I always felt the Pumpkins were at their best when less was more. Although some of their better and best-known songs are abrasive guitar workouts like "Bullet with Butterfly Wings," and "Zero," (or their gothy, electro-type phase like "Ava Adore.") I felt like the softer palette of "Today," "Tonight Tonight," "Rhinoceros" and this song especially, were where Corgan did his best work. A lot of their harder, louder, more showy work hasn't aged as well. "1979" remains a sweet, yet darkly somber, statement, carried on those guitar loops that rush by like streetlights passing overhead.
The song itself goes a long way without having to work too hard. It's beautifully simple yet simultaneously sophisticated. It doesn't need complex lyrical imagery or even a showy hook, but it's instantly recognizable and memorable. I have a complicated feeling for the Pumpkins beyond this one, but this song absolutely gets it right. It conveys a certain ineffable something in a way that only music can.
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