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."
I'm just a man
I understand the wind
And all the things
That make the children cry
With my Les Paul
I know I'm small
But I enjoy living
Anyway
Book after book
I get hooked
Everytime the writer
Talks me like a friend
What can I do
We just live in a zoo
All I do is play
The spaceball ricochet
Deep in my heart
There's a house
That can hold
Almost all of you
I bought a car
It was old but kind
I gave it my mind
And it disappeared
I love a girl
She is a changeless angel
She's a city it's a pity
That I'm like me
I said how can I lay
When all I do is play
The spaceball ricochet
I understand the wind
And all the things
That make the children cry
With my Les Paul
I know I'm small
But I enjoy living
Anyway
Book after book
I get hooked
Everytime the writer
Talks me like a friend
What can I do
We just live in a zoo
All I do is play
The spaceball ricochet
Deep in my heart
There's a house
That can hold
Almost all of you
I bought a car
It was old but kind
I gave it my mind
And it disappeared
I love a girl
She is a changeless angel
She's a city it's a pity
That I'm like me
I said how can I lay
When all I do is play
The spaceball ricochet
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
The Title itself refers to a comment made by a child that lived in the flat below Marc. The boy was full of energy and running around in his flat and literally bouncing of the walls. Marc asked him why and he said that he had just got some new “Spaceball Boots” as opposed to baseball boots.
The imagined that he was leaping through space when in reality he was bouncing of the walls of a flat in Hackney
It makes a quite neat existential metaphor for someone that is trapped inside an inadequate body;
“i know i'm small but i enjoy living anyway”
That cant get a girl that’s out of his league
“she is a changeless angel she's a city it's a pity that i'm like me”
One of my favourite Bolan Songs
I hear the 5th stanza differently:
Deep in my heart There's a house That can hold [Just about] all of you
I used to wonder if the song title was a reference to the video game Pong. Did Marc Bolan play early video games? Lol
Does anybody know exactly what this song is about? I think it might be about pinball, or osmething.. "spaceball ricochet.."
yes!
I think this song is about a conflict the narrator has with himself. He says 'I know I'm small but I enjoy living anyway' but then he says 'it's a pity that I'm like me'. He seems to not know what to make of his life, or even of life in general ( what does life mean?) . He keeps thinking about this ( all he can do is think about it/play the spaceball ricochet). He thinks too much and should just get on with his life rather than spend all his time dwelling on things - he knows this but just can't help it -thus all he can do is play the spaceball ricochet. I don't kniow if all that will make sense to anyone reading it, but that's what I think yhis song is about. It's a really sweet, reflective song.
the bit about buying a car refers to an old (but kind) cadillac that he bought from Ringo Starr but he never collected it (hence it disappeared)