The End Sweet Summer Vibes Countdown (2024) 100
2025 252 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 475 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 39 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2025 741 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800
2026 220 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 61 101X 101X 500 (2026) 500

Charting alongside it in 1993

Best songs of 1993 →
  1. 1CannonballThe Breeders
  2. 2CreepRadiohead
  3. 3LingerThe Cranberries
  4. 4PlushStone Temple Pilots
  5. 5No RainBlind Melon
  6. 6Soul to SqueezeRed Hot Chili Peppers

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