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 lights went out in New York
Then they went out in Goshen
I got stuck in Goshen and that was sad.
The townsolf stared hard
Like their minds had been marred
By life in a district so downtrodden and drab.
I flagged down a stranger
In a worn wooden wheelchair
And when I asked if he knew of a hotel
He said "if I get your meaning
Then I'm definitely leaning
Towards recommending the Farmer's Hotel."
As I left to find the place
A mother loooked me in the face
And whispered "please sir, not the Farmer's Hotel."
Once where I was headed
She swore I would regret it
Though what might happen she wouldn't foretell.
The old place it was vicious
Wicked and pernicious
"Please stay clean of that rank abbatoir"
Though her words alarmed me
I was stuck until morning
And in the end we must be who we are.
With no light on the door
I wasn't quite sure
If a night clerk was working within
From behind a red curtain
Limped a perilous person
He appeared to have some egg on his chin.
This old yankee warlock
Brushed back a gray forelock
And bid me to sign in the book
With no bonhomie
He proffered the key
Never once did he give me a look.
I thanked the old codger
And in my role as the lodger
I headed upstairs for to sleep
There was no air of slumber
The doors, they had no numbers
Which room was intended for me?
The passage kept on going
Like the carpet was flowing
Towards that thing at the end of the hall
My own eyed had adjusted
This account can be trusted
Because I know that I saw what I saw.
I heard animal noises
And tangled up voices
Chanting more and of rumors of more
There's no natural law
That can explain what I saw
Spread out on that straw-covered floor.
Now I've put an ocean
Between myself and Goshen
To get away from the Farmer's Hotel
If you get a nation
To travel to Goshen
Please stay away from the Farmer's Hotel
The lights went out in Goshen
Just like poetry in motion
And I checked into the Farmer's Hotel
Things to unclean
Are better left unseen
Please keep away from the Farmer's Hotel
Then they went out in Goshen
I got stuck in Goshen and that was sad.
The townsolf stared hard
Like their minds had been marred
By life in a district so downtrodden and drab.
I flagged down a stranger
In a worn wooden wheelchair
And when I asked if he knew of a hotel
He said "if I get your meaning
Then I'm definitely leaning
Towards recommending the Farmer's Hotel."
As I left to find the place
A mother loooked me in the face
And whispered "please sir, not the Farmer's Hotel."
Once where I was headed
She swore I would regret it
Though what might happen she wouldn't foretell.
The old place it was vicious
Wicked and pernicious
"Please stay clean of that rank abbatoir"
Though her words alarmed me
I was stuck until morning
And in the end we must be who we are.
With no light on the door
I wasn't quite sure
If a night clerk was working within
From behind a red curtain
Limped a perilous person
He appeared to have some egg on his chin.
This old yankee warlock
Brushed back a gray forelock
And bid me to sign in the book
With no bonhomie
He proffered the key
Never once did he give me a look.
I thanked the old codger
And in my role as the lodger
I headed upstairs for to sleep
There was no air of slumber
The doors, they had no numbers
Which room was intended for me?
The passage kept on going
Like the carpet was flowing
Towards that thing at the end of the hall
My own eyed had adjusted
This account can be trusted
Because I know that I saw what I saw.
I heard animal noises
And tangled up voices
Chanting more and of rumors of more
There's no natural law
That can explain what I saw
Spread out on that straw-covered floor.
Now I've put an ocean
Between myself and Goshen
To get away from the Farmer's Hotel
If you get a nation
To travel to Goshen
Please stay away from the Farmer's Hotel
The lights went out in Goshen
Just like poetry in motion
And I checked into the Farmer's Hotel
Things to unclean
Are better left unseen
Please keep away from the Farmer's Hotel
Lyrics submitted by eyecoof
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Mountain Song
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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.
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.
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.
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/
I live in Goshen, Ny. This amuses me quite a bit. I pass the Farmer's Hotel daily.
Not sure if it's directly related but fits in with the jewish references in their music: The Land of Goshen is named in the bible as the place in Egypt given to the Hebrews by the pharaoh of Joseph, and the land from which they later left Egypt at the time of the Exodus. It was located in the eastern Delta, and the name helps place the date of the story in the period from the 7th to the 4th centuries BCE, the period in which the name was in use.
ahh this song is so wonderful... It makes me want to google, find and stay at the farmers hotel. That way I can have my own account of what goes on there. Some of the visuals these Tanglewood songs paint rival Bright Flight. I love it.
Long live the Joo's
Farmer's Hotel 97 Greenwich Ave Goshen NY
This song might also be referencing the Northeast blackout of 2003, which would have affected both NYC and Goshen, NY.
It never occurred to me that this motel might actually exist. Damn.