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."
Speakin' of this art form this slang is dangerous
MC's are like sperm cells, a gang of us
Fightin' to reach the egg
Bitin' or loose a leg
Odds are like one in ten million, a thin thread
One from a thousand speaks in his own voice
The other 999 imitate without choice
Never even knowing it until the going gets rough
See the amplified sample I've grown with.
I grab the microphone the unthinkable happens
See the rocket's red glare like the guns; clappin'
They still cage matchin' MC's is scrappin'
Not the UFC but my opponent's tappin'
So don't let a little bit of fear turn to hatred
I was sent as the savior to revive what is sacred
Also stop this uncalled-for behavior
Sylphic rap cats they lactate the flavor
Got word from the wise to let it drop
Set this on fire, take aim and let it pop
Because regardless of who or what
Even with doors shut
I'm givin' 'em straight raw you're givin' 'em raw cut
Like Bolivian rock, your watered down hip hop
Rap so outta shape and far from tip-top
Girls next to pebbles
Spoons against shovels
Dictators next to rebels and
Gods against Devils.
No time for backwards thinkin' let's think ahead,
If you wanna sleep when you awake then make your bed
A lot of MCs came to see me on referrals
Not even knowing that they would undergo great perils
This cutting edge methods from the most specialized
[?]
The lord of the art strikes a chord in your heart
Your ear love to hear the guard rip the track apart
To me hip hop is like Einstein to science;
A match made in heaven, most likely alliance
Complex individual that you dream of being
Intellectual charlatan, the all-high-seeing
Got an appetite for heat so then come and bite the beat and
Digest the rest and don't stress the part you couldn't eat.
MC's are like sperm cells, a gang of us
Fightin' to reach the egg
Bitin' or loose a leg
Odds are like one in ten million, a thin thread
One from a thousand speaks in his own voice
The other 999 imitate without choice
Never even knowing it until the going gets rough
See the amplified sample I've grown with.
I grab the microphone the unthinkable happens
See the rocket's red glare like the guns; clappin'
They still cage matchin' MC's is scrappin'
Not the UFC but my opponent's tappin'
So don't let a little bit of fear turn to hatred
I was sent as the savior to revive what is sacred
Also stop this uncalled-for behavior
Sylphic rap cats they lactate the flavor
Got word from the wise to let it drop
Set this on fire, take aim and let it pop
Because regardless of who or what
Even with doors shut
I'm givin' 'em straight raw you're givin' 'em raw cut
Like Bolivian rock, your watered down hip hop
Rap so outta shape and far from tip-top
Girls next to pebbles
Spoons against shovels
Dictators next to rebels and
Gods against Devils.
No time for backwards thinkin' let's think ahead,
If you wanna sleep when you awake then make your bed
A lot of MCs came to see me on referrals
Not even knowing that they would undergo great perils
This cutting edge methods from the most specialized
[?]
The lord of the art strikes a chord in your heart
Your ear love to hear the guard rip the track apart
To me hip hop is like Einstein to science;
A match made in heaven, most likely alliance
Complex individual that you dream of being
Intellectual charlatan, the all-high-seeing
Got an appetite for heat so then come and bite the beat and
Digest the rest and don't stress the part you couldn't eat.
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