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."
Well, I wonder what it's like to be the rainmaker
I wonder what it's like to know that I made the rain
I'd store it in boxes with little yellow tags on every one
And you can come and see them when I'm
Done, when I'm done
I wonder what it's like to be a superhero
I wonder where I'd go if I could fly around downtown, yeah
From some other planet, I'd get this funky high on a yellow sun
Boy, I bet my friends will all be
Stunned, they're stunned
Yeah, yeah
Straight up, what did you hope to learn about here?
If I were someone else, would this all fall apart?
Strange, where were you when we started this gig?
I wish the real world would just stop hassling me
Do you?
Do you?
And me
Well, I wonder what it's like to be the head honcho
I wonder what I'd do if they all did just what I said (just what I said)
Well, I'd shout out an order, "I think we're out of this, man, get me some"
Boy, don't make me wanna change my
Tone, my tone
Straight up, what did you hope to learn about here?
If I were someone else, would this all fall apart?
Strange, where were you when we started this gig?
I wish the real world would just stop hassling me
Please don't change, please don't break
Well, the only thing that seems to work at all is you
Please don't change at all
From me to you
And you, to me, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Straight up, what did you hope to learn about here?
If I were someone else, would this all just fall apart?
Strange, where were you when we started this gig?
I wish the real world would just stop hassling me
I wish the real world would just stop hassling me
I wish the real world would just stop hassling me
A you, and me
I wonder what it's like to know that I made the rain
I'd store it in boxes with little yellow tags on every one
And you can come and see them when I'm
Done, when I'm done
I wonder what it's like to be a superhero
I wonder where I'd go if I could fly around downtown, yeah
From some other planet, I'd get this funky high on a yellow sun
Boy, I bet my friends will all be
Stunned, they're stunned
Yeah, yeah
Straight up, what did you hope to learn about here?
If I were someone else, would this all fall apart?
Strange, where were you when we started this gig?
I wish the real world would just stop hassling me
Do you?
Do you?
And me
Well, I wonder what it's like to be the head honcho
I wonder what I'd do if they all did just what I said (just what I said)
Well, I'd shout out an order, "I think we're out of this, man, get me some"
Boy, don't make me wanna change my
Tone, my tone
Straight up, what did you hope to learn about here?
If I were someone else, would this all fall apart?
Strange, where were you when we started this gig?
I wish the real world would just stop hassling me
Please don't change, please don't break
Well, the only thing that seems to work at all is you
Please don't change at all
From me to you
And you, to me, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Straight up, what did you hope to learn about here?
If I were someone else, would this all just fall apart?
Strange, where were you when we started this gig?
I wish the real world would just stop hassling me
I wish the real world would just stop hassling me
I wish the real world would just stop hassling me
A you, and me
Lyrics submitted by punkmebabygal
Real World Lyrics as written by Robert Thomas
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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,
When We Were Young
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Amazing
Ed Sheeran
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