"Being Beige" - A Review + Lyrics

Today, "Being Beige," the first single for Monuments to an Elegy, was released for live streaming through the Rolling Stone website, and shortly thereafter uploaded onto Youtube.

The song seems to pick up where themes from Oceania left off. Whereas Oceania at times was very much about isolation and being in the destructive moment of the break-up (Violet Rays, My Love Is Winter, Oceania), "Being Beige" seems to be about the process of moving on, picking up the pieces and wading through the aftermath, while still licking the wounds. The title describes the emotional sense of "being beige" that that stage in the process induces - not in an utterly horrible state of mind, broken heart on the mend, but still not entirely okay, and still needing time to completely heal.

One is compelled to wonder who the song is about. Is Billy still picking up the pieces from Jessica Veronica? Or another woman in the interim? The man obviously loves much and loves hard, bless his soul. But I think we can all agree, the song isn't about Courtney Love.

Many were expecting a hard rocking song, with the way the album has been described. So was I. It was surprising to get a tender, albeit intensely sincere song. The delicate piano combined with the drum machine (echoes of Adore?) lead us into the emotional embrace of fervent guitars and steady, earnest drumming, courtesy of Tommy Lee. Much is being debated about the contrast of drumming styles in comparison to Mike Byrne and Jimmy Chamberlin. My take is this: it's hard to tell on a song of this style. But I can definitely sense the power behind the beat and the intuitive style and experience at the end of the song as Tommy takes off. Well done.

As far as fan reaction goes, there are those in there community who hate it, those who are neutral or think it's okay, and those who genuinely like it. In other words - reactions are as varied as the rainbow, depending on where you look. Some have compared the song to Coldplay - and I can see that. It was actually one of my first thoughts when listening to the song the first or second time. But that's not a bad thing, and the song still has the distinctive Pumpkins sound. There seems to be a general sense of wonder as to what the album is going to sound like, as well. With all this talk of a heavy album, the first single is more on the light side. I, too, wonder. But I am one of those that genuinely like and feel the song as it is. And as the history of the band goes, expectations are usually way off. Only time will tell. But I personally think Monuments To An Elegy has real potential to be the best material we've seen since the band reformation in 2007.

Discuss more at Shadowland Forums.

Tentative lyrics (listener interpretation):

I don't love you

for what it's worth

So if you're leaving

can you hurt?

Cherry blossom

this is goodbye

come here lately

and you'll fly

When they say what it's worth

the world tells you first