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."
What goes around
Comes back around
Seems that's the way
Heartache falls
I learned to live
Without you by my side
But I prayed
For the day you'd call
So why don't you
Lie down beside me
Open your heart
And confide in me
[Chorus]
Go on and cry
Here's my shoulder
Why don't you try
To imagine that I even care
Go on and cry
On my cold shoulder
You left me so sad
And you hurt me so bad
It's your turn to
Cry cry cry
Over me
You say you made
A big mistake
When you threw away
The love I gave
I always knew
You'd come around again
Looking for the love
We made
[Chorus]
Sometimes love
Is overrated
It can be so hard
To find a cure
And when a heartbreak
Is understated
It comes back around, I'm sure
Oh,oh,oh
[Chorus]
Comes back around
Seems that's the way
Heartache falls
I learned to live
Without you by my side
But I prayed
For the day you'd call
So why don't you
Lie down beside me
Open your heart
And confide in me
[Chorus]
Go on and cry
Here's my shoulder
Why don't you try
To imagine that I even care
Go on and cry
On my cold shoulder
You left me so sad
And you hurt me so bad
It's your turn to
Cry cry cry
Over me
You say you made
A big mistake
When you threw away
The love I gave
I always knew
You'd come around again
Looking for the love
We made
[Chorus]
Sometimes love
Is overrated
It can be so hard
To find a cure
And when a heartbreak
Is understated
It comes back around, I'm sure
Oh,oh,oh
[Chorus]
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Mountain Song
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