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."
(Hahahaha)
Yeah, I'm a Ghetto Superstar nigga
Most niggas trying to get one chick, right?
I'm trying to get two
You know, two is always better than one, right?
Yeah
I'm trying to kill two birds with one stone
It's 151's prone, that have you and hun's stoned
Trying the unknown
Doing things I know y'all parents wouldn't con-done
It's you, her and me; eyes too blurred to see
Speech too slurred to G
But you know "Young'n" would love ta
See ya upon each other, feeling on me while tongue'n each other
Wow! it's a wonderful thing
To have a pretty female under each wing
The cake can prob'ly Pollie, both of these Bobby Darlies
That take off their Rockavalis?
My job is narly from getting slobbed on Harley's
Getting smoke from the supplier, robbin' Marley
I hope this ain't tooking wrong
But ma now I wanna see how both of y'all look in thongs
I got a bad bitch on my left side (oww)
Bad bitch on my right side (okay)
I suggest it be best if we get by
Said a bad bitch on my left side (oww)
Bad bitch on my right side (okay)
I suggest it be best if we get by
I'm willing to geese 'em if they feeling a threesome
I'm pulling up in the GT before the dealers release them
I ain't with the blazay blah
Cause I hold the record for the most Menage à Trois and lama taje (?)
I got a bad chick on my left lap
Bad chick on my right lap
Do as I suggest, I confess
At my request they gon' get right
So when you see lipstick on both cheeks
That mean I slip dick in both freaks
They started calling me Two Time Johnny
After repeatedly leaving the club wit two damn mami's
This brother done had 'em
From close friends, the girls all know each other from Adam
I'm always this humble boo, HELL YES!
It's cool for your girlfriend to come through too
I got a bad bitch on my left side (oww)
Bad bitch on my right side (okay)
I suggest it be best if we get by
Said a bad bitch on my left side (oww)
Bad bitch on my right side (okay)
I suggest it be best if we get by
At the most it'll take an hour together
To get these girls from dancing wit each other
In to taking showers together
They know, it's a studio in Fab crib
One of y'all can rock the mic while the other one ad libs
Boo, my government is personal
But I got enough sets of twins to make Doublemint commercials
After trying X, I can only imagine what y'all be trying next
The stacks that I be splurging have girls in the back of the Excursion
Forgetting bout the fact that they was virgins
I don't care who you bringing wit you
Just let her know that I'm poking her while I'm fingering you
I love that thing that you do
And I know about the tongue and nipple
But I ain't know you had a ring in it too
I can tell when they came, cause they start spelling my name
Like F-A, B-O, L-O, U-S (oww)
I got a bad bitch on my left side (oww)
Bad bitch on my right side (okay)
I suggest it be best if we get by
Said a bad bitch on my left side (oww)
Bad bitch on my right side (okay)
I suggest it be best if we get by
Yeah, I'm a Ghetto Superstar nigga
Most niggas trying to get one chick, right?
I'm trying to get two
You know, two is always better than one, right?
Yeah
I'm trying to kill two birds with one stone
It's 151's prone, that have you and hun's stoned
Trying the unknown
Doing things I know y'all parents wouldn't con-done
It's you, her and me; eyes too blurred to see
Speech too slurred to G
But you know "Young'n" would love ta
See ya upon each other, feeling on me while tongue'n each other
Wow! it's a wonderful thing
To have a pretty female under each wing
The cake can prob'ly Pollie, both of these Bobby Darlies
That take off their Rockavalis?
My job is narly from getting slobbed on Harley's
Getting smoke from the supplier, robbin' Marley
I hope this ain't tooking wrong
But ma now I wanna see how both of y'all look in thongs
I got a bad bitch on my left side (oww)
Bad bitch on my right side (okay)
I suggest it be best if we get by
Said a bad bitch on my left side (oww)
Bad bitch on my right side (okay)
I suggest it be best if we get by
I'm willing to geese 'em if they feeling a threesome
I'm pulling up in the GT before the dealers release them
I ain't with the blazay blah
Cause I hold the record for the most Menage à Trois and lama taje (?)
I got a bad chick on my left lap
Bad chick on my right lap
Do as I suggest, I confess
At my request they gon' get right
So when you see lipstick on both cheeks
That mean I slip dick in both freaks
They started calling me Two Time Johnny
After repeatedly leaving the club wit two damn mami's
This brother done had 'em
From close friends, the girls all know each other from Adam
I'm always this humble boo, HELL YES!
It's cool for your girlfriend to come through too
I got a bad bitch on my left side (oww)
Bad bitch on my right side (okay)
I suggest it be best if we get by
Said a bad bitch on my left side (oww)
Bad bitch on my right side (okay)
I suggest it be best if we get by
At the most it'll take an hour together
To get these girls from dancing wit each other
In to taking showers together
They know, it's a studio in Fab crib
One of y'all can rock the mic while the other one ad libs
Boo, my government is personal
But I got enough sets of twins to make Doublemint commercials
After trying X, I can only imagine what y'all be trying next
The stacks that I be splurging have girls in the back of the Excursion
Forgetting bout the fact that they was virgins
I don't care who you bringing wit you
Just let her know that I'm poking her while I'm fingering you
I love that thing that you do
And I know about the tongue and nipple
But I ain't know you had a ring in it too
I can tell when they came, cause they start spelling my name
Like F-A, B-O, L-O, U-S (oww)
I got a bad bitch on my left side (oww)
Bad bitch on my right side (okay)
I suggest it be best if we get by
Said a bad bitch on my left side (oww)
Bad bitch on my right side (okay)
I suggest it be best if we get by
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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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
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.