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."
It ain't no joke, I'd like to buy the world a toke
And teach the world to sing in perfect harmony
And teach the world to snuff the fires and the liars
Hey, I know it's just a song but it's spice for the recipe
This is a love attack, I know it went out but it's back
It's just like any fad, it retracts before impact
And just like fashion, it's a passion for the with it and hip
If you got the goods, they'll come and buy it just to stay in the clique
So don't delay, act now, supplies are running out
Allow if you're still alive, six to eight years to arrive
And if you follow, there may be a tomorrow
But if the offer's shunned
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
Twenty-five years ago, they spoke out and they broke out
Of recession and oppression and together they toked
And they folked out with guitars around a bonfire
Just singin' and clappin', man, what the hell happened?
Then some were spellbound, some were hell bound
Some they fell down and some got back up
And fought back against the melt-down
And their kids were hippie chicks, all hypocrites
Because fashion is smashin' the true meaning of it
So don't delay, act now, supplies are running out
Allow if you're still alive, six to eight years to arrive
And if you follow, there may be a tomorrow
But if the offer's shunned
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
It ain't no joke when our mama's handkerchief is soaked
With her tears because her baby's life has been revoked
The bond is broke up, so choke up and focus on the close up
Mr. Wizard can't perform no godlike hocus-pocus
So don't sit back, kick back and watch the world get bushwhacked
News at ten, your neighborhood is under attack
Put away the crack before the crack puts you away
You need to be there when your baby's old enough to relate
So don't delay, act now, supplies are running out
Allow if you're still alive, six to eight years to arrive
And if you follow, there may be a tomorrow
But if the offer's shunned
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
And teach the world to sing in perfect harmony
And teach the world to snuff the fires and the liars
Hey, I know it's just a song but it's spice for the recipe
This is a love attack, I know it went out but it's back
It's just like any fad, it retracts before impact
And just like fashion, it's a passion for the with it and hip
If you got the goods, they'll come and buy it just to stay in the clique
So don't delay, act now, supplies are running out
Allow if you're still alive, six to eight years to arrive
And if you follow, there may be a tomorrow
But if the offer's shunned
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
Twenty-five years ago, they spoke out and they broke out
Of recession and oppression and together they toked
And they folked out with guitars around a bonfire
Just singin' and clappin', man, what the hell happened?
Then some were spellbound, some were hell bound
Some they fell down and some got back up
And fought back against the melt-down
And their kids were hippie chicks, all hypocrites
Because fashion is smashin' the true meaning of it
So don't delay, act now, supplies are running out
Allow if you're still alive, six to eight years to arrive
And if you follow, there may be a tomorrow
But if the offer's shunned
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
It ain't no joke when our mama's handkerchief is soaked
With her tears because her baby's life has been revoked
The bond is broke up, so choke up and focus on the close up
Mr. Wizard can't perform no godlike hocus-pocus
So don't sit back, kick back and watch the world get bushwhacked
News at ten, your neighborhood is under attack
Put away the crack before the crack puts you away
You need to be there when your baby's old enough to relate
So don't delay, act now, supplies are running out
Allow if you're still alive, six to eight years to arrive
And if you follow, there may be a tomorrow
But if the offer's shunned
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
You might as well be walkin' on the sun
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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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
wow, the fact that the meaning is not obvious really makes the song ring true. 25 years ago was the mid to late 60s (well, when the song was first released, that is). The US was in the midst of the Vietnam conflict and a strong civil rights movement. Hippies stood up and strongly promoted the liberal movement and crusaded for the rights of everyone. Now the hippie movement is nothing but a passing fashion. Most of the kids that partake of it are only in it for the fashion and cool-factor. They take the drugs, but know nothing about shamanism or elightenment or any of the cultural things that started the drug craze. they wear the bell bottoms and tied dyed shirts, but know nothing about riding in a bus on a road trip with 15 other people who haven't showered for a week.
This song is a testimony to the past and call to all of us to wake up and either get with the program or take a walk on the sun.
Cheers!!
The guy's trying to buy the world a clue, basically, because everyone's going crazy with what's cool, wanting to be part of the clique, and taking drugs, that's what they mean by "so put the crack away before it puts you ok, you gotta be there when your baby's old enough to relate" it's a generation gap song. The chorus is about coming together to get out the whole mess.
I really like this song. It has catchy lyrics and a 60ish beat. Great tune.
To me this song means do not get caught up in all of the hype of today's fads and trends. For instance, crack is a big trend and it should be put away, before it puts you away. Also, the reference to Mr. Wizard refers to psychics and astrologers that have an immediate solution to your problems. They are deemed as God-like but truly are not.
@GreenEyedBabe The reference to Mr Wizzard is from a cartoon titled "Tudor the Turtle" In which every episode Tudor gets in a jam and cries "Help Mr Wizard! I don't want to be a (whatever the position he was in) Mr Wizard would then say "Drizzle Drazzle Drozle Drone Time For This One To Come Home!" and relieve poor tudor form the bad situation he was in. ;youtube.com/results
i think it's about the world in general and how fucked up everyones become like with drugs and no one giving a shit about anything real these days...but he's also saying that the world just needs to relax and take a chill pill and see eveything for what it really is and not try to complicate everything with wars and what not
i'm about one thousand percent sure that this song is about the LA riots in 1992.
A 1000% sure? That is sure!
I think the lyrics are basically saying "Whatever happened to 'hippy' ideals about love and peace?" That those ideals have gone away ("This is a love attack I know it went out but it's back"). So, don't sit back and let good ideals such as love dissappear! That's my take on it!
I don't normally like poppy happy bands like Smash Mouth, but well... they just rock. This song makes me feel really good.
I love this song it rocks enough said.
i <3 this song
this could very well be smash mouths best song in my opinion. its very catchy, like alot of their stuff but also has a very deep meaning and is a very well composed and quite intricate piece of work