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."
What are we here for?
For life?
For glory?
This is the time when we leave
The pain is here around us
This is what we stand for
Stay away
We’re on the earth to broke your theory
What are we here for?
For right?
For defying?
This is my vow that we walk until the end
Reflect lights I gave out
Look at me
I am still alive to fight another day we go around what I state, what I give, what I get
So we got the power we create what we want
You can do more than us
Is it beyond human?
Now we defeat it
Embrace new life
New struggles come out
We were born of true lights
I am the moment
And you are the moment within the new planets
We pray
We try
Where must we go?
To hate?
To love ones?
This is the time when we fight against our will
Release what we stay with minds
We won’t know what is the end
Wherever we came from another sphere
Where must we go?
We stop?
We go?
We won’t let you hurt our ground
We can’t hold on
For the matter we woke up
Is it the thing that we want to get?
The wings to leave now
We can burn what we hate
Throw hate, throw hate, throw hate now
Days we walked in our hands even if they are pieces
We live now
We won’t know how it works
We can’t come back
We can’t hear it for all of moments
We have destroyed
They’re gone
We can’t found them for all
This is the time to go
We never feel it die
The pain is here around us
Conflict is undergoing
What are we here for?
For victory?
For glory?
This is the time when we pray for ourselves
We’re hateful world elements
Give away
We must go
The destruction already starts and roar
We got the power we want
Before the end comes we throw away
We absorb
We are the moments no matter who we are
For life?
For glory?
This is the time when we leave
The pain is here around us
This is what we stand for
Stay away
We’re on the earth to broke your theory
What are we here for?
For right?
For defying?
This is my vow that we walk until the end
Reflect lights I gave out
Look at me
I am still alive to fight another day we go around what I state, what I give, what I get
So we got the power we create what we want
You can do more than us
Is it beyond human?
Now we defeat it
Embrace new life
New struggles come out
We were born of true lights
I am the moment
And you are the moment within the new planets
We pray
We try
Where must we go?
To hate?
To love ones?
This is the time when we fight against our will
Release what we stay with minds
We won’t know what is the end
Wherever we came from another sphere
Where must we go?
We stop?
We go?
We won’t let you hurt our ground
We can’t hold on
For the matter we woke up
Is it the thing that we want to get?
The wings to leave now
We can burn what we hate
Throw hate, throw hate, throw hate now
Days we walked in our hands even if they are pieces
We live now
We won’t know how it works
We can’t come back
We can’t hear it for all of moments
We have destroyed
They’re gone
We can’t found them for all
This is the time to go
We never feel it die
The pain is here around us
Conflict is undergoing
What are we here for?
For victory?
For glory?
This is the time when we pray for ourselves
We’re hateful world elements
Give away
We must go
The destruction already starts and roar
We got the power we want
Before the end comes we throw away
We absorb
We are the moments no matter who we are
Lyrics submitted by sokorny
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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,
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