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Genius Annotation

“Cupid de Locke” is a reference to Matthew Locke, an English Baroque composer during the 17th century who wrote the score to a masque entitled Cupid and Death, which is a story about Cupid and Death getting their arrows mixed up thus causing great distress and humor to ensue.

The song’s instrumentation, led by synthetic harp arpeggios and household items as percussion, is one of Mellon Collie’s biggest departures from the classic Pumpkins sound.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did The Smashing Pumpkins say about "Cupid de Locke"?
Genius Answer

To counter-balance our many dark excursions into the void, I sought some refuge by writing whimsically as well; finding solace in twirling parasols and the extant, lingering passions of the Belle Epoque.

Love is held in the ideal, driven up high above a nasty world and held gloriously in places of unshakable faith. In a rare fit of fun we even recorded whisping aerosol cans and haughty, rusted scissor snips to build up an unusual kaleidoscope chorus around the semi-chromatic wheeze of the synth. Not a note is played by a human as it were, each part being fed through a phalanx of mystery boxes, which when twisted and turned just right spit back out a different set of warbles than the funny marbles you’d put in.

In a humble nod to Elvis, there is even a spoken poem of dedication that lilts out on the gallop, for I couldn’t help myself but wrap fully in the cloak of a sincere and innocent lover.

Billy Corgan, 2012 Reissue Liner Notes

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