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."
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Separated, I cut myself clean from a past
That comes back in my darkest of dreams
Been apprehended by a spiritual force
And a grace that replaced all the me I divorced
I saw a man with a tat on his big fat belly
It wiggled around like marmalade jelly
It took me a while to catch what it said,
'Cause I had to match the rhythm of his belly with my head
"Jesus Saves" is what it raved in a typical tattoo green
Now he stood on a box in the middle of the city and he claimed he had a dream
He said:
What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak?
What will people do when they find that it's true?
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak
There ain't no disguising the truth
There ain't no disguising the truth
No, I ain't into hiding the truth
Kamikaze, my death is gain
I've been marked by my Maker, peculiar display (peculiar display)
The high and lofty, they see me as weak
But I won't live and die for the power they seek, yeah
There was a man from the desert with naps in his head
The sand that he walked was also his bed
The words that he spoke made the people assume
There wasn't too much left in the upper room
With skins on his back and hair on his face,
They thought he was strange by the locusts he ate
See the Pharisees tripped when they heard him speak
Until the king took the head of this Jesus freak
What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak?
What will people do when they find that it's true?
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak
There ain't no disguising the truth
No, I ain't into hiding the truth
People say I'm strange,
Does it make me a stranger
My best friend was born in a manger
People say I'm strange,
Does it make me a stranger
My best friend was born in a manger
What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak?
What will people do when they find that it's true?
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak
There ain't no disguising the truth
What will people think (what will people think?)
What will people do (what will people do?)
I don't really care (what else can I say?)
There ain't no disguising the truth (Jesus is the way)
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Separated, I cut myself clean from a past
That comes back in my darkest of dreams
Been apprehended by a spiritual force
And a grace that replaced all the me I divorced
I saw a man with a tat on his big fat belly
It wiggled around like marmalade jelly
It took me a while to catch what it said,
'Cause I had to match the rhythm of his belly with my head
"Jesus Saves" is what it raved in a typical tattoo green
Now he stood on a box in the middle of the city and he claimed he had a dream
He said:
What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak?
What will people do when they find that it's true?
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak
There ain't no disguising the truth
There ain't no disguising the truth
No, I ain't into hiding the truth
Kamikaze, my death is gain
I've been marked by my Maker, peculiar display (peculiar display)
The high and lofty, they see me as weak
But I won't live and die for the power they seek, yeah
There was a man from the desert with naps in his head
The sand that he walked was also his bed
The words that he spoke made the people assume
There wasn't too much left in the upper room
With skins on his back and hair on his face,
They thought he was strange by the locusts he ate
See the Pharisees tripped when they heard him speak
Until the king took the head of this Jesus freak
What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak?
What will people do when they find that it's true?
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak
There ain't no disguising the truth
No, I ain't into hiding the truth
People say I'm strange,
Does it make me a stranger
My best friend was born in a manger
People say I'm strange,
Does it make me a stranger
My best friend was born in a manger
What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak?
What will people do when they find that it's true?
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak
There ain't no disguising the truth
What will people think (what will people think?)
What will people do (what will people do?)
I don't really care (what else can I say?)
There ain't no disguising the truth (Jesus is the way)
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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No Surprises
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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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
This is my favorite song on their new album. I love the line "People say I'm strange, does it make me a stranger that my best friend was born in a manger?"