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."
Everyone wants to call it
All around our life
With a better name
Everyone falls and spins
And gets up again
With a friend who does the same
Everyone lies and cheats
Their wants and needs
And still believes their heart
And everyone gets the chills
The kind that kills
When the pain begins to start
Did I get this straight?
Do you want me here
As I struggle through each and every year
And all these demons, they keep me up all night
They keep me up all night
They keep me up all night
Everyone's cross to bear
Is a crown they wear on endless holiday
Everyone raises kids
In a world that changes
Life to a bitter game
Everyone works and fights
Stays up all night to celebrate the day
And everyone lives to tell the tale
Of how we die alone some day
Did I get this straight?
Do you want me here
As I struggle through each and every year
And all these demons, they keep me up all night
They keep me up all night
They keep me up all night
They keep me up all night
They keep me up all
All around our life
With a better name
Everyone falls and spins
And gets up again
With a friend who does the same
Everyone lies and cheats
Their wants and needs
And still believes their heart
And everyone gets the chills
The kind that kills
When the pain begins to start
Did I get this straight?
Do you want me here
As I struggle through each and every year
And all these demons, they keep me up all night
They keep me up all night
They keep me up all night
Everyone's cross to bear
Is a crown they wear on endless holiday
Everyone raises kids
In a world that changes
Life to a bitter game
Everyone works and fights
Stays up all night to celebrate the day
And everyone lives to tell the tale
Of how we die alone some day
Did I get this straight?
Do you want me here
As I struggle through each and every year
And all these demons, they keep me up all night
They keep me up all night
They keep me up all night
They keep me up all night
They keep me up all
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.
I've been a huge blink fan my whole life and I really, really enjoyed this song. Not only is the sound a welcome fusion of elements from Boxcar and A & A, but the lyrics especially have that heartfelt sincerity that's present in their best songs. Fantastic single.
Oh sorry forgot to input my interpretation of the song! I definitely agree with everyone who's said that it's about how everyone is haunted by their own demons and insecurities, but I also love that the lyrics are full of well-worded juxtapositions and ironies ("Everyone works and fights, stays up all night, to celebrate the day" or "<br /> Everyone raises kids in a world that changes life to a bitter game"), that echo the existential dilemmas faced by adulthood. This could definitely relate to the band's past struggles, but I believe they're quite universal in nature... something kind of unusual coming from these guys. Ah well, hopefully the album isn't too stadium in nature. Or if it is, let's hope it's good.