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."
I have, I have you
Breathing down my neck, breathing down my neck
I don't, don't know
What you could possibly expect
Under this condition, so
I'll wait, I'll wait
For the ambulance to come, ambulance to come
Pick us up off the floor
What did you possibly expect
Under this condition, so
Slow down
This night's a perfect shade of
Dark blue, dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
When I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning, burning down
Dark blue, dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
Well, I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning
'Til there's nothing but dark blue
Just dark blue
This flood (this flood)
This flood is slowly rising up
Swallowing the ground, beneath my feet
Tell me how anybody thinks
Under this condition, so
I'll swim, I'll swim
As the water rises up, sun is sinking down
And now all I can see are the planets in a row
Suggesting it's best that I
Slow down
This night's a perfect shade of
Dark blue, dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
When I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning, burning down
Dark blue, dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
Well, I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning
Dark blue
We were boxing
We were boxing the stars
We were boxing (we were boxing)
You were swinging for Mars
And then the water reached the West Coast (hoo)
And took the power lines, the power lines (hoo)
And it was me and you (this could last forever)
And the whole town under water
There was nothing we could do
It was dark blue
Dark blue, dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
When I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning, burning down
Dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
Well, I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning
Now there's nothing but dark blue
If you've ever been alone
You'll know
Dark Blue
If you've ever been alone
You'll know
You'll know
Breathing down my neck, breathing down my neck
I don't, don't know
What you could possibly expect
Under this condition, so
I'll wait, I'll wait
For the ambulance to come, ambulance to come
Pick us up off the floor
What did you possibly expect
Under this condition, so
Slow down
This night's a perfect shade of
Dark blue, dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
When I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning, burning down
Dark blue, dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
Well, I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning
'Til there's nothing but dark blue
Just dark blue
This flood (this flood)
This flood is slowly rising up
Swallowing the ground, beneath my feet
Tell me how anybody thinks
Under this condition, so
I'll swim, I'll swim
As the water rises up, sun is sinking down
And now all I can see are the planets in a row
Suggesting it's best that I
Slow down
This night's a perfect shade of
Dark blue, dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
When I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning, burning down
Dark blue, dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
Well, I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning
Dark blue
We were boxing
We were boxing the stars
We were boxing (we were boxing)
You were swinging for Mars
And then the water reached the West Coast (hoo)
And took the power lines, the power lines (hoo)
And it was me and you (this could last forever)
And the whole town under water
There was nothing we could do
It was dark blue
Dark blue, dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
When I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning, burning down
Dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
Well, I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning
Now there's nothing but dark blue
If you've ever been alone
You'll know
Dark Blue
If you've ever been alone
You'll know
You'll know
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“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.
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.
So, I have no idea if this makes any sense, but I personally think...
Verse One: I think he’s talking about a girl he’s in love with possibly breaking up with him or pressuring him to do something, and he’s basically saying that he thinks he can fix the problem between them, but she needs to calm down a little and realize what they have…
Chorus: He might possibly want her to realize she’s the only one he loves, and the only one he sees even though she doesn’t fully see him. She’s his ‘dark blue’, his peace and stability when the world around them goes down.
Verse Two: Hmm…The flood could be the situation getting worse, whatever it may be. She might be stressing him out and he can’t really think straight. He still thinks he can fix it, though, even though the sun (hope? Maybe) is going down for her and the planets lining up is like them both thinking it out. He slows down to think about them again…
Chorus Two: Once again she’s his only one, blah, blah, blah…
Verse Three: I’m not really sure about this part…Maybe they were fighting, like arguing, and he wanted them to stay together but she was heading for a break up? The ‘water’ reaching the West Coast and the power lines going with it could be like a jolt to her, and she realizes that she was aiming too high with her expectations of him and had to realize that they could last forever, that he was her ‘dark blue’, and there was nothing she could do about it (their love).
Chorus Three: Same as the others, but this time she knows how he feels when he sees her, she knows that he’s her only love, the only one he sees in a crowded room, her ‘dark blue’
That's just my thoughts on it, It could mean something entirely different. xP
BUt either way, it's an awesome song, probably my favorite of theirs. =3
I think i got it. The song (which is amazing) constantly compares water (dark blue) to misery. It discusses how isolating misery can be, "have you ever been alone in a crowded room." The you is misery. He also says "the world could be burnin down till there's nothing but dark blue," the burning world could both represent your own cluttered, failing life that the misery is causing or a common global enemy that is still not affecting the isolation of misery (fire cannot burn water or "dark blue"). The song then goes on to say how an old life of loneliness and misery seemed purposeful ("we were boxing the stars").then the realization that this life is empty ("the planets in a row, suggesting i slow down"- he now understands purpose), but its too late "then the water reached the west coast and took the power lines. . . there was nothing we could do." The misery from isolation, and the isolation from misery have completely consumed his life. Also note the feeling while under water, its isolating, this could a reason among others as to why he chose dark blue to compare loneliness to.
the correct lyrics are as follows:
"I have, I have you breathing down my neck, breathing down my neck I don't, don't know what you could possibly expect under this condition so I'll wait, I'll wait for the ambulance to come, ambulance to come Pick us up off the floor. What did you possibly expect under this condition? So Slow down, this nights a perfect shade of...
Dark blue, dark blue Have you ever been alone in a crowded room? Well, I'm here with you I said the world could be burning and burning down.
Dark blue, dark blue Have you ever been alone in a crowded room? Well, I'm here with you I said the world could be burning 'til there's nothing but dark blue Just dark blue
And this flood, this flood is slowly rising up, swallowing the ground Beneath, my feet. Tell me how anybody thinks under this condition. So I'll swim, I'll swim as the water rises up, sun is sinking and now All I can see is the planets in a row suggesting it's best that I Slow down. This nights a perfect shade of...
Dark blue, dark blue Have you ever been alone in a crowded room? Well, I'm here with you. I said the world could be burning and burning down
Dark blue, dark blue Have you ever been alone in a crowded room? Well, I'm here with you. I said the world could be burning dark blue
We were boxing, we were boxing the stars We were boxing (we were boxing) you were swinging from Mars And then the water reached the west coast And took the power lines, the power lines And it was me and you and the whole town underwater There was nothing we could do It was dark blue
Dark blue, dark blue Have you ever been alone in a crowded room? Well, I'm here with you. I said the world could be burning and burning down
Dark blue, dark blue Have you ever been alone in a crowded room? Well, I'm here with you. I said the world could be burning now there's nothing but dark blue
If you've ever been alone, you'll know dark blue If you've ever been alone, you'll know, you'll know..."
this song is just perfect.
slightly reminscient of "she paints me blue" on the soco north album, something about the melody of the chorus combined with the blue reference. i think it might be on purpose.
i agree, when i first heard that song it was the first thing i thought of.
andrew said live that this was essentially the sequel to she paints me blue and both are based upon an actual room he had that had a blue light bulb in them...
i think it's just about when you drown in things like work and stuff, you forget to stop and smell the roses as the phrase goes. its about slowing down and appreciating the little things. this song= love.
ok. whew. so much to say about this song. the first time i heard this song i felt exactly the same way and i think its amazing to find a song that expresses exactly how you feel. just the title spoke to me already. "dark blue"
"I have, I have you breathing down my neck, breathing down my neck I don't, don't know what you could possibly expect under this condition so......."
this parts saying that the girl is like all around him still and he can't get her outta his head and she's just all he thinks about and he feels her so close mentally. its crazy so breathing down my neck are like the best words to describe it.
"I'll wait, I'll wait for the ambulance to come, ambulance to come Pick us up off the floor. What did you possibly expect under this condition? So Slow down, this nights a perfect shade of..."
this is saying that it hurts sooooooo much so he's waiting for like help "the ambulance" and he wonders how she would react if she knew his true feelings.
"dark blue dark blue......."
the chorus is saying that he feels so alone even with so many ppl around him cuz he's so focused on this girl and he's really, really depressed cuz they arent' together.
"And this flood, this flood is slowly rising up, swallowing the ground Beneath, my feet. Tell me how anybody thinks under this condition. So I'll swim, I'll swim as the water rises up, sun is sinking and now"
this is my favorite metaphor in the song. its so deep. like he is drowning in his feelings. and he's trying soooo hard to survive. and the sun sinking down part is like dang, he is sooooooo depressed.
"If you've ever been alone, you'll know, you'll know..."
i like this line cuz its a great ending to a great song. it gives you something to think about.
Okay, I don't want to be rude or anything...but some of you guys really aren't listening to what other people are trying to tell you. A-The entire album of Everything in Transit was written BEFORE Andrew knew he had cancer. So unless he can see into the future (and even though Andrew is completely amazing, I highly doubt he is able to do this) this song can't possibly be about his cancer and how he is coping with it. B- Andrew has stated in at least one interview that I know of, that the song is about the months where he and now his wife (ahh, so depressing) were apart.
So, although many of you are being very creative with your interpretations, I think I'm going to go with Andrew on what the song is about.
Sorry if anyone finds this to be rude.
first of all, you guys need to understand that this entire album was written before andrew developed cancer. this album is his refection on coming back home after years of touring and seeing that everything has changed.
dark blue is about a relationship. the music video does a good job of explaining it. two people that know that it's not going to work out, yet they still fight and try, but they know it's for the better if they give it up. But they know that they'll always be there for each other in the end, because they only truly understand each other.
well let me say that i have had depression and this is what i get out of the song :
'I have, I have you breathing down my neck, breathing down my neck' - okay so i see this as the depression it is breathing down his neck, in his face etc.. and he just cant escape it
'I'll wait, I'll wait for the ambulance to come, ambulance to come' - perhaps the 'ambulence' is actually a person who comes to 'pick him off the floor' or help him out.
'Dark blue, dark blue' - so dark blue could be a feeling he has right, like maybe he has the support of a certain person, so the shade he is FEELING is dark blue because his not feeling completely black, like completely down and out, but he isnt feeling that crash hot so he is dark blue.. if you get that
'Have you ever been alone in a crowded room? Well, I'm here with you' - so he is feeling alone, and then there is a friend singing the song to him in this part or something, and he is saying like in a crowded room, when you have depression it can cause panic attacks, anxiety etc.. and yeah, so he is saying like i have your back..
'I said the world could be burning and burning down.' - he is saying that even if the world is falling down around them, he will be there for him, got his back.
'And this flood, this flood is slowly rising up, swallowing the ground Beneath, my feet.' - the flood being the depression swollowing him up
'So I'll swim, I'll swim as the water rises up,' - trying to get on top of the depression
'sun is sinking' - his failing at beating the depression
'and now All I can see is the planets in a row' - the planets being fate like horoscopes
'We were boxing (we were boxing) you were swinging from Mars' - maybe trying to change what his fate might be, like hiting the stars that are hanging over his head etc and trying to be stronger
'And then the water reached the west coast And took the power lines, the power lines And it was me and you and the whole town underwater' - then he falls back into the depression and he feels like his world is falling all around him..
'There was nothing we could do' - there was nothing they could do to stop the depression
so i think its about a depressed person who has a friend trying to help him beat it and then he is tring to get on top of it but sadly he fails and falls back into depression which is a lot like what i am like. very bi-pola etc. it isnt easy and having songs like this really helps.
so yeah, this might be really wrong but i dont care, this is my thoughts on the song.. and if u dont like it then thats cool, we all have our own oppinions, but it is a fantastic song.
xx
This song can be interpretted in various ways. Like most of Andrew's written music, he makes it into nothing but metaphores. I read the past comments and heard people were comparing it to his sickness or being intoxicated. I have a much different view on it, wrong or right, this is what i think.
I dont think its about sickness or intoxication. I think its about being in love. If you think about the lyrics: Dark blue, darkblue. Have you ever been alone in a crowded room when im here with you?
I think thats saying something other than how it sounds. I think that particular line is really asking "have you ever been in a room of people. but in this case, we were alone. bc all we saw was eachother." point blank.
Just my take on it. ANyone agree?