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."
Ah
Rolling down the hill, snowballing getting bigger
Explosion in the chamber, the hammer from the trigger
I seen him get stabbed, I watched the blood spill out
He had more cuts than my man Chuck Chillout
Twenty four is my age and twenty two is my gauge
I'm writing rhymes on a page, and going up in a rage
'Cause I'm out on a mission, a stolen car mission
Had a small problem with the transmission
Three on the tree in the middle of the night
I have this steak on my head 'cause I got into a fist fight
Life comes in phases take the good with the bad
You bought the coins on the street and you know you got had
Because it's all high spirit, you know you got to hear it
Don't touch the mic baby don't come near it
It's gonna getcha, it's gonna getcha
It's gonna getcha girl, it's gonna getcha
Looking down the barrel of a gun, son of a gun
Son of a bitch getting paid getting rich
Ultra violence be running through my head
Cold medina y'all, making me see red
Rapid fire Louie like Rambo got bullets
I'm a die harder like my kid Bruce Willis
I love girlies, waxing and milking
Coordinating shit is my man Dave Scilken
Predetermined destiny is who I am
You got your finger on the trigger like the Son of Sam
I am like Clockwork Orange, going off on the town
I've got homeboys bonanza to beat your ass down
Well I'm mad at my desk and I'll be writing all curse words
Expressing my aggressions through my schizophrenic verse words
You're a headless chicken chasin', a sucker free basin
Been lookin' for a fist to put your face in
Well get hip get hip, don't slip ya knuckle heads
Racism is schism on the serious tip
Rolling down the hill, snowballing getting bigger
Explosion in the chamber, the hammer from the trigger
I seen him get stabbed, I watched the blood spill out
He had more cuts than my man Chuck Chillout
Twenty four is my age and twenty two is my gauge
I'm writing rhymes on a page, and going up in a rage
'Cause I'm out on a mission, a stolen car mission
Had a small problem with the transmission
Three on the tree in the middle of the night
I have this steak on my head 'cause I got into a fist fight
Life comes in phases take the good with the bad
You bought the coins on the street and you know you got had
Because it's all high spirit, you know you got to hear it
Don't touch the mic baby don't come near it
It's gonna getcha, it's gonna getcha
It's gonna getcha girl, it's gonna getcha
Looking down the barrel of a gun, son of a gun
Son of a bitch getting paid getting rich
Ultra violence be running through my head
Cold medina y'all, making me see red
Rapid fire Louie like Rambo got bullets
I'm a die harder like my kid Bruce Willis
I love girlies, waxing and milking
Coordinating shit is my man Dave Scilken
Predetermined destiny is who I am
You got your finger on the trigger like the Son of Sam
I am like Clockwork Orange, going off on the town
I've got homeboys bonanza to beat your ass down
Well I'm mad at my desk and I'll be writing all curse words
Expressing my aggressions through my schizophrenic verse words
You're a headless chicken chasin', a sucker free basin
Been lookin' for a fist to put your face in
Well get hip get hip, don't slip ya knuckle heads
Racism is schism on the serious tip
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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Wu-Tang Clan
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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.
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/
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.
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.
Black Dahlia, in case you're somehow still thinking of this 5 years later, it seems like at the "fuzzy navel" part that Mike D is saying "cold medina making me see red." Cold Medina is a coctail that, in the song Funky Cold Medina by Young MC, acts as a love potion of sorts. Flavor Flav also referenced it in the Public Enemy song "Cold Lampin' With Flavor."