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."
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
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.
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.
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.
oh i LOVE this explosions song. what i see:
a military veteran in a retirement home. he's been severely wounded, and suffers from post-anxiety depression. all he can do is remember what he experienced in the war. there r high points, and there r low points. the beginning could be his initiation, judging by how the military drumbeat is kept in the back but at the same time the guitar sings of hope and youth. then there's a transition into quiet (where the drum silences), which could be seen as him thinking of a home without war right before he heads into battle. the silence is followed by what could be his recollection of a battle, or some front-line encounter. the constant rain of crashes, along with heavy drumming and guitar, could easily represent the bombs and guns firing as well as the assumed calamity of the environment. then it slowly simmers to a halt, which is when the man returns from his recollection to find himself in the silence of a nursing home that has great contrast with the chaos of a battle.
I can't believe no one has commented on this song. The entire song just builds up while you're climbing to the edge of this great precipice. The conclusion is the fall when you realize the significance of the buildup and climb and that it was totally worth it.
fantastic marching drum beat. such a wonderful build up.
fantastic marching drum beat. such a wonderful build up.
The feeling I get from this song is fearlessness. The buildup is the time to breathe deep and get rid of any fear or inhibitions or whatever, and it is perfectly capped off by the silent period right before it gets loud. By the time that it is real loud, I feel like I could do anything without fearing pain or death or anything else. Very powerful for me.
csufcf44, I was struck by how my interpretation of this song relates to yours.
To me, I always have the same image in my mind when I listen to this song. It is a man, middle-aged, hand-cuffed and seated near the back of an armored bus that is carrying new prisoners to prison, and the man has his head against the window, staring wide-eyed at the world that whizzes by. He sees glee, glory, sadness, past, present, and future outside that window, little children playing soccer, bright, consuming lights, an old blind man on a bench, and every other solitary life, and the life that this man has given up starts running through his mind. The immense fear of all this beauty and tragedy and wonder being closed away in a little black box and discarded builds and builds with the marching drum beat. When the crescendo breaks open, the man explodes into a frenzy, shooting up from his seat, flailing around wildly, screaming, pulling at his chains, until he is subdued by a guard with a baton, forced back into his seat as the song winds down to a contemplative murmur, to silence...
whenever i listen to this song, i always think of an old man who has lost his memory and can't remember his family, his past anything and the beginning of the song represents the struggles the family goes through to help their father/grandfather remember.. and as the song continues the music is more intense and i feel that it shows he's starting to maybe remember something and then the big climax comes which i think represent the old man's memories of the war (which would explain the drums) and all those painful memories return to him and he just wants to forget again.. and he forgets or doesn't want to think about anything because he's afraid of remembering starting the song almost all over again..
that's just my interpretation though, explosions opens up so many endless possibilities.