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."
Meet me tonight by the bombed out carnival.
We'll hide out where the house of mirrors is smashed up like an icicle field.
We'll hide in the ferris wheel car
And we'll watch from the top as the cop sirens squeal, squeal!
Click! Click! Click! Click!
Bang! Bang!
Went my gun in the convenience store clerk's face.
"Give me all your fucking money,"
My voice quivered,
My hands wavered.
A little kid got it in the face-
He didn't stand a chance!
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
Handsome young gentlemen,
Robbing and murdering
In the afternoon..
In the afternoon.
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
Meet me tonight in the abandoned planetarium.
We'll hide in the dark as fake moons flicker and spark.
Click! Click! Click! Click!
Bang! Bang!
Went my gun in the crowded supermarket.
Now everybody knows our face.
Our picture's in the papers,
Our face's on the cameras,
We've got nowhere to go-
We're on the run!
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
A gorgeous, wild woman sings
Calypso funeral hymns
In your getaway subway..
Your getaway subway.
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
Electrocuted streets, electrocuted city.
We've bloomed from liars to theives.
We make guitars sound pretty.
Electrocuted streets, electrocuted city.
We've bloomed from lovers to pornographers.
We've bloomed from murderers to mass-murderers.
You know, all I ever wanted was a little money in my pocket
And my face on the 5 o'clock news.
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
We're swinging from the trees
Like pinatas for police
To crack and eat and chew..
To crack and eat and chew.
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
We'll hide out where the house of mirrors is smashed up like an icicle field.
We'll hide in the ferris wheel car
And we'll watch from the top as the cop sirens squeal, squeal!
Click! Click! Click! Click!
Bang! Bang!
Went my gun in the convenience store clerk's face.
"Give me all your fucking money,"
My voice quivered,
My hands wavered.
A little kid got it in the face-
He didn't stand a chance!
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
Handsome young gentlemen,
Robbing and murdering
In the afternoon..
In the afternoon.
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
Meet me tonight in the abandoned planetarium.
We'll hide in the dark as fake moons flicker and spark.
Click! Click! Click! Click!
Bang! Bang!
Went my gun in the crowded supermarket.
Now everybody knows our face.
Our picture's in the papers,
Our face's on the cameras,
We've got nowhere to go-
We're on the run!
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
A gorgeous, wild woman sings
Calypso funeral hymns
In your getaway subway..
Your getaway subway.
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
Electrocuted streets, electrocuted city.
We've bloomed from liars to theives.
We make guitars sound pretty.
Electrocuted streets, electrocuted city.
We've bloomed from lovers to pornographers.
We've bloomed from murderers to mass-murderers.
You know, all I ever wanted was a little money in my pocket
And my face on the 5 o'clock news.
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
We're swinging from the trees
Like pinatas for police
To crack and eat and chew..
To crack and eat and chew.
Love hounds is all we are.
We want it all right now.
Lyrics submitted by iLL Ronald
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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,
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well obviously this song is about how people do crimes for publicity, not necessarily the money, and eventually they become notorious because they avoid the cops cause they don't wanna go to jail
thank you 1-armed scissor. you must have a good choice in music. i love at the drive-in