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."
You and me we made a vow
For better or for worse
I can't believe you let me down
But the proof's in the way it hurts
For months on end I've had my doubts
Denying every tear
I wish this would be over now
But I know that I still need you here
You say I'm crazy
'Cause you don't think I know what you've done
But when you call me baby
I know I'm not the only one
You've been so unavailable
Now sadly I know why
Your heart is unobtainable
Even though Lord knows you kept mine
You say I'm crazy
'Cause you don't think I know what you've done
But when you call me baby
I know I'm not the only one
I have loved you for many years
Maybe I am just not enough
You've made me realize my deepest fear
By lying and tearing us up
You say I'm crazy
'Cause you don't think I know what you've done
But when you call me baby
I know I'm not the only one
You say I'm crazy
'Cause you don't think I know what you've done
But when you call me baby
I know I'm not the only one
I know I'm not the only one
I know I'm not the only one
And I know, and I know, and I know
And I know, and I know, and I know, know
I know I'm not the only one
For better or for worse
I can't believe you let me down
But the proof's in the way it hurts
For months on end I've had my doubts
Denying every tear
I wish this would be over now
But I know that I still need you here
You say I'm crazy
'Cause you don't think I know what you've done
But when you call me baby
I know I'm not the only one
You've been so unavailable
Now sadly I know why
Your heart is unobtainable
Even though Lord knows you kept mine
You say I'm crazy
'Cause you don't think I know what you've done
But when you call me baby
I know I'm not the only one
I have loved you for many years
Maybe I am just not enough
You've made me realize my deepest fear
By lying and tearing us up
You say I'm crazy
'Cause you don't think I know what you've done
But when you call me baby
I know I'm not the only one
You say I'm crazy
'Cause you don't think I know what you've done
But when you call me baby
I know I'm not the only one
I know I'm not the only one
I know I'm not the only one
And I know, and I know, and I know
And I know, and I know, and I know, know
I know I'm not the only one
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced 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.
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 personally believe that “I’m Not The Only One” by Sam Smith has to do with people breaking up from awful experiences they go through and having to be hurt all of the time. The speaker expresses his feelings and life aspects, using a couple as an example to make the listener understand through the song. As one begins to go through the song, it immediately gets the attention of people from the speaker that can easily be understood and feel the aspects the speaker is going through. The first key idea would be a couple where one of them is being cheated on; So in the 3rd and 4th line the speaker wrote, “I can't believe you let me down But the proof's in a way it hurts” to let one know that the speaker has never been disappointed from the love of his/her life and ever since he/she confessed, their world has just been horrible and hurt. Another lyric from this song the speaker wrote about the person finding out he/she has been cheated on is “You've been so unavailable Now sadly I know why”.
The second key idea would be the lover being hurt all of the time. The speaker wrote “For months on end I've had my doubts Denying every tear I wish this would be over now But I know that I still need you here”, indicating that he/she is hurt and feeling sad and hopes that from being cheated on and being left alone all of the time will end soon. This could also possibly mean that the speaker was often hurt like when he wrote “Denying every tear”, meaning that the “tear” is a symbol of being hurt from the past events that he/she would deny. The Third key idea from this song would be where the lover being cheated on, tries to have revenge. The speaker wrote “I have loved you for many years Maybe I am just not enough You've made me realize my deepest fear By lying and tearing us up You say I'm crazy 'Cause you don't think I know what you've done”, telling us that he/she have had enough of the relationship, so he/she tries to find ways to have revenge on him/her by changing their aspects of life even though the lover knows that he/she is crazy to be with the love of his/her life.
The speaker’s ending seems that this couple could possibly end up being back to the way it was from a little hope, or could possibly mean to just end things for once before the after life. The speaker clearly states his feelings and hopes towards the end of the song.