Rotting Piñata

Rotting Piñata is the debut studio album by the American rock band Sponge, released on August 2, 1994, through Work Group. Hit singles from this album, such as "Plowed" and "Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)", helped launch the band's career and the album was certified gold by the RIAA in July 1995.

Rotting Piñata
Studio album by Sponge
Released	August 2, 1994
Recorded	1993–1994
Studio	The Loft (Saline, Michigan)
Genre	Alternative rock grunge post-grunge hard rock
Length	53:47 34:06 (Live at Rock am Ring)
Label	Work Group
Producer	Tim Patalan and Sponge
Sponge chronology
Rotting Piñata (1994) Wax Ecstatic (1996)
Singles from Rotting Piñata
"Neenah Menasha" Released: 1994 "Plowed" Released: 1994 "Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)" Released: 1995 "Rainin'" Released: 1995

Release

Rotting Piñata is Sponge's best selling album, having sold more than 500,000 copies. Although released in August 1994, the album did not enter the Billboard 200 until February 1995, following the success of its second single "Plowed". Rotting Piñata peaked at number 58 and remained on the chart for 40 weeks.^[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	7/10[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
Kerrang!	[5]
MusicHound Rock	[6]
The Village Voice	[7]

Rotting Piñata received mostly positive reviews. However, AllMusic staff writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that the album was derivative of Pearl Jam or Stone Temple Pilots, with a few good songs but otherwise featuring "half-finished ideas".^[2] Trouser Press was more positive about the album, noting "Plowed" and "Molly" as having "catchy hooks and hummable choruses" while also being "colored by murky sonic structures that layer a bit of lead around their listener-friendly cores." They also wrote "Elsewhere on Rotting Piñata, Sponge shows an affinity for density and drone— particularly in 'Pennywheels' and the metallic chug of 'Neenah Menasha'— while 'Giants' explores tense instrumental dynamics."^[8]

Track listing

All songs written by Sponge (Vinnie Dombroski, Joey Mazzola, Mike Cross, Tim Cross, Jimmy Paluzzi) and produced by Tim Patalan and Sponge.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Pennywheels"	4:36
2.	"Rotting Piñata"	4:00
3.	"Giants"	5:20
4.	"Neenah Menasha"	6:03
5.	"Miles"	4:11
6.	"Plowed"	3:17
7.	"Drownin'"	4:40
8.	"Molly"	3:35
9.	"Fields"	4:55
10.	"Rainin'" ("Candy Corn" is a hidden track in the gap between tracks 10 and 11. When listening to the CD, it appears as part of track 10 and begins at the 7:03 mark.)	12:57
11.	"Untitled"	0:03
Total length:		53:47

A special edition included a bonus CD featuring Sponge live at Rock am Ring Nürburgring on June 2, 1995.

All songs written by Sponge except where noted.

Live at Rock am Ring

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Neenah Menasha"		4:42
2.	"Rotting Piñata"		4:15
3.	"I Hate Myself" (Introduced as "I Hate Myself When I'm With You")		5:43
4.	"Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)"		3:41
5.	"Rainin'"		5:29
6.	"Plowed"		3:26
7.	"Fields"		4:02
8.	"Big Girl" (Introduced as "I'm a Big Girl")	27 Mauve	2:48
Total length:			34:06

Personnel

Sponge

• Vinnie Dombroski - vocals
• Mike Cross - guitar, backing vocals
• Tim Cross - bass
• Joey Mazzola - guitar, backing vocals
• Jimmy Paluzzi - drums, backing vocals

Additional personnel

• Andy Patalan - production assistant
• Tim Palmer - mixing
• Mark O'Donoughue & Brandon Harris - mixing assistants
• Tim Patalan - mixing on "Rotting Piñata", "Neenah Menasha", "Miles" and "Molly"
• Pablo Mathiason - A&R
• Howie Weinberg - mastering
• David Coleman - art direction
• Michael Halsband - photography

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995) Peak position US Billboard 200[9] 58

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position US Billboard 200[10] 139

Singles

Year	Title	US Hot 100	US Modern Rock	US Mainstream Rock
1994	Neenah Menasha	-	-	-
	Plowed	41	5	9
1995	Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)	55	3	11
	Rainin'	-	34	18

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Trivia

• The title of the album (and song of the same name) came from a conversation the band had regarding controversial punk rock singer GG Allin. Allin promised for several years that he would die by suicide on stage during one of his concerts, but instead died from an accidental drug overdose. The band wondered if Allin would want a posthumous tour instead, where his corpse would be present at the shows and fans would be able to hit or take a whack at it. The band's soundman Chris remarked that if that happened, the corpse would be like a rotting piñata.
• Neenah and Menasha are two cities in Wisconsin.
• Track number five, "Miles", includes the last two lines of Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" ("And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.").
• Lead vocalist Vinnie Dombroski came up with the lyrics for "Plowed" while shoveling snow in his hometown of Detroit.^[12]
• The vocals for "Molly" were re-recorded for the single release, retitled "Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)". The song was partly inspired by a story the band had heard about a 16-year-old girl who fell in love with one of her teachers and attempted suicide after he rejected her advances.

See also

1994 in music