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."
Won't someone tell me what is happenin' to me
Why am I so missunderstood
Why can't they see
Now I'm caught between the devil and the angel
That I used to be
They say I'll understand it all in good time
But age ain't nothin' but a number in my mind
Goin' crazy with this push me pull me
Caught between wrong and right
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
I started writing down my deepest secrets
Seven days a week of truth and fantasy
Got the feelin' that the way my life is
Got to be prepared for changes
Won't someone tell me what is happenin' to me
Why am I so missunderstood
Why can't they see?
Now I'm caught between the devil and the angel
That I used to be
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
I wanna go left but they tell me go right
Don't wanna be the little girl they kissin' goodnight
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
They can try to make me write a thousand lies
But that won't ever change the way I feel inside
They've got their opinions but I just don't care
Cause that's not what I wanna hear
I, I must, I must not chase the boys
I, I must, I must not chase the boys
I must, I must, I must not.. .chase.. the boys
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
I wanna go left but they tell me go right
don't wanna be the little girl they kissin' goodnight
the moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase... the boys
Why am I so missunderstood
Why can't they see
Now I'm caught between the devil and the angel
That I used to be
They say I'll understand it all in good time
But age ain't nothin' but a number in my mind
Goin' crazy with this push me pull me
Caught between wrong and right
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
I started writing down my deepest secrets
Seven days a week of truth and fantasy
Got the feelin' that the way my life is
Got to be prepared for changes
Won't someone tell me what is happenin' to me
Why am I so missunderstood
Why can't they see?
Now I'm caught between the devil and the angel
That I used to be
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
I wanna go left but they tell me go right
Don't wanna be the little girl they kissin' goodnight
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
They can try to make me write a thousand lies
But that won't ever change the way I feel inside
They've got their opinions but I just don't care
Cause that's not what I wanna hear
I, I must, I must not chase the boys
I, I must, I must not chase the boys
I must, I must, I must not.. .chase.. the boys
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
I wanna go left but they tell me go right
don't wanna be the little girl they kissin' goodnight
the moral of the story is I got no choice
I must not chase... the boys
Lyrics submitted by ruben
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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No Surprises
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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.
Blue
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“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.
Punchline
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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.
Head > Heels
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“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
I think besides practicing restraint, it's also about playing hard to get - "I wanna be someone they don't want me to be"and "don't wanna be the little girl they kissin' goodnight" - because she's been too "easy" in the past. Men are taking advantage of her and thinking she's loose, so they'll walk all over her. She realizes she'll be more valued if she doesn't do whatever they want her to do.