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."
Saw you at the station
Waiting for a train
I crossed the street and caught the bus downtown
Before the sky opened up
Began to rain
And I had seen you through a mirror
A reflection in the store
The way your eyes looked back so pale blue and glassy
Like you were staring at me from some distant shore
And we'd arranged to meet one Sunday
At the edge of the north pier
An hour passed I bought some candy floss
Then slowly moved on to beer
And the carnival it had rolled over
It had no concern for those alone
I caught the ferris wheel over the city lights
Picked my feet up trundled home
To home
The some penny dropped inside me
Reverberating through the years
I was a friend by obligation
It was around then you'd disappeared
Disappeared
In my vocation as a debt collector
I chanced upon your very name
Well what's the use of growing older
If things just stay the same?
The same
Saw you singing down at Central Station
In that tunnel across the way
The way your voice cut through the wind with such sweet violence
It was like I'd seen you yesterday
Yesterday
You smiled and said 'I'd meant to call you'
I thought 'well you and me's the same'
We write phone numbers in invisible ink
And expect things to stay the same
The same
And that's as false as Father Christmas
And the Tooth Fairy as well
Do you think you'd have missed me
If I'd have disappeared as well
As well
You were singing 'love me two times baby
love me twice today
love me two times girl
I've gone away'
Love me two times baby
Love me twice today
Love me two times girl
I've gone away
Waiting for a train
I crossed the street and caught the bus downtown
Before the sky opened up
Began to rain
And I had seen you through a mirror
A reflection in the store
The way your eyes looked back so pale blue and glassy
Like you were staring at me from some distant shore
And we'd arranged to meet one Sunday
At the edge of the north pier
An hour passed I bought some candy floss
Then slowly moved on to beer
And the carnival it had rolled over
It had no concern for those alone
I caught the ferris wheel over the city lights
Picked my feet up trundled home
To home
The some penny dropped inside me
Reverberating through the years
I was a friend by obligation
It was around then you'd disappeared
Disappeared
In my vocation as a debt collector
I chanced upon your very name
Well what's the use of growing older
If things just stay the same?
The same
Saw you singing down at Central Station
In that tunnel across the way
The way your voice cut through the wind with such sweet violence
It was like I'd seen you yesterday
Yesterday
You smiled and said 'I'd meant to call you'
I thought 'well you and me's the same'
We write phone numbers in invisible ink
And expect things to stay the same
The same
And that's as false as Father Christmas
And the Tooth Fairy as well
Do you think you'd have missed me
If I'd have disappeared as well
As well
You were singing 'love me two times baby
love me twice today
love me two times girl
I've gone away'
Love me two times baby
Love me twice today
Love me two times girl
I've gone away
Lyrics submitted by alisonleathers
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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/
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.