Tristessa (song)

The title is a direct allusion to Jack Kerouac's 1960 novella of the same name. There were about 2,500 of the original 7" single pressed on pink marbled vinyl, while the rest (3,000) were pressed on black vinyl. It is estimated that an additional 100 to 200 were pressed on grey marbled wax. These are especially rare and have sold for several hundred dollars apiece. Following the release of "Tristessa", the Smashing Pumpkins were targets of a bidding war by multiple record labels, and ended up signing to Caroline Records. Unlike "I Am One", which was also re-recorded for Gish, "Tristessa" did not receive a second single release, and neither version of the song appears on the 2001 greatest hits collection, Rotten Apples. == Critical reception ==

CMJ called it "a grinding, drawled-out, lascivious rocker with a chisel-sharp pop aesthetic". The Chicago Sun-Times said it was an "epic rocker". In 2007, Spinner wrote, "a decade after the onset of diminishing returns, 'Tristessa' remains an absolute monster". ==Track listing==

All songs written by Billy Corgan • "Tristessa" – 3:40 • "La Dolly Vita" – 4:15 • "Honeyspider" – 2:55 (present on UK 12" only) == References ==