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."
The sky is falling
Human race that we run
Has left me crawling
Staring straight at the sun
Oh, in a moment I notice
Every dog has his day
I paid attention
Cost me so much to hate
For so long
I saw only wrong
But now to remind
It's a waste of time
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
I wanted something
Nothing blank I don't know
It's all deflecting
Stones are easy to throw
Oh, in a moment I've noticed
Hours, days left behind
Of wasted, useless
Selfless, none of a kind
For so long
I saw only wrong
But now to remind
Not to go back to the low
That has drained my life so low
That has drained my life so low
That has drained my life so low
That has drained my
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Krdl, KRDL 109
We spoil music for everyone
Shut up, you little brat
Krdl, the KRDL
Elastic Ass with ya here in Chino Hills, the last frontier
That's where we're at
Uh, word, KOOL
You know what it spells and you know how we do
Live and direct coming at you from the middle of nowhere
The centre of everywhere
Ya gotta check this band, Queens Of The Stone Age
If you not knowin' them, here I'm letting ya know
Giving it my stamp of approval, you know what I'm saying?
So pick this up
And we're gonna spoil the music for ya
This is, um Millionare
Queens of the Stone Age
Um, a song about something they'll never be
All death metal, all the time (all the time)
Human race that we run
Has left me crawling
Staring straight at the sun
Oh, in a moment I notice
Every dog has his day
I paid attention
Cost me so much to hate
For so long
I saw only wrong
But now to remind
It's a waste of time
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
I wanted something
Nothing blank I don't know
It's all deflecting
Stones are easy to throw
Oh, in a moment I've noticed
Hours, days left behind
Of wasted, useless
Selfless, none of a kind
For so long
I saw only wrong
But now to remind
Not to go back to the low
That has drained my life so low
That has drained my life so low
That has drained my life so low
That has drained my
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Close your eyes and see the skies are falling
Krdl, KRDL 109
We spoil music for everyone
Shut up, you little brat
Krdl, the KRDL
Elastic Ass with ya here in Chino Hills, the last frontier
That's where we're at
Uh, word, KOOL
You know what it spells and you know how we do
Live and direct coming at you from the middle of nowhere
The centre of everywhere
Ya gotta check this band, Queens Of The Stone Age
If you not knowin' them, here I'm letting ya know
Giving it my stamp of approval, you know what I'm saying?
So pick this up
And we're gonna spoil the music for ya
This is, um Millionare
Queens of the Stone Age
Um, a song about something they'll never be
All death metal, all the time (all the time)
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I think it's just about how you've been living your life in anger and hatred and wanting things that actually doesn't mean anything once the sky falls down.