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."
The arizona sky
The sky is bigger there
It took my breath away
That doesn't happen every day
Manhattan's music, man
On every avenue
You've heard no greater sound
Too much can get you down
Decorate, paint it for the union
No reson to give up on the illusion
Take confident possession of yourself
No reson to give up on the illusion
Venice is sinking fast
Looks almost upside down
Under a spell we fell
There's more, too much to tell
Decorate, paint it for the union
No reson to give up on the illusion
Take confident possession of yourself
No reson to give up on the illusion
Uptown in (?)
Beneath chicago moon
Spend every dollar saved
As much as we have made
The sky is bigger there
It took my breath away
That doesn't happen every day
Manhattan's music, man
On every avenue
You've heard no greater sound
Too much can get you down
Decorate, paint it for the union
No reson to give up on the illusion
Take confident possession of yourself
No reson to give up on the illusion
Venice is sinking fast
Looks almost upside down
Under a spell we fell
There's more, too much to tell
Decorate, paint it for the union
No reson to give up on the illusion
Take confident possession of yourself
No reson to give up on the illusion
Uptown in (?)
Beneath chicago moon
Spend every dollar saved
As much as we have made
Lyrics submitted by ButNeverOutgunned, edited by PapaJ, Jorasar, oOo Starchild oOo
Arizona Sky Lyrics as written by Johnson Daly
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.
Possibly a kind of ode to the United States by a band touring from the UK, recounting the highlights of their time in the U.S. From the amazing sky in Arizona, to the amazing music on the streets of Manhattan, to a (brothel? bar? nightclub?) in uptown Chicago where they overspent.
"Venice is sinking fast" may be alluding to the fact that they enjoyed Venice, but that it paled in comparison to the excitements to be found in America. "Decorate, paint if for the union" may mean, "paint the scene" of their experiences of America, for the "union" in this case being listeners back home in the United Kingdom, the union of Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In this vein, "Take comfort and possession of yourself" and "No reason to give up on the illusion", are possibly self-affirmations along the lines of, "We can make it here", "We can maintain the illusion of being exotic British rockers", even though we really have imposter syndrome in the face of all this wonder.
Not sure of the song meaning, but having been in Arizona many times there is no doubt that the sky is incredible - it seems to go on forever. I know that sounds ridiculous - how can it be different than the sky anywhere else - but it just is.
@fenwicksfather yes, the band were once on tour with Santana in the 1980s, and whilst driving through Arizona at night, their bus driver stopped and showed them the stars…
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