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."
Living a life without you
Living a life without you
I'm gonna lie for it, living a life of it
Staying alive without you
I'm living a life for a woman
I'm stringing a line with it, now that she's gone with it
Living a life without you
Living a life without you
Hey Joe, you know what I mean
It's never been done before
A hard ride was never my scene
But now I'm coming back for more
Living a life of it
Living a life of it
And it's a hard ride down a rocky road
It's a hard, hard ride all on your own
It's a hold on with all you've got
Oh, It's a hard...
Oh, it's a hard ride down a rocky road
Living a life without you
Living a life without you
It's running away with me, look at the change in me
Sleeping alone without you
When I get up in the morning
It's no good believing what I've been dreaming
Living a life without you
Living a life without you
All right, it's over and done
She's never coming back to me
A hard ride is what I've become
From now until my dying day
Living a life of it
Living a life of it
And it's a hard ride down a rocky road
It's a hard, hard ride all on your own
It's a hold on with all you got
Oh, It's a hard...
Oh, it's a hard ride down a rocky road
(Hard ride, hard ride, hard ride, hard ride
Hard ride, hard ride, hard ride)
I got a hard ride, ain't nothing new
With a rocking roll, rollin without you
It's a long time since you've been gone
And it's a hard ride down a rocky road
Oh, it's a hard ride down a rocky road
It's a hard, hard ride all on your own
It's a hold on while you've got to
It's a hard ride
Yeah it's a hard, hard, hard, hard, hard ride
Oh it's a hard, hard, hard, hard, hard ride
Yeah, it's a hard, hard, hard, hard, hard ride
Oh it's a hard...
Oh it's a hard ride down a rocky road
(It's a Hard Ride)
Living a life away, living a life away
Living a life away, living a life away
Living a life without you
I'm gonna lie for it, living a life of it
Staying alive without you
I'm living a life for a woman
I'm stringing a line with it, now that she's gone with it
Living a life without you
Living a life without you
Hey Joe, you know what I mean
It's never been done before
A hard ride was never my scene
But now I'm coming back for more
Living a life of it
Living a life of it
And it's a hard ride down a rocky road
It's a hard, hard ride all on your own
It's a hold on with all you've got
Oh, It's a hard...
Oh, it's a hard ride down a rocky road
Living a life without you
Living a life without you
It's running away with me, look at the change in me
Sleeping alone without you
When I get up in the morning
It's no good believing what I've been dreaming
Living a life without you
Living a life without you
All right, it's over and done
She's never coming back to me
A hard ride is what I've become
From now until my dying day
Living a life of it
Living a life of it
And it's a hard ride down a rocky road
It's a hard, hard ride all on your own
It's a hold on with all you got
Oh, It's a hard...
Oh, it's a hard ride down a rocky road
(Hard ride, hard ride, hard ride, hard ride
Hard ride, hard ride, hard ride)
I got a hard ride, ain't nothing new
With a rocking roll, rollin without you
It's a long time since you've been gone
And it's a hard ride down a rocky road
Oh, it's a hard ride down a rocky road
It's a hard, hard ride all on your own
It's a hold on while you've got to
It's a hard ride
Yeah it's a hard, hard, hard, hard, hard ride
Oh it's a hard, hard, hard, hard, hard ride
Yeah, it's a hard, hard, hard, hard, hard ride
Oh it's a hard...
Oh it's a hard ride down a rocky road
(It's a Hard Ride)
Living a life away, living a life away
Living a life away, living a life away
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Hard Ride Lyrics as written by Lancaster Mick Green Barry Green
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.