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 believe
You've had something that's mine
All this time
Slow to singalong crawl
Fork it over
I live among
The alarms, where I trip
Where they sing
Slow to singalong crawl
They come over
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Up the hill
Goes the time, rides the beat
Of my step
Slow to singalong crawl
Undiscovered
And all the years
At quarter speed, haloed and
Trembling clean
Slow to singalong crawl
Turning over
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Slow down, ladies
Slow down now
These things get louder
These things get louder
The live alarms
And your true villain love
Are kept at bay
Slow to singalong crawl
Like you wrote it
Will the beams
Be broke and crossed, motion sense
It's our heat
Slow to singalong crawl
It's not over
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Slow down, ladies
Slow down now
These things get louder
These things get louder
Slow to singalong crawl
Slow to singalong crawl
You will find moves
You will find moves
You will find moves
You will find moves
You will find moves
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
You've had something that's mine
All this time
Slow to singalong crawl
Fork it over
I live among
The alarms, where I trip
Where they sing
Slow to singalong crawl
They come over
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Up the hill
Goes the time, rides the beat
Of my step
Slow to singalong crawl
Undiscovered
And all the years
At quarter speed, haloed and
Trembling clean
Slow to singalong crawl
Turning over
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Slow down, ladies
Slow down now
These things get louder
These things get louder
The live alarms
And your true villain love
Are kept at bay
Slow to singalong crawl
Like you wrote it
Will the beams
Be broke and crossed, motion sense
It's our heat
Slow to singalong crawl
It's not over
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Slow down, ladies
Slow down now
These things get louder
These things get louder
Slow to singalong crawl
Slow to singalong crawl
You will find moves
You will find moves
You will find moves
You will find moves
You will find moves
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
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.
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.
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.
At first I thought this was about a thief stealing something that he thought should be his. Then I listened to the last line very carefully, and heard "You have my moves." The whole meaning of the song then changed.
Now I think it probably means that somebody took the singer's significant other, and he wants to take her back.