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."
Jump in to that water, is it cold or is it hot,
or is it nothing quite worth mentioning at all.
Hearts they will awaken, to remember fears of breaking
but all animals must answer to their call
It's like how when I try to write a song, sometimes the words just come out wrong,
but if I never picked the pen up, held inside and never shared
And oh was that so eloquent, it wasn't really what I meant,
at least you got the notion that I care
And a song well sung is a sung well song so sing.
If nothing else you must remember that you’re still breathing
So we ignore those body parts that get so wet and get so hard,
and focus on our beating hearts, your arm to hold me here to guard me
I can sleep alone tonight, I feel weird but that's alright
I'm learning not to think too much, I turn the lights out and sleep tight
And if I make a big mistake, if anything well then it wont take
forever just to find myself again. In a subjective sense we've sense
we've seen a lot, yeah we make the best of what we've got
all we are is everything and everyone we've ever been so..
Tell me not to fall in love with you
And frankly my friend I think that's the sweetest thing you do
Summer in my town is nice, my front porch is my paradise
and I can sit here every night, yes I can watch the world go by,
and know that I'm in motion to occasionally think of you
and just hope that you realize that when you sit here by my side
whatever that implies will be just fine
My heart beats like a tambourine that plays along in time.
or is it nothing quite worth mentioning at all.
Hearts they will awaken, to remember fears of breaking
but all animals must answer to their call
It's like how when I try to write a song, sometimes the words just come out wrong,
but if I never picked the pen up, held inside and never shared
And oh was that so eloquent, it wasn't really what I meant,
at least you got the notion that I care
And a song well sung is a sung well song so sing.
If nothing else you must remember that you’re still breathing
So we ignore those body parts that get so wet and get so hard,
and focus on our beating hearts, your arm to hold me here to guard me
I can sleep alone tonight, I feel weird but that's alright
I'm learning not to think too much, I turn the lights out and sleep tight
And if I make a big mistake, if anything well then it wont take
forever just to find myself again. In a subjective sense we've sense
we've seen a lot, yeah we make the best of what we've got
all we are is everything and everyone we've ever been so..
Tell me not to fall in love with you
And frankly my friend I think that's the sweetest thing you do
Summer in my town is nice, my front porch is my paradise
and I can sit here every night, yes I can watch the world go by,
and know that I'm in motion to occasionally think of you
and just hope that you realize that when you sit here by my side
whatever that implies will be just fine
My heart beats like a tambourine that plays along in time.
Lyrics submitted by Kowalicious
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Mountain Song
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Just A Little Lovin'
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Ed Sheeran
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theo said at a show that this song's about being queer and falling in love with your straight friends