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Not every iconic song tops the charts, but sometimes, those are exactly the ones that leave the biggest mark.

That was the case for The Smashing Pumpkins’ 1996 release “Tonight, Tonight,” which has become one of the most beloved and visually striking songs of the decade, leaving a lasting impression on fans and casual listeners alike. 

“Tonight, Tonight” was released as the fourth single in the band’s ambitious double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. And it immediately stood out for its orchestral sound and string arrangements, particularly at a time when alternative rock was defined by heavy guitars and grunge influence. 

Lead singer Billy Corgan revealed he began to hear the grand sound after a month in the studio, telling American Songwriter, via Louder, “We were working on the song and over time, it felt like, ‘There’s this other song here but we don’t know what it is'. We started saying, ‘We should put an orchestra over the top of it’.”

Corgan revealed he spent “four days arguing” with English cellist and string arranger Audrey Riley, who conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, before they landed on the final arrangement, recalling the “beautiful” moment “where it does come together and you’re like, ‘OK, there it is.’”

Despite not being a chart-topping hit, as it peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying for 20 weeks, its influence was felt beyond the chart performance, largely due to the unforgettable music video. 

The video, inspired by early silent films, specifically the work of Georges Méliès' “A Trip To The Moon,” brought viewers into a dreamlike, fantasy journey, as the band performed the track floating in space, helping cement its cinematic legacy.

"You just knew it was something special, because the moment it was on TV, everybody — and I mean everybody — on the street that you would meet wanted to talk about it,” Corgan said, per Rolling Stones. It became one of the most awarded videos at the MTV Video Music Awards that year.

Its sweeping emotional sound has even made it a fitting soundtrack for many pivotal and reflective moments across TV shows and movies, including its most recent inclusion in Netflix’s Western drama Ransom Canyon and The Bear. 

Corgan believes it gets better with age, with Louder reporting that, in the liner notes of the 2012 reissue, he wrote, “Every time we play it live it’s one of the highlights of the night.”

The Smashing Pumpkins may even treat Chicago’s Lollapalooza crowd to a live performance when they hit the stage in Grant Park this summer for the first time in over 30 years. 

It’s also been 30 years since The Smashing Pumpkins released the RIAA-diamond certified rock album, and the band finally found the best way to celebrate it, announcing The Rats In A Cage Tour will kick off this fall on Sept. 30

“With set one of The Rats In A Cage Tour exclusively featuring Mellon Collie songs in a highly theatrical setting, and set two drawing from the rest of our canon so that there’s a decent amount of variance as to what songs we’ll play from night to night: from our first in Gish to our last in Aghori Mhori Mei,” Corgan announced at the time.

More than two decades later, “Tonight, Tonight” remains a reminder that artistic ambition often means more than chart success when it comes to defining a classic.

In July 1975, the rock band Orleans released what would become their first Top 40 hit, “Dance With Me”— a song that still resonates with fans more than 50 years later.

Written by Orleans singer/guitarist John Hall and his then-wife Johanna Hall for the album Orleans II, “Dance With Me” features a delicate acoustic guitar hook, a melodica solo, and timeless romantic lyrics about love and connection that have stood the test of time.

The soft rock ballad became one of Orleans’ biggest hits, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1975.

While the music was written from an acoustic guitar jam, the lyrics took a bit more time. In fact, the Halls didn’t initially agree on the title for “Dance With Me,” and it took a couple of months for the Orleans singer to see his wife’s vision.

Hall once shared the backstory on “Dance With Me” in an interview with Songfacts, revealing that he started writing the song at home in Saugerties, NY.

"I started playing it on acoustic guitar and developed it, just jamming by myself in the living room. The whole song - the verses, the bridge, the ending - was all complete coming out of my acoustic guitar,” he shared. “Johanna yelled from the other room, 'That sounds like 'Dance With Me.' And I went, 'Can't we come up with something a little bit more unusual than that?' And she said, ‘I don't know, it really sounds like 'Dance With Me.’''

“She couldn't get past that, and I couldn't get past that any further,” he added.

RELATED:1978’s Biggest No. 1 Hit Song Was Written in Ten Minutes

Hall told Spotlight Central that he realized his wife was on to something when she came up with a first verse to the song in under 20 minutes.

“And then we were stuck and we couldn’t finish the song,” he said. "When I played it for [Orleans bandmate] Larry [Hoppen] on the road somewhere, Larry said, ‘Boy, that’s really good. You’d better finish that song.’”

The song was finished about two months later during a ride home from an Orleans show in Ithaca, NY.

“Johanna, as we were bumping down the road, said, ‘Pick the beat up and kick your feet up,’ and then she started scribbling on the back of an envelope,” Hall recalled. “At that point, we just talked back and forth about the second verse, and the lyrics were finished before we got home.”

Five decades after that road trip songwriting session, “Dance With Me” remains a beloved fan favorite and one of the most enduring soft rock classics of the 1970s.

Related: 1976 No. 5 Soft Rock Classic Was So Good It Became a TV Network’s Theme Song Months Later

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When I first met my husband, we bonded over the fact that neither of us drink coffee. He typically starts work between 5 a.m. - 6 a.m. in the morning, though, so he's always needed some form of caffeine to give him a jolt of energy. For years, he'd been drinking soda to get a quick caffeine boost first thing, but when I came into the picture, I challenged him to find a healthier option.

While searching for alternatives, we discovered Pure Leaf, a brand that sells brewed iced tea without artificial flavors. After my husband tried a few flavors, he was hooked and he's been drinking it daily for years.

Pure Leaf recently debuted an innovative addition to its popular lineup of drinks: Pure Leaf Mental Focus. The sparkling iced teas feature caffeine from black tea and L-theanine, an amino acid that can be found in tea leaves. Per a press release, the drinks can "help support attention and focus."

Since we were already fans of the brand, my husband and I were curious to know how the new flavors lived up to all the hype, so we did a taste test and compared them to several other popular Pure Leaf flavors. For added measure, I also reached out to a registered dietitian to get her thoughts on the nutritional value of the brand's beverages.

Here are the best Pure Leaf iced tea flavors ranked from worst to best!

Related: I Tried 11 Popular Chocolate Ice Cream Brands, and the Winner Was Rich, Creamy and Pretty Much Perfect

Is Pure Leaf Tea Actually Healthy?

Suzanne Fisher, a registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist, is the owner of Family Nutrition of Florida. She notes that the primary ingredient in Pure Leaf iced tea—black tea—has plenty of nutritional benefits.

"Black tea contains a variety of plant compounds called flavonoids, which act as antioxidants and help protect our cells from damage," she tells Parade. "Black tea also contains a unique group of polyphenols called theaflavins, formed during fermentation and largely responsible for many of its health benefits."

Fisher says black tea can be a great addition to a healthy lifestyle.

"Research suggests that regularly drinking black tea may help reduce the risk of certain cancers, particularly oral cancers and squamous cell carcinoma," she explains.

Black tea can also potentially benefit heart health.

"Studies have found that individuals who regularly drink tea have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease," she adds.

Per Fisher, an eight-ounce cup of black tea usually contains 50 - 90 milligrams of caffeine.

"However, many people find that the energy from black tea feels different from that of coffee," she continues. "That's because black tea naturally contains an amino acid called L-theanine. The combination of caffeine and L-theanine can promote alertness and focus while providing steadier, more balanced energy with less of the jittery feeling some people experience from coffee."

The raspberry and peach flavors of the Pure Leaf Mental Focus Sparkling Teas contain added L-theanine.

Fisher says black tea is generally a "healthy choice" but recommends reading the entire nutritional label while choosing a beverage.

"Some Pure Leaf flavors, such as lemon and sweet iced tea, contain between 38 and 42 grams of added sugar per bottle, which is equivalent to about 10 teaspoons. If you're looking to maximize the health benefits, opt for the unsweetened or zero sugar varieties instead," she says.

Related: Here’s Exactly What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Matcha Every Day

What Are the Different Flavors of Pure Leaf Tea?

Pure Leaf's website lists seven core flavors:

• Unsweetened Ice Tea
• Sweet Black Tea
• Extra Sweet Black Tea
• Zero Sugar Sweet Black Tea
• Raspberry Black Tea
• Lemon Black Tea
• Blackberry Black Tea

The brand also has several other varieties that can be found in different markets across the country, including these and more:

• Pure Leaf Real Green Brewed Tea
• Pure Leaf Tea & Lemonade
• Pure Leaf Honey Green Tea
• Pure Leaf Herbal Tea Mango Hibiscus

The newest additions to the Pure Leaf lineup include:

• Mental Focus Peach
• Mental Focus Raspberry

Related: I Ranked 14 Ice Creams From Aldi From Worst to Best—and the Winner Won by a Landslide

How I Tested the Flavors

Chrissy Callahan

Since certain Pure Leaf varieties are more commonly found across the entire country, I tested the following eight flavors that are readily available for most consumers:

• Sweet Black Tea
• Unsweetened Black Tea
• Zero Sugar Sweet Black Tea
• Blackberry Black Tea
• Raspberry Black Tea
• Lemon Black Tea
• Mental Focus Peach Sparkling Tea
• Mental Focus Raspberry Sparkling Tea

Both my husband and I tested a different flavor each day and took notes on how they compared to each other.

Related: The Simple Way To Make the Best-Ever Iced Tea, According to a Tea Sommelier

Parade

8 Pure Leaf Iced Tea Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

We ranked these eight popular Pure Leaf iced tea flavors, and discovered some surprises.

8. Pure Leaf Zero Sugar Sweet Tea

Chrissy Callahan

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My husband and I both agreed that the Zero Sugar Sweet Tea was our least favorite of the eight varieties we tested. The consistency of the drink was slightly less light than the other flavors, for starters.

It contains sucralose, a sweetener that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration describes as being "about 600 times sweeter than table sugar." The food additive certainly lives up to its name since this tea had an artificial sweetener taste. It wasn't bad, but it didn't have the same appeal as the other flavors we tested.

Related: The Southern Way to Make Iced Tea 10x Better

7. Pure Leaf Mental Focus Raspberry Sparkling Tea

Chrissy Callahan

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I'm not typically a big fan of sparkling beverages, but this one was just fizzy enough without feeling like bubble overkill. The taste of raspberry was refreshing and the drink was light and airy, making it perfect for summer.

The drink does have sucralose in it, so it definitely had an artificial sweetener aftertaste, but if you're used to drinking beverages with sucralose, you likely won't notice it.

Despite our skepticism, the drink did make us feel a bit more awake thanks to the added L-theanine. It reminded my husband of the effects he's gotten from drinking a Mountain Dew Voltage in the past.

6. Pure Leaf Mental Focus Peach Sparkling Tea

Chrissy Callahan

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When my husband and I tested the two Mental Focus beverages, they were neck and neck in the ranking.

Similar to the raspberry flavor, the peach variety has a similar consistency and amount of flavor. It was also light and carbonated, with a slight sucralose aftertaste, and offered the same boost to our focus and energy.

Related: The Genius Iced Tea That’s Always in Martha Stewart’s Refrigerator

5. Pure Leaf Sweet Iced Tea

Chrissy Callahan

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As its name suggests, this flavor is definitely sweet, but it goes down easily. My husband and I both thought it was a good option for anyone who's just starting to drink iced tea since it doesn't have a strong flavor. Plus, the sweetness masks any bitterness that's typically noticeable with plain black tea.

4. Pure Leaf Raspberry Iced Tea

Chrissy Callahan

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When we took a whiff of this flavor, my husband and I both smelled the iced tea scent first, then a faint raspberry scent. Similarly, you taste the iced tea flavor first, then get a pleasant and subtle raspberry flavor. The taste also doesn't linger, which is nice.

3. Pure Leaf Unsweetened Iced Tea

Chrissy Callahan

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If you're looking for the benefits of black tea without any extra flavor, this unsweetened iced tea is a solid option.

There's not much of a taste to it, to be honest, and it's slightly bitter, but not in a bad way. It was nice and refreshing.

2. Pure Leaf Blackberry Iced Tea

Chrissy Callahan

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Both my husband and I immediately agreed that this flavor reminded us of those plastic freeze pops everyone enjoys as a child.

Flavor-wise, it doesn't have the tartness of blackberries, which is appreciated in a drink format. Instead, it almost has a grape-like flavor and was equally light as the other varieties we enjoyed.

1. Pure Leaf Lemon Iced Tea

Chrissy Callahan

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This has been my husband's go-to Pure Leaf flavor for years, and it held its ranking, even after we tested seven other flavors.

It's sweet without being sickly sweet, and has a refreshing finish. Lest you think it tastes like lemonade, it doesn't. It certainly has hints of lemon, but the tea taste is more dominant. Overall, it's a great entryway into flavored iced tea—and we'll definitely continue buying it over and over again.

Related: The Best Way to Sweeten Iced Tea, According to Ina Garten

Final Takeaways

Before this taste test, my experience with Pure Leaf teas was limited to clipping coupons to buy my husband his favorite variety and taking a curious sip early on when he first started drinking the brand's beverages. Now that I've tested several of the brand's teas, I understand why my better half loves them.

Chocolate will still remain my preferred jolt of caffeine, but I can see myself drinking Pure Leaf iced tea in the future if I ever need more sustained boosts of energy. As for my husband? Well, he's found a few new go-to flavors, even if lemon remains his number one.

Up Next:

Related: 10 Popular Low-Calorie Ice Creams, Tested and Ranked From Worst To Best

Source:

• Suzanne Fisher, registered dietitian, licensed nutritionist and the owner of Family Nutrition of Florida

A great food festival should make you want to plan the whole trip around just one bite. Sure, there are the West Coast and island headliners that boast celebrity chef after celebrity chef, and cost close to $500 just for tickets, the ones you read about in every travel magazine. And, even though we have one on this list that has worldwide notoriety, there's one distinct difference with the fests on this list: they're all in the Midwest.

And that bite? It could be peach-bourbon pork belly burnt ends, smoked pulled lamb with mint salsa, al pastor pork belly fried rice, or miso hot honey bacon burnt ends at Windy City Smokeout. Or, in Des Moines, it might be Burmese coconut rice with chicken curry, Bosnian sarma, Laotian naam khao, Gambian peanut butter stew, or a bite-size poke bowl. In other words, these are not places you go for just a corn dog and bucket-o-cheese curds.

Related: 19 Best Food & Wine Festivals

What Counts as a Food Festival? view angle looking down on a table full of tacos, bbq, lumpia, and other various eats from a taco food truck event

A food festival does not have to mean white tents, tasting glasses and tiny portions. It can be a chef-led weekend with wine pairings and reservation-only dinners, or it can be a smoky, sauce-slicked block party where the best thing you eat comes wrapped in foil. It can have bands, beer tents, cooking demos, family activities, and long lines for something fried, grilled, smoked or stuffed.

As Erik Wolf, founder of the World Food Travel Association, said, “Food and beverage are an attraction. Sell a memory, not just a meal.” At a true food festival, that's the draw, at least for me. The music may set the mood, and the crowd may bring the energy, but the food is what most people go for. People are not just eating while they are there—they are there to eat.

Related: This Is Disney's Best Food Festival—And It's Not In A Theme Park

Why the Midwest? The skyline of the city of Chicago shot via helicopter from about 1000 feet over Lake Michigan.

As a born and bred Midwestern, why not? The land of state fairs, church festivals, neighborhood block parties, rib cook-offs, fish fries, farmers markets and summer street parties are already part of the culture. So really, a food festival is just taking those vibes and amplifying them. Plus, the welcoming hospitality means everyone feels welcome, whether they're from the Midwest or not.

Maxwell Robbins, Culinary Director for Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant Group, says that history is exactly why Chicago and the larger Midwest work so well for a festival like Windy City Smokeout. “I think most people recognize Chicago as one of the world’s great food cities, but historically speaking, the midwest actually has a rich history of festivals as community gatherings dating back to the late 1800's, as the second state fair in the US history actually took place in Michigan in 1849," he said. "On any given weekend summer weekend you can find multiple noteworthy street fests featuring great food and music, so this culture is very much engrained in Chicago—becoming almost a right of passage for people both visiting and living in the city!”

Our Favorite Fests this Year1. Windy City Smokeout, Chicago, IL

If your idea of a perfect festival includes barbecue, country music, craft beer and close access to some of the world's best restaurants, this is the one for you. Windy City Smokeout returns July 8 to 12, 2026, outside the United Center, with a five-day lineup of music and barbecue in Chicago.

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The food lineup is what makes it more than just a country music weekend with a few good snacks. “I always answer this question by saying that I believe that the Windy City Smokeout is the best representation of BBQ in America today—if you come eat you can try food from the up and coming pitmasters who will be winning awards in the coming years—legends of BBQ who have been drawing long lines for decades—Competition circuit BBQ teams and Memphis in May Winners," Robbins said. "Plus, you have direct access to the restaurants who are currently featured on various award lists like Michelin, James Beard, and Texas Monthly Top 50. We try to have the best overall balance of national and local talent anywhere in the world,” Robbins says.

That means you can try the kind of barbecue people usually plan entire trips around without actually booking a flight to Texas, Tennessee, or Missouri. “Festival dishes give you a chance to eat that bite that you have been salivating over on social media for years without booking a whole trip to do it. We try to offer each Pitmaster’s signature dish, as well as something exciting, creative and unique made just for our festival," Robbins said.

Make it a full Chicago food weekend by staying at The Hoxton, Chicago, in Fulton Market, which puts you close to the festival grounds, the West Loop restaurant scene, and a rooftop pool for recovering between brisket rounds. For dinner that'll blow you out of the water, book Smyth, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant from chefs John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, which was named the best restaurant in North America by North America’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2026. For something more casual and less painful on the wallet, go to The Publican, chef Paul Kahan’s Fulton Market beer hall devoted to oysters, pork, beer and farmhouse-style cooking, which keeps the meat-and-smoke mood going without requiring a tasting-menu budget.

Related: Why Martha Stewart Won't Miss This Cozy Wisconsin Food & Wine Weekend

2. Traverse City Food & Wine, Traverse City, Michigan

Traverse City Food & Wine is one of the Midwest’s biggest up-and-coming food festivals, and for good reason. Long known as the Cherry Capital of the U.S., Traverse City also sits near some of Michigan’s most exciting wine country, giving the festival a built-in mix of local flavor, regional wine, and lake-country charm. Returning August 19 to 23, 2026, the festival celebrates the Traverse City region’s agriculture, craft, and creativity, with over 100 tents featuring bites from chefs and restaurants, local wines, craft beverages and foods that distinctly celebrate the region's bounty. Tickets cost around $145 for the entire weekend, with VIP available for over $300.

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To turn it into a full weekend, stay at Delamar Traverse City, a waterfront hotel on Grand Traverse Bay with floor-to-ceiling windows, a heated outdoor pool, and Artisan Waterfront Restaurant & Tavern on-site for Great Lakes-inspired dining. If you're still hungry after the festival, stop into The Cooks’ House for dishes like butter-roasted walleye with wild mushrooms, cabbage, foie gras cream, and sunflower sprouts, or braised beef cheek with bone marrow mashed potatoes and shallots. For something more relaxed, head to Farm Club, where the menu is built around farm-grown vegetables, fresh pasta made with regionally grown grains, pozole made with nixtamalized farm corn, and drinks like Leelanau cherry lemonade and iced tea.

Traverse City Cherries

And because this is Traverse City, save room for cherry pie. Grand Traverse Pie Company’s Grand Traverse Cherry Crumb is made with tart Michigan Montmorency cherries and is the signature pie of the National Cherry Festival, which makes it an easy final stop before you leave town.

3. Des Moines World Food Festival

Des Moines’ World Food & Music Festival brings flavors of the entire world right smack into the Midwest. The free three-day festival returns to Western Gateway Park in downtown Des Moines from August 28 to 30, 2026, with international food vendors, live music, cultural experiences, interactive activities, and more than 90,000 attendees expected based on 2025 turnout. The 2026 vendor lineup has not been announced yet, but the festival says vendors will represent 25 countries and culinary regions, with bite-sized samples, full meals, and drinks available from each.

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In 2025, festival goers could try everything from half-size Venezuelan queso empanadas and mini quesabirria to Ecuadorian sancocho, Jamaican jerk rice and beans, Dutch stroopwafels, Ukrainian pelmeni and pierogi, and Burmese coconut rice with chicken curry, all in one day. Even though the festival is free to attend, each vendor has a separate cost.

A focal point of The Principal Riverwalk, this iconic bridge spans the Des Moines River.

Make it a full weekend by staying downtown at Surety Hotel, a 137-room hotel in the heart of Des Moines with Mulberry Street Tavern, a coffee bar, a lounge, and an outdoor courtyard. For a taste of Des Moines outside of the festival, head to Harbinger, where Des Moines native Joe Tripp, a seven-time James Beard Best Chef:Midwest nominee, serves vegetable-focused small plates inspired by Southeast Asia and Iowa growers. For something more splurgy, book Oak Park, where Executive Chef Ian Robertson and Executive Pastry Chef Jess Robertson build seasonal, modern dishes around local farmers, garden ingredients, and a serious wine program. Or keep the local-food thread going at HoQ, where chef-owner Suman Hoque’s farm-to-table restaurant in the East Village focuses on Iowa ingredients with global flavor.

Related: This Under-the-Radar Food & Wine Weekend Stars Big-Name Chefs, Cliffside Cabanas and Sunken S'mores Fire Pits