"Today" is a song by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, written by lead vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan. The song, though seemingly upbeat, contains dark lyrics. Corgan wrote the song about a day in which he was having suicidal thoughts, exemplified by the reference to self-mutilation in the chorus. The contrast between the grim subject matter of the song and the soft instrumental part during the verses, coupled with use of irony in the lyrics, left many listeners unaware of the song's tale of depression and desperation. The song alternates between quiet, dreamy verses and loud choruses with layered, distorted guitar similar to the noisy guitar rock of My Bloody Valentine. "Today" was released in September 1993 as the second single from the band's second album and major label debut, Siamese Dream. Although Corgan opted for "Cherub Rock", the lead single from the album to be the opening track, "Today" and its follow-up "Disarm" are credited in AllMusic for popularizing the band and "sending Siamese Dream into the stratosphere". "Today" has been generally well received by critics; a Blender article described it as having "achieved a remarkable status as one of the defining songs of its generation, perfectly mirroring the fractured alienation of American youth in the 1990s."