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 feel you
Johanna
I feel you
I was half convinced I'd waken
Satisfied enough to dream you
Happily, I was mistaken
Johanna
I'll steal you
Johanna
I'll steal you
Do they think that walls can hide you?
Even now I'm at your window
I am in the dark beside you
Buried sweetly in your yellow hair
I feel you
Johanna
And one day
I'll steal you
'Til I'm with you then, I'm with you there
Sweetly buried in your yellow hair
Johanna
I feel you
I was half convinced I'd waken
Satisfied enough to dream you
Happily, I was mistaken
Johanna
I'll steal you
Johanna
I'll steal you
Do they think that walls can hide you?
Even now I'm at your window
I am in the dark beside you
Buried sweetly in your yellow hair
I feel you
Johanna
And one day
I'll steal you
'Til I'm with you then, I'm with you there
Sweetly buried in your yellow hair
Lyrics submitted by garnica456, edited by phaasch
Johanna [2023 Broadway Cast Recording] Lyrics as written by Stephen Sondheim
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
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,
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
It's less of Todd excepting that he'll never see Johanna, but more that he no longer feels he needs to see her, that it will make him feel better. He's found a way of revenge and a way to purge the world of what he believes to be evil. So he no longer needs to see Johanna, it's not important while he can just kill and dream of her, and the more he kills, the closer he gets to his revenge, the more Johanna is no longer needed. Also, there's this whole thing where he compares her to his wife, knowing that Johanna has grown up by now. Most likely, if he did see Johanna at this time, he'd see only his wife, heightening his descent into madness. He probably doesn't want the memory of his wife there, as well, just wants to remember Johanna, not as the woman she is, but as a young girl, if anything, because then she couldn't look like his wife. It's a song that very much defines the true madness of Sweeney Todd.
@MacabreSmile I'm not sure I agree with the first part of your interpretation- I cannot feel that Todd is getting closer to revenge the more he kills. Rather it is an impression of dreariness, almost deadness within him. I agree more readily with what you go on to say, and yes, without doubt it is the one number that defines his true madness.