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."
We passed the stores, we passed the hotels
Filled our car with gasoline
We drove that night, I saw the moon
Almost got us in an accident
And then at the rest stop
When that woman tried to steal my wallet
It felt like an adventure
Isn't that what you would call it?
Isn't that what you would call it?
You're my road buddy, but I'm lonely all the time
I thought we'd be joking, having long talks on late night drives
But you drive so bad I lost my patience
So pass the chips and turn the station
This is not a romance with the road
Where the moss grows up the trees
To where the bird is rusty
I thought we'd find each story like a snakeskin or an arrowhead
But we only stop at fast food places
They hate their jobs, I understand
They try to act familiar, but they're floating just above the land
And we are all floating
You're my road buddy, but I'm lonely all the time
I thought we'd show that friendship could be stronger than the crossroads double back
I thought I heard the Tori sing, I'll take that thing I
This is not a romance with the road
In those cliffs are the same as in the magazines I have at home
And the tall grass reminds me of the same dreams I had at home
I thought life was a road and I wanted to begin it
I said, my friend and I going on a trip so I could only stop a minute
We go to the venting machines
I want to watch these kids with their mother
Sipping on their juice boxes and smiling at each other
And maybe that's their Dad on the phone
Saying, hey Mom, you couldn't wait, go ahead, have dinner
'Cause we're running just a little late
But we're on our way
Road buddy, road buddy, I heard about the boxcars and the family of travelers
But there's real estate sides in the cornfields
I know there's love, I bet there's trouble
But you just can't spend a lifetime on the road
And there's something I finally faced
I finally think I come from some place
This is not a romance with the road
Filled our car with gasoline
We drove that night, I saw the moon
Almost got us in an accident
And then at the rest stop
When that woman tried to steal my wallet
It felt like an adventure
Isn't that what you would call it?
Isn't that what you would call it?
You're my road buddy, but I'm lonely all the time
I thought we'd be joking, having long talks on late night drives
But you drive so bad I lost my patience
So pass the chips and turn the station
This is not a romance with the road
Where the moss grows up the trees
To where the bird is rusty
I thought we'd find each story like a snakeskin or an arrowhead
But we only stop at fast food places
They hate their jobs, I understand
They try to act familiar, but they're floating just above the land
And we are all floating
You're my road buddy, but I'm lonely all the time
I thought we'd show that friendship could be stronger than the crossroads double back
I thought I heard the Tori sing, I'll take that thing I
This is not a romance with the road
In those cliffs are the same as in the magazines I have at home
And the tall grass reminds me of the same dreams I had at home
I thought life was a road and I wanted to begin it
I said, my friend and I going on a trip so I could only stop a minute
We go to the venting machines
I want to watch these kids with their mother
Sipping on their juice boxes and smiling at each other
And maybe that's their Dad on the phone
Saying, hey Mom, you couldn't wait, go ahead, have dinner
'Cause we're running just a little late
But we're on our way
Road buddy, road buddy, I heard about the boxcars and the family of travelers
But there's real estate sides in the cornfields
I know there's love, I bet there's trouble
But you just can't spend a lifetime on the road
And there's something I finally faced
I finally think I come from some place
This is not a romance with the road
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
From an interview:
Gabino: Do you ever have gaps in your schedule where you'd spend three days in Winnipeg or something? Dar Williams: When I was in Austin the last time I spent three days there. I had two nights of show and a day off. And I went to a yoga class, I got flowers for my room. I swam at Barton Springs. I went to Waterloo Records. I ran. I practiced. I watched a lot of TV. And I wrote a song. I had done that no TV thing. I was actually in Edmonton, and I said, "No TV, no radio, no books, no nothing. See what comes out." And I went crazy! And I wrote a song. I wrote "Road Buddy." And then I said, Fuck that. As much TV as I want to watch, and sure enough I got sick of it. And I wrote another song. "If I Wrote You." Which is superior. It's better than "Road Buddy."
later in the same interview..
You've been to Edmonton before. You wrote a song between Edmonton and Calgary... How did you know that?
Because it's in... Because it's in my little liner notes.
How? Were you driving? You couldn't have been driving to write the song, or did you stop to write it? I stopped. I think it was that place that has the big tea pot hanging above it. Called Glenn's or something like that.
Is that in Red Deer? It might be, it's closer to Red Deer than...
You stopped there and you wrote a song? Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was there. And I had started to write it and had come up with this melody and then I took notes at the restaurant. It was all about the mythology of the road.
And you used the word "beautiful highway" to describe the song, and I, having been here... Ew. I didn't, I didn't call it a beautiful highway. I'm sorry. It was February. I just drove up from Calgary today and it's quite pretty, but in February... I was also going through a thing where I wanted to see what my mind would do if I decided not to watch television or listen to the radio, and so I was kind of stuck with my thoughts, and it just took a yucky, a bad turn. But out of that void came a lot of the melody and the preliminary first material for Road Buddy, so unfortunately, that is the way to be creative, is to kind of find a sensory deprivation tank for yourself.
My thoughts...
This is about going on a road trip with someone. You think you're going to have so much fun with your friend, but you really just get on each other's nerves. I've had this happen to me actually. It sucks and then you're stuck thinking about your friendship with the other person.