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 go out in public now more than you might think,
But only after several drinks
That's how I remember.
Then if I see any girl I've ever met before,
I run like hell for the door
That's how I remember.
Memory records selected shorts and interpretations,
Then later plays them back as gospel fact.
That's how I remember
That's how I remember
With one eye open,
You can focus like a camera on
Whomever you are capturing.
Without exception I prefer it as a way to document
The objects of my interest
Red and yellow, black and white
Are precious in his eyes
But who he roots for in a fight
That's how I remember
So everytime I find a girl
Beaten, gagged, and bound,
I let her go and write it down
That's how I remember
That's how I remember
But only after several drinks
That's how I remember.
Then if I see any girl I've ever met before,
I run like hell for the door
That's how I remember.
Memory records selected shorts and interpretations,
Then later plays them back as gospel fact.
That's how I remember
That's how I remember
With one eye open,
You can focus like a camera on
Whomever you are capturing.
Without exception I prefer it as a way to document
The objects of my interest
Red and yellow, black and white
Are precious in his eyes
But who he roots for in a fight
That's how I remember
So everytime I find a girl
Beaten, gagged, and bound,
I let her go and write it down
That's how I remember
That's how I remember
Lyrics submitted by thewalrusami
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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,
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/
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
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.
Yaaaaaaaaay my first posted lyrics!
Anywho, this song is yet another example of Bazan's amazing ability to write songs and tell stories. I don't know if there's any hidden meaning in here, but lines such as "then later plays them back as gospel fact" show the quality of lyrics that this man writes.
In the acoustic version of this song he says "but only after pills and drinks" instead of "several drinks". Just thought this was an interesting change, although it may have little to do with the song. this song is yet another testament of the mans genious songwriting.
He changes the lyrics in a lot of acoustic versions.
He is talking about his selective memory, especially when intoxicated, (you kinda remember talking to an attractive woman so in the morning you assume you were a stud) A camera lens only focuses on one part of what is happening, only one eye open. He focuses on what he wants to remember. The red yellow black white stanza refers to the way people might know what the Bible says about God loving everyone, but we still look at the world with an ethnocentric persepective (we must spread democracy because our way is better than everyone else's), we only absorb a limited part of the Bible and ignore some of the broad meanings(love God, love others as yourself).
He is talking about his selective memory, especially when intoxicated, (you kinda remember talking to an attractive woman so in the morning you assume you were a stud) A camera lens only focuses on one part of what is happening, only one eye open. He focuses on what he wants to remember. The red yellow black white stanza refers to the way people might know what the Bible says about God loving everyone, but we still look at the world with an ethnocentric persepective (we must spread democracy because our way is better than everyone else's), we only absorb a limited part of the Bible and ignore some of the broad meanings(love God, love others as yourself).
okay, okay.
but what about this creepy line :
"So everytime I find a girl Beaten, gagged, and bound, I let her go and write it down"
????
^^^^ an allusion to the old west, tied to the train tracks type thing. He writes his good deed down, that's all he remembers even though he may be doing terrible things at the same time.
Recently he has been using "pills and drinks" more than "several drinks"