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."
Yeah
When you meet me, when you see me
You know how to holla
You know who I am
Ix-nay on the bullshit, man
When I roll back to Cleveland, I can't believe them
Sounds of the non-believers
Outcast 'til I'm in dirt before it did hurt
Now I can overstand how you could dismiss or front on
Ask me how I feel about the ones with closed eyes
My words how I feel exactly are, "Fuck that"
I don't give a damn 'bout nan one hater talking down
Don't be afraid at all, y'all
All I ask of all y'all is to please
Embrace the martian, embrace the martian
I come in peace but I need y'all rockin' with me
Please, embrace the martian
And this is how it sounds
See I must tell you all now
Keep on acting funny, cool with me
I am here to change that
How you're thinking often and it's startin'
I am here to show you how it feels to be new
Look at what I made you, guide to teach you
Honest but insecure, cool, and you are fooled
By the heavy-heavy amounts of
Malarkey mixed with garbage, I am it, dawg
Don't be afraid at all, y'all
All I ask of all y'all is to please
Embrace the martian, embrace the martian
I come in peace but I need y'all rockin' with me
Please, embrace the martian
And this is how it sounds
Embrace the martian, embrace the martian
I come in peace but I need y'all rockin' with me
Please, embrace the martian
License to ill
I promise I won't turn the whole world to Cloverfield
On the real, yeah, I will
I'll destroy it and then rebuild just for thrills
Sometimes you got to do it
Sometimes you show the tough love
No one is above
What you are hearing now, dude
No matter who else included, I'm saluted
I'm saluted (yeah)
No matter who else included, I'm saluted (yeah, yeah)
I'm saluted
Oh
Whether you appeal or not
This is the real
Real recognize real
You
You are me
Like it or not and I
I am you
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Embrace the martian, embrace the martian
I come in peace but I need y'all rockin' with me
Please, embrace the martian
And this is how it sounds
Embrace the martian, embrace the martian
I come in peace but I need y'all rockin' with me
Please, embrace the martian
And this is how it sounds
Ooh, ooh
And this is how it sounds
In my mind, ooh
Hm (Plain Pat, what up?)
When you meet me, when you see me
You know how to holla
You know who I am
Ix-nay on the bullshit, man
When I roll back to Cleveland, I can't believe them
Sounds of the non-believers
Outcast 'til I'm in dirt before it did hurt
Now I can overstand how you could dismiss or front on
Ask me how I feel about the ones with closed eyes
My words how I feel exactly are, "Fuck that"
I don't give a damn 'bout nan one hater talking down
Don't be afraid at all, y'all
All I ask of all y'all is to please
Embrace the martian, embrace the martian
I come in peace but I need y'all rockin' with me
Please, embrace the martian
And this is how it sounds
See I must tell you all now
Keep on acting funny, cool with me
I am here to change that
How you're thinking often and it's startin'
I am here to show you how it feels to be new
Look at what I made you, guide to teach you
Honest but insecure, cool, and you are fooled
By the heavy-heavy amounts of
Malarkey mixed with garbage, I am it, dawg
Don't be afraid at all, y'all
All I ask of all y'all is to please
Embrace the martian, embrace the martian
I come in peace but I need y'all rockin' with me
Please, embrace the martian
And this is how it sounds
Embrace the martian, embrace the martian
I come in peace but I need y'all rockin' with me
Please, embrace the martian
License to ill
I promise I won't turn the whole world to Cloverfield
On the real, yeah, I will
I'll destroy it and then rebuild just for thrills
Sometimes you got to do it
Sometimes you show the tough love
No one is above
What you are hearing now, dude
No matter who else included, I'm saluted
I'm saluted (yeah)
No matter who else included, I'm saluted (yeah, yeah)
I'm saluted
Oh
Whether you appeal or not
This is the real
Real recognize real
You
You are me
Like it or not and I
I am you
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Embrace the martian, embrace the martian
I come in peace but I need y'all rockin' with me
Please, embrace the martian
And this is how it sounds
Embrace the martian, embrace the martian
I come in peace but I need y'all rockin' with me
Please, embrace the martian
And this is how it sounds
Ooh, ooh
And this is how it sounds
In my mind, ooh
Hm (Plain Pat, what up?)
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Mountain Song
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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,
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"Embrace the Martian, I come in peace, but I need ya'll rockin' me"
I think it basically means embrace the spontaneity of your mind, you have to take risks. Once something outlandish comes to mind, sometimes you have to take the risk and just listen to it.