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."
Yeah it's on the street it's under your feet
It's everywhere
But if you're looking for free
Don't look at me my enemy became my country
On the run, officer put down the gun
Native son, I never wanted to own one
Native son, both of us want to be someone
It's so hard, is it so hard for a native son
To be free?
Tears fallen from the sky
Fallen to the ground bullets start to fly
He's hurt, he's in the dirt on my word
I did not take his life
Don't want to run away
This isn't in my father's plans
I know I can't stay
If I stay I know what's next
On the run, officer put down the gun
Native son, I never wanted to own one
Native son, all of us want to be someone
It's so hard, is it so hard for a native son
To be free? Free
Yeah yeah yea yeah yeah yeah yea-yea yeah
Yeah yeah yea-yea-yea yeah
Free on the run, officer put down the gun
Native son, I never wanted to own one
Native son, both of us want to be someone
It's so hard, is it so hard for a native son
To be free? Free free yeah
It's everywhere
But if you're looking for free
Don't look at me my enemy became my country
On the run, officer put down the gun
Native son, I never wanted to own one
Native son, both of us want to be someone
It's so hard, is it so hard for a native son
To be free?
Tears fallen from the sky
Fallen to the ground bullets start to fly
He's hurt, he's in the dirt on my word
I did not take his life
Don't want to run away
This isn't in my father's plans
I know I can't stay
If I stay I know what's next
On the run, officer put down the gun
Native son, I never wanted to own one
Native son, all of us want to be someone
It's so hard, is it so hard for a native son
To be free? Free
Yeah yeah yea yeah yeah yeah yea-yea yeah
Yeah yeah yea-yea-yea yeah
Free on the run, officer put down the gun
Native son, I never wanted to own one
Native son, both of us want to be someone
It's so hard, is it so hard for a native son
To be free? Free free yeah
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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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
This is an early version of Vertigo, not a rip-off.
As dragonflyeyes said, this the early version of "Vertigo", before U2 and their producer decided to change the song to make it more "radio friendly", in a way.
this song is sooooo much better than vertigo i mean vertigo rocks but this is a million times better the lyrics are so much deeper much better lyrical content and the solo is a lot cooler also
Your all wrong. The song is about Leonard Peltier. In the 1970s Leonard Pelier, an American Indian Movement (AIM) acitivist, was arrested and tried for the murder of 3 FBI and BIA agents. Most of the evidence leading to his innocence was burned or shredded and witnesses were secretly tied to chair and forced to admit thing that were not true. U2 never publicly announced why they did not release the song.
Was it due to the corporate greed of Apple? I think not. It was caused by the totalitarian government of America.
hmm i wonder what this sound like w/ the music
youtube.com/watch
did they really release this?
The music is obviously a variant of "Vertigo." This is most likely and early version that was dramatically changed by lyrics.
the lyrics were later changed because Bono didn't feel comfortable singing them in front of a U.S. crowd at the time. They are about Leonard Peltier, a politically controversial Native American doing hard time.
This sounds soo much like Vertigo that the first time i heard it i just thought it was a Vertigo remix. Its interesting though, I wounder why they decided to change write different lyrics for the Vertigo music. Vertigo is a good song but this song definately has more meaning to it. More expect of u2, which is probably why the would choose to use Vertigo to try and be different, or atleast somewhat different.
This song is imo about gun control, like they've decided they want bullet the blue sky to be about now, it kinda feels like a soft version of bullet the blue sky to me, which is probably why they canned it. If anyone wants to hear it it can be downloaded off of itunes under the complete u2.
Native Son got changed to Vertigo because the lyrics are about a politically controversial Native American doing hard time known as Leonard Peltier
Native Son>>Vertigo.
First off, apparently there is a book called Native Son, about a black man in 1930's Chicago that accidentally kills a white woman. This may have had an influence on the song.
The lyrics are about someone who is wrongly accused of murder (maybe an associate of a gangmember?):
Bullets start to fly He’s hurt, he’s in the dirt On my word I did not take his life
The protaganist tries to run away, but is cornered by the law and tries to explain or talk his way out of being killed or arrested:
On the run Officer put down the gun I never wanted to own one All of us want to be someone Is it so hard for a native son to be free
When I hear Bono singing this song, I feel like he's writing a companion to Creedence Clearwater Revival's Fortunate Son, which U2 covered as a B-side to Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.
Whereas Fortunate Son is about a kid avoiding Vietnam because of his rich dad's influence, Native Son could be about a kid forced into combat and then accused of killing a fellow soldier or a civilian.
Also note that the original working title of this song was Full Metal Jacket, which lends credence (no pun intended) to the military scenario.
Pretty close, the lyrics are about Leonard Peltier. A Native American convicted of murdering 2 FBI agents in the 70s. He was there protecting some elders with other members of AIM (American Indian Movement) when a huge shootout erupted on the reservation. Peltier was not given a fair trial and much of the evidence was fabricated by FBI.