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."
Girl, I want to be good to you
I never want to do you no harm
I'm caught up in those fascination
Coping with your alarms
Ignore life if you want to, babe
Do what you've got to do
I need some time in the countryside
I want to feel so brand new
You make me run away
You make me run away
You make me run away, angel
You make me run away
Runaway
I see your name on the walls again
I painted you on my toes
Celebrate to resuscitate
We'll drink to ourselves
You'd collect lovers like gemstones
You talk of them as your friends
Dangle me from your wristchain
Another one lost to the wills of change
You make me run away
You make me run away
You make me run away, baby
You make me run away
Runaway
Still, I try to be good to you
You'll always be my friend
I've spent some time to define my mind
I want to be someone new
Why don't we run away?
Why don't we run away
Yeah, we can run away, angel
Yeah, we could run away
Why don't we run away?
You make me run away, baby
I want to run away
I want to run away
I never want to do you no harm
I'm caught up in those fascination
Coping with your alarms
Ignore life if you want to, babe
Do what you've got to do
I need some time in the countryside
I want to feel so brand new
You make me run away
You make me run away
You make me run away, angel
You make me run away
Runaway
I see your name on the walls again
I painted you on my toes
Celebrate to resuscitate
We'll drink to ourselves
You'd collect lovers like gemstones
You talk of them as your friends
Dangle me from your wristchain
Another one lost to the wills of change
You make me run away
You make me run away
You make me run away, baby
You make me run away
Runaway
Still, I try to be good to you
You'll always be my friend
I've spent some time to define my mind
I want to be someone new
Why don't we run away?
Why don't we run away
Yeah, we can run away, angel
Yeah, we could run away
Why don't we run away?
You make me run away, baby
I want to run away
I want to run away
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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/
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
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.
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 think this song is about a guy who's in love with a girl who doesn't want a real relationship. She prefers having various lovers. The guy knows that she doesn't want a relationship and therefore is going to break his heart, and he knows that the right thing to do would be to run away and forget her before he falls even more in love with her, but he's already too much in love with her and is therefore not able to just forget her. Even though she hurts him emotionally, he tries to be good to her because he's in love with her and maybe even hopes that she'll fall in love with him.
The song shows how he falls more and more in love with her and how he's bound to her. At the beginning, he wants to run away alone and forget her. At the end he kind of wants the opposite: He wants to run away with her, therefore he wants and kind of believes in a relationship with her and he wants her to leave all her other lovers behind.