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."
In this life I've seen everything I can see woman
I've seen lovers flying through the air
Hand in hand
I've seen babies dancing in the midnight sun
And I've seen dreams that came from the heavenly skies above
I've seen old men crying at their own grave sides
And I've seen pigs all sitting watching
Picture slides
But I never seen nothin' like you
Do you, do you want my love, woman
Do you, do you want my face, I need it!
Do you, do you want my mind, I'm saying it!
Do you, do you want my love
Well I heard the crowd singin' out of tune
As they sat and sang auld lang syne by the light
Of the moon
I heard the preachers bangin' on the drums
And I heard the police playin' with their guns
But I never heard nothing like you
In the country where the sky touches down
On the field she lay her down to rest
In the morning sun
They come a runnin' just to get a look just to
Feel to touch her long black hair they don't
Give a damn
But I never seen nothin' like you
Do you, do you want my love, woman
Do you, do you want my face, I need it!
Do you, do you want my mind, I'm saying it!
Do you, do you want my love
Well I think you know what I'm trying to say woman
That is I'd like to save you for a rainy day
I've seen enough of the world to know
That I've got to get it all to get it all to grow
Do you, do you want my love, woman
Do you, do you want my face
Do you, do you want my mind
Do you, do you want my love
Do you, do you want my love
Do you, do you want my love
I've seen lovers flying through the air
Hand in hand
I've seen babies dancing in the midnight sun
And I've seen dreams that came from the heavenly skies above
I've seen old men crying at their own grave sides
And I've seen pigs all sitting watching
Picture slides
But I never seen nothin' like you
Do you, do you want my love, woman
Do you, do you want my face, I need it!
Do you, do you want my mind, I'm saying it!
Do you, do you want my love
Well I heard the crowd singin' out of tune
As they sat and sang auld lang syne by the light
Of the moon
I heard the preachers bangin' on the drums
And I heard the police playin' with their guns
But I never heard nothing like you
In the country where the sky touches down
On the field she lay her down to rest
In the morning sun
They come a runnin' just to get a look just to
Feel to touch her long black hair they don't
Give a damn
But I never seen nothin' like you
Do you, do you want my love, woman
Do you, do you want my face, I need it!
Do you, do you want my mind, I'm saying it!
Do you, do you want my love
Well I think you know what I'm trying to say woman
That is I'd like to save you for a rainy day
I've seen enough of the world to know
That I've got to get it all to get it all to grow
Do you, do you want my love, woman
Do you, do you want my face
Do you, do you want my mind
Do you, do you want my love
Do you, do you want my love
Do you, do you want my love
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Mountain Song
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A couple of notes on this song:
1) Except for "Roll Over Beethoven", this is probably the oldest ELO song (from the standpoint of when it was written). Jeff Lynne wrote it while he was a member of The Move (the band that was the predecessor to ELO). gpciie, this might explain why it doesn't hang with the rest of the album for you.
2) It's now being used as the soundtrack for a new ad campaign in the U.S. by Monster.com (a job-search web site).
3) Back in the 1990s, it was very nearly used by Gatorade as the soundtrack to an ad featuring Michael Jordan. I know the guy who wrote the ad; he said that everyone at the agency and at the client loved it, but they realized that fairly few people in the target would recognize the song. Too bad.