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."
"Is she really going out with him?
"Well, there she is, let's ask her"
"Betty, is that Jimmy's ring you're wearing?"
"Mmm-hmm"
"Gee, it must be great riding with him"
"Is he picking you up after school today?"
"Mmm-mmm"
"By the way, where did you meet him?"
I met him at the candy store
He turned around and smiled at me
You get the picture
"Yes, we see"
That's when I fell for the leader of the pack
My folks were always putting him down (down, down)
They said he came from the wrong side of town
(What you mean when you say that he came from the wrong side of town?)
They told me he was bad, but I knew he was sad
That's why I fell for the leader of the pack
One day, my dad said, "find someone new"
I had to tell my Jimmy, "we're through"
(What you mean when you say that you better go find somebody new?)
He stood there and asked me why, but all I could do was cry
I'm sorry I hurt you, the leader of the pack
He sort of smiled, then kissed me goodbye
The tears were beginning to show
As he drove away on that rainy night
I begged him to go slow, whether he heard
I'll never know (know, know, know, know, know, know, know)
Look out, look out, look out
I felt so helpless, what could I do?
Remembering all the things we'd been through
In school, they all stop and stare
I can't hide the tears, but I don't care
I'll never forget him, the leader of the pack
Ooh-ooh-ooh (gone, gone-gone-gone-gone-gone)
The leader of the pack, now he's gone (gone, gone-gone-gone-gone-gone)
The leader of the pack, now he's gone (gone, gone-gone-gone-gone-gone)
the leader of the pack, now he's gone (gone, gone-gone-gone-gone-gone)
"Well, there she is, let's ask her"
"Betty, is that Jimmy's ring you're wearing?"
"Mmm-hmm"
"Gee, it must be great riding with him"
"Is he picking you up after school today?"
"Mmm-mmm"
"By the way, where did you meet him?"
I met him at the candy store
He turned around and smiled at me
You get the picture
"Yes, we see"
That's when I fell for the leader of the pack
My folks were always putting him down (down, down)
They said he came from the wrong side of town
(What you mean when you say that he came from the wrong side of town?)
They told me he was bad, but I knew he was sad
That's why I fell for the leader of the pack
One day, my dad said, "find someone new"
I had to tell my Jimmy, "we're through"
(What you mean when you say that you better go find somebody new?)
He stood there and asked me why, but all I could do was cry
I'm sorry I hurt you, the leader of the pack
He sort of smiled, then kissed me goodbye
The tears were beginning to show
As he drove away on that rainy night
I begged him to go slow, whether he heard
I'll never know (know, know, know, know, know, know, know)
Look out, look out, look out
I felt so helpless, what could I do?
Remembering all the things we'd been through
In school, they all stop and stare
I can't hide the tears, but I don't care
I'll never forget him, the leader of the pack
Ooh-ooh-ooh (gone, gone-gone-gone-gone-gone)
The leader of the pack, now he's gone (gone, gone-gone-gone-gone-gone)
The leader of the pack, now he's gone (gone, gone-gone-gone-gone-gone)
the leader of the pack, now he's gone (gone, gone-gone-gone-gone-gone)
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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/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.
The words are self explanitory. A girl falls in love with her "backstreet" guy. Her parents don't approve of him and she has to breakup with him. After she tells him he leaves and before he could watch out like she says he crashes. At school everyone looks at her and she cries because he's gone. That's it. It's pretty sweet when you think about it
I love this song. Yes it is a very straight forward song. No hidden meanings here.
It was incredibly contoversial when it was first released. The BBC refused to play it on Top of the Pops even when it was number one. They did not want anyone imitating the leader of the pack and killing themselves. Another Song "Terry" also dwelt on the same theme. The opening of the song is very clever and the presentation is very effective and as PoeticStarr says it is a straightforward narrative.
This song depressed me when I first heard it... the mental image it planted in my head was without a doubt dejecting. I'm actually not sure why I like it, but I do. I always laugh to myself when I think of how much my mother hates this song. I couldn't stand Twisted Sister's cover of this song though...The way they altered the lyrics so that it was the boy telling the story and the girl kills herself...Ugh...
depressing, but definately worth listening to (if you like that sort of thing...)
Jimmy doesn't kill himself in this song, it's a rainy night and he has a motorcycle accident.
I love Mary's voice when she sings the first line.
What are the back-up lyrics when she sings "they said he came from the wrong side of town" and "I had to tell my jimmy we're through"? It sounds something like "what do you mean when you say he comes from the wrong side of town?"
I feel like maybe it's not as straight-forward as it seems at first glance. The question in my mind is this--did he crash deliberately, or did he crash by accident? She says, "The tears were beginning to show. On this rainy night, I begged him to go slow, but if he heard me, I'll never know..." That makes me think maybe it wasn't an accident in the conventional sense of the word. He was upset, driving, she'd just rejected him because he was a back street boy...from the wrong side of town... maybe I'm reading too much into this, but that's always been my curiosity.
don't ride your bike fast in the rain just after your girl dumps you
The way the chorus behave just like teenagers trying to get info out of their friend is brilliant. Then, the times merge and blur: Jimmy won't be picking her up after school any more, but she can't get the words out. And as she explains about the end of her love affair, and of Jimmy, the chorus are so involved, they become like spectators. And for that reason I would change the spelling: As he drove away on that rainy night I begged him to go slow, whether he heard I'll never know (know, know, know, know, know, know, know) Look out, look out, look out
Surely that should be: whether he hears I'l never know - and then the sound of a crash and the chorus surely are screaming No, no, no, no, no, no, no, rather than repeating her know, know ...?