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."
In the darkness I rise, long before the dawn
I was dreaming of home and the life I led
But now I hear the sound of the engines roar
And I crave the embrace of my empty bed, where I'm safe
But the call is clear, and the task is set
And my enemies wait in the dark sky
Do they fear the same fear? Do they dream like us?
And do they long for the day when it's over, and they're safe?
Now we’re cruising above the horizon
Never knowing if we will return
In a moment we'll loose the destruction
And we'll justify all that we burn
Here the air is cold, but my thoughts are clear
And so I'm pondering why I must be here
For the evil that can come from the heart of a man
must be answered in kind 'til it disappears, and we're safe
Now we're cruising above the horizon
Never knowing if we will return
In a moment we'll rain down destruction
And we'll justify all that we burn
Here they come!
I'm dodging all the tracers, sky is full of lead
I can see the pilots' faces
Safety in our numbers, Eagles overhead
We are in the sight of aces
Flak, bursting all around!
Friends, going down in flames!
And now we're hit, it's happened, this is what I feared
Something's telling me my time has come
Though it should be panic, I can feel a peace
Strangely, now I know my purpose...
Hey boys! Hey, get out while you can!
I'll try to take us home
I'm going home...
I was dreaming of home and the life I led
But now I hear the sound of the engines roar
And I crave the embrace of my empty bed, where I'm safe
But the call is clear, and the task is set
And my enemies wait in the dark sky
Do they fear the same fear? Do they dream like us?
And do they long for the day when it's over, and they're safe?
Now we’re cruising above the horizon
Never knowing if we will return
In a moment we'll loose the destruction
And we'll justify all that we burn
Here the air is cold, but my thoughts are clear
And so I'm pondering why I must be here
For the evil that can come from the heart of a man
must be answered in kind 'til it disappears, and we're safe
Now we're cruising above the horizon
Never knowing if we will return
In a moment we'll rain down destruction
And we'll justify all that we burn
Here they come!
I'm dodging all the tracers, sky is full of lead
I can see the pilots' faces
Safety in our numbers, Eagles overhead
We are in the sight of aces
Flak, bursting all around!
Friends, going down in flames!
And now we're hit, it's happened, this is what I feared
Something's telling me my time has come
Though it should be panic, I can feel a peace
Strangely, now I know my purpose...
Hey boys! Hey, get out while you can!
I'll try to take us home
I'm going home...
Lyrics submitted by thephonicsmonkey, edited by Octavarium64
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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,
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.
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.
If you follow the lyrics, specifically, he flies a bomber. WW2 bombers usually had to take off at night regardless of whether it was a day or night raid. The raining down destruction part is about dropping their bombs. The most interesting part for me is how creative Joel was with the tempo and beat for the "battle scene" especially using snare drums to simulate gunfire. The aces he refrences are enemies that were waiting for the bomber well in advance of their arrival. This just a great song and one of my favorites.