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."
For today, we will take their body parts
And put them on the wall
For treated indigenously, digenously
Human right is private blue chip, pry
For treated indigenously (we're the prophetic generation)
Digenously (of bottled water, bottled water)
Human right is private blue chip, pry (causing poor populations to die)
You, you went beyond and you lost it all
Why did you go there?
From beyond, you saw it all
Why did you?
For treated indigenously, digenously (we lost consumer confidence)
Human right is private blue chip, pry (We lost consumer confidence in casual karma)
(Confetti, camouflage, camouflage, the flage, the flage)
For treated indigenously, digenously (We're the prophetic generation)
Human right is private blue chip, pry (of bottled water, bottled water)
(Causing poor populations to die, to die, to die)
You, you went beyond and you lost it all
Why did you go there?
From beyond, you saw it all
Why did you go there?
She lost her mind
Someone kicked her into the back of the line
She lost her head
When they called and said that they thought he was dead
Dreaming of screaming
Someone kick me out of my mind, I hate these thoughts I can't deny
Dreaming of screaming
Someone kick me out of my mind, I hate these thoughts I can't deny
For treated indigenously, digenously we lost consumer confidence
Human right is private blue chip, pry (in casual karma, casual karma))
For treated indigenously, digenously (Confetti, camouflage)
(We're the prophetic generation of bottled water, bottled water)
Human right is private blue chip, pry (camouflage, the flage, the flage))
(Causing poor populations to die, to die, to die)
You, you went beyond and you lost it all
Why did you go there
From beyond, you saw it all
Why did you?
Na-na-na, na-na-na
Na-na, na-na, na-na-na
Ah, ah, ah-ah
Dreamin' of screamin'
Someone kick me out of my mind
I hate these thoughts I can't deny
Dreamin' of screamin'
Someone kick me out of my mind
I hate these thoughts I can't deny
You will take the body parts and put them on the wall
And bring the dark disaster
And put them on the wall
For treated indigenously, digenously
Human right is private blue chip, pry
For treated indigenously (we're the prophetic generation)
Digenously (of bottled water, bottled water)
Human right is private blue chip, pry (causing poor populations to die)
You, you went beyond and you lost it all
Why did you go there?
From beyond, you saw it all
Why did you?
For treated indigenously, digenously (we lost consumer confidence)
Human right is private blue chip, pry (We lost consumer confidence in casual karma)
(Confetti, camouflage, camouflage, the flage, the flage)
For treated indigenously, digenously (We're the prophetic generation)
Human right is private blue chip, pry (of bottled water, bottled water)
(Causing poor populations to die, to die, to die)
You, you went beyond and you lost it all
Why did you go there?
From beyond, you saw it all
Why did you go there?
She lost her mind
Someone kicked her into the back of the line
She lost her head
When they called and said that they thought he was dead
Dreaming of screaming
Someone kick me out of my mind, I hate these thoughts I can't deny
Dreaming of screaming
Someone kick me out of my mind, I hate these thoughts I can't deny
For treated indigenously, digenously we lost consumer confidence
Human right is private blue chip, pry (in casual karma, casual karma))
For treated indigenously, digenously (Confetti, camouflage)
(We're the prophetic generation of bottled water, bottled water)
Human right is private blue chip, pry (camouflage, the flage, the flage))
(Causing poor populations to die, to die, to die)
You, you went beyond and you lost it all
Why did you go there
From beyond, you saw it all
Why did you?
Na-na-na, na-na-na
Na-na, na-na, na-na-na
Ah, ah, ah-ah
Dreamin' of screamin'
Someone kick me out of my mind
I hate these thoughts I can't deny
Dreamin' of screamin'
Someone kick me out of my mind
I hate these thoughts I can't deny
You will take the body parts and put them on the wall
And bring the dark disaster
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More Featured Meanings
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,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
i agree with all your posts about our selfishness and apathy for the poor. the dreaming of screaming part i believe is like what kmk said about how he's having trouble coping with knowing that mankind is so uncaring. ooarakhhye's post about how we do try to purify ourselves by removng all the unwanted parts of society like poverty and leaching off other countries. gonzo ur right on about the digitalization of america. with each new technology we become more and more useless as human beings.