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."
How can you call a man a man
When you treat him like a dog?
And how can you call a man a man
When you kill him like a hog?
How can you call him an eternal soul
And grind him in the dirt?
And how can you say a fella's free
Chained down and tied to work?
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
How can you talk about equal rights
And jail the man that uses them?
How can you worship the rich man
That sees poor folks and refuses them?
How can you talk of freedom
And jail the man that talks it?
You kiss the man's ass that rides the road
And you jail the old boy that walks it
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
How can you like the United States
And kill us for unitin'?
How can you accuse us of being violent
When you start all the fightin'?
Every time we organize
You rich guys pull a fast one
Oh, we might lose many a fight
But we'll damn sure win the last one
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
When you treat him like a dog?
And how can you call a man a man
When you kill him like a hog?
How can you call him an eternal soul
And grind him in the dirt?
And how can you say a fella's free
Chained down and tied to work?
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
How can you talk about equal rights
And jail the man that uses them?
How can you worship the rich man
That sees poor folks and refuses them?
How can you talk of freedom
And jail the man that talks it?
You kiss the man's ass that rides the road
And you jail the old boy that walks it
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
How can you like the United States
And kill us for unitin'?
How can you accuse us of being violent
When you start all the fightin'?
Every time we organize
You rich guys pull a fast one
Oh, we might lose many a fight
But we'll damn sure win the last one
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
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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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
This song is about giving your life for a family member