Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Light a candle lay flowers at the door for those who left behind and the one's who've gone before
Here it comes now sure as silence follows rain
The taste of you upon my lips the fingers in my brain
And be gentle as it kills me where I lay who am I to resist
Who are you to fail
Got to get you out of my mind but I can't escape from the feeling
As I try to leave the memory behind without you what's left to believe in
It could be so sorry for the way it had to go
But now I feel your presence in a way I could not know
And I wonder do you ever feel the same
In whispering darkness do you ever hear my name
Got to get you out of my mind but I can't escape from the feeling
As I try to leave the memory behind without you what's left to belive in
(Here in the back of your mind) (here in the back of your mind)
And how could you dare to become so close so real when you're just a ghost of me
And I've got to get you out of my mind but I can't escape from the feeling
As I try to leave the memory behind without you what's left to believe in
Here in the back of your mind deep in the back of your mind
Here in the back of your mind deep in the back of your mind
Deep in the back of your mind
Here it comes now sure as silence follows rain
The taste of you upon my lips the fingers in my brain
And be gentle as it kills me where I lay who am I to resist
Who are you to fail
Got to get you out of my mind but I can't escape from the feeling
As I try to leave the memory behind without you what's left to believe in
It could be so sorry for the way it had to go
But now I feel your presence in a way I could not know
And I wonder do you ever feel the same
In whispering darkness do you ever hear my name
Got to get you out of my mind but I can't escape from the feeling
As I try to leave the memory behind without you what's left to belive in
(Here in the back of your mind) (here in the back of your mind)
And how could you dare to become so close so real when you're just a ghost of me
And I've got to get you out of my mind but I can't escape from the feeling
As I try to leave the memory behind without you what's left to believe in
Here in the back of your mind deep in the back of your mind
Here in the back of your mind deep in the back of your mind
Deep in the back of your mind
Lyrics submitted by WhiteMagic
Out of My Mind Lyrics as written by Simon Le Bon Nick Rhodes
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
This song is very disturbing to me. The video is very disturbing. Simon has described it as a "modern ghost story" and about "being haunted from the inside". I think it's clearly about someone who is traumatized by a person in their past and is trying to push this person out of their mind but as hard as they try, the memory is still there in "the back of [their] mind". Well, yeah, that's obvious. This guy is thinking about how much pain this person has caused him and how much it is still apart of his life and he's wondering if this person he is obsessing over feels the same way---regret, remorse, shame, etc---or if not and if there's some utter callousness about it all. It reminds me of Careless Memories. And comparing it to that song, it makes me think about how the mere mention of a name can hold so much power. Just like certain things can trigger painful memories.