| "Only a Memory" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Smithereens | ||||
| from the album Green Thoughts | ||||
| B-side | "The Seeker" | |||
| Released | April 6, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | Capitol (Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | Power pop, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 3:39 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Pat DiNizio | |||
| Producer(s) | Don Dixon | |||
| The Smithereens singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Only a Memory" on YouTube | ||||
"Only a Memory" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens. It is the first single released in support of their second album Green Thoughts .
"Only a Memory" started life during a soundcheck in Madrid on the Especially for You European tour in January 1987. Luckily for frontman Pat DiNizio, the band's roadie was there with his pocket tape recorder when he came up with the intro riff. DiNizio recalled, "[He] heard me scream "Chopper, tape this!!" I would have never remembered it otherwise." [1]
"Only a Memory" was released as the first single from the band's sophomore album, Green Thoughts . The single was the band's most commercially successful single release to that point, topping the US Mainstream Rock Charts and becoming the first Smithereens song to hit the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 92.
On May 18, 2010, the song was made available to download in the Rock Band digital store. The song also appeared in the 1988 baseball film Bull Durham.
All songs written by Pat DiNizio, except where noted.
| Chart (1988) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 [2] | 92 | |
| US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [3] | 1 |
The Smithereens are an American rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio, Jim Babjak, Mike Mesaros, , and Dennis Diken. This original lineup continued until 2006, when Mesaros left the band and Severo Jornacion took over on bass guitar until Mesaros' return in 2016. After DiNizio died in 2017, the band continued performing live shows as a trio with various guest vocalists.
11 is the third studio album by American rock band The Smithereens, released on October 24, 1989 by Capitol Records. It includes the Billboard Top 40 single "A Girl Like You". The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in June 1990.
Green Thoughts is the second studio album by The Smithereens, released in March 1988 by Enigma/Capitol Records. The single, "Only a Memory", reached No. 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Album Rock Tracks chart in 1988.
A Date with the Smithereens is the fifth album by the New Jersey rock band The Smithereens, released in 1994. It is seen as a stylistically consistent with the melodic pop sensibilities of their earliest albums, along with the more rock-driven sound and production of their most commercially successful releases.
Especially for You is the first full-length album from New Jersey-based rock band The Smithereens, released in July 1986 by Enigma Records.
Live in Concert! Greatest Hits and More is a live album by New Jersey rock band The Smithereens, released in 2008 by Koch Records.
Blow Up is the fourth full-length studio album by the Smithereens, released in September 1991 by Capitol Records. The album charted at #120 in the U.S. in October 1991. The album's second single, "Too Much Passion", became the group's second top-40 single, peaking at #37. Top of the Pops was released as the first single of the album.
"Blood and Roses" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens. It is the first single released in support of their debut album Especially for You.
"Strangers When We Meet" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens, released as a European-only single in 1987. It is the fourth single released in support of their debut album Especially for You.
"Behind the Wall of Sleep" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens, released in 1986. It is the second single released in support of their debut album Especially for You.
"House We Used to Live In" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens. It is the second single released in support of their second album Green Thoughts.
"Drown in My Own Tears" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens. It is the third single released in support of their second album Green Thoughts.
"A Girl Like You" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens. It is the first single released in support of their third album 11.
"Blues Before and After" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens. It is the second single released in support of their third album 11.
"Yesterday Girl" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens. It is the third single released in support of their third album 11.
"Top of the Pops" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens. It is the first single released in support of their fourth album Blow Up.
"Too Much Passion" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens. It is the second single released in support of their fourth album Blow Up.
"Miles From Nowhere" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens. It is the first single released in support of their fifth album A Date with The Smithereens.
Attack of the Smithereens is a rarities compilation album by The Smithereens, released in 1995 by Capitol Records. It contains a number of B-sides and rare tracks as well as previously unreleased demos and live recordings.
From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology is a two-disc, career-spanning compilation album by The Smithereens, released in 2004. It features most of the band's singles, as well as album and EP tracks, non-album B-sides and a handful of rarities.
