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."
Long lit up tonight and still drinking
Don't we have anything to live for?
Well of course we do
But till they come true
We're drinking
And we're still smoking
Don't we have anything to live for?
Well of course we do
But till they come true
We're smoking
We all want to know what nobody knows
What the nights of wine and roses hold
For the wine and roses of our souls
So we down our drinks in a funnel of friends
And we burn our blends right down to the end
We don't cry for those nights to arrive
We yell like hell to the heavens, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
We all want to know what nobody knows
What the nights of wine and roses hold
For the wine and roses of our souls
So we down our drinks in a funnel of friends
And we burn our blends right down to the end
We don't cry for those nights to arrive
We yell like hell to the heavens, hey
Don't we have anything to live for?
Well of course we do
But till they come true
We're drinking
And we're still smoking
Don't we have anything to live for?
Well of course we do
But till they come true
We're smoking
We all want to know what nobody knows
What the nights of wine and roses hold
For the wine and roses of our souls
So we down our drinks in a funnel of friends
And we burn our blends right down to the end
We don't cry for those nights to arrive
We yell like hell to the heavens, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
We all want to know what nobody knows
What the nights of wine and roses hold
For the wine and roses of our souls
So we down our drinks in a funnel of friends
And we burn our blends right down to the end
We don't cry for those nights to arrive
We yell like hell to the heavens, hey
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
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/
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.
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.
so we down our drinks in a funnel with friends and we burn our plants right down to the end
So I always thought this title was funny and then last night, by random circumstances I was researching the history of this building in the city where I live. Well I ended up down the Wikipedia wormhole and ended up on the Alcoholics Anonymous page (crazy how some topics are linked). Under the "in the media" there was a movie called "Days of Wine and Roses" (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Days_of_Wine_andRoses(film). The movie is apparently a well-respected film about a couple devastated by serious alcoholism. Given the similarities in titles between the film and the Japandroids song I thought alcoholism might be an underlying theme in all of these. At first glance the "Days of Wine and Roses" appear to be the good times before they succumbed to alcoholism. Japandriods seem to be yelling that "fuck it, lets do it while we can". Maybe hoping they don't get pulled in as well. Also, just by chance I saw their music video for "The House that Heaven Built" (youtube.com/watch) . If you watch it the video from 3:00 to 3:04 you can see Brian King (guitar, vocals) reading a book called "Alcoholism and drinking in Twentieth-Century Literature". I think booze consumption seems to be something on their minds quite a lot.
Anyways, just wanted to share those observations.
Great song, from a spectacular album. Wow. Japandroids. Great stuff.
The phrase "wine and roses" comes from the poem Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam by Ernest Dowson ("They are not long, the days of wine and roses \ Out of a misty dream \ Our path emerges for a while, then closes \ Within a dream"). Although slowgoins might be right that it is used here as a reference to the movie The Days of Wine and Roses. In any event, both the poem and the theme song from the movie are about how life is a very brief event and it should be enjoyed while it lasts.
We don't cry for those nights to arrive We yell like hell to the heavens
Awesome info. Thanks for adding!
The opening couplet makes it sound like they've taken the party life a few years past its prime (also dealt with elsewhere on the album, like "younger us."). If you are in your 30s and still going for it, you might question why you're still doing it until you hit that perfect night of laughs and spills with good friends - then the answer is "Of course we still are."
As a kid, partying is really about discovery and seeking new feelings, but we get older maybe it's about hanging on or going back there. Take it as a positive or a negative thing, but the song feels like if you can get away with it, it's worth it.