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."
Today, everything was fine, fine, fine
Until 'round about, quarter to nine
Suddenly found myself in a bind, a bind
Was it something I said?
Something I read and manifested that's getting you down
Don't you dare come to bed with that ambiguous look in your eye
I'd sooner sleep by an open fire and wake up fried
Say what you will
Say what you mean
No, you could never offend
Your dirty words come out clean, clean
Tomorrow, what price will I pay?
Could I make it all up to you by serving coffee for two in bed?
Would you then give me the time of day?
I need a map of your head translated into English
So I can learn not to make you frown
You'd feel better if you'd vent
Put your frustrations into four letter words
And let them out on mine
The most weathered ears in town
So say what you will
Say what you mean
No, you could never offend
Your dirty words come out clean
Clean, clean
Clean, clean
Clean, clean
Say what you will
Say what you mean
No, you could never offend
Your dirty words come out clean
Say what you will
Say what you mean
No, you could never offend
Your dirty words come out clean, clean
Until 'round about, quarter to nine
Suddenly found myself in a bind, a bind
Was it something I said?
Something I read and manifested that's getting you down
Don't you dare come to bed with that ambiguous look in your eye
I'd sooner sleep by an open fire and wake up fried
Say what you will
Say what you mean
No, you could never offend
Your dirty words come out clean, clean
Tomorrow, what price will I pay?
Could I make it all up to you by serving coffee for two in bed?
Would you then give me the time of day?
I need a map of your head translated into English
So I can learn not to make you frown
You'd feel better if you'd vent
Put your frustrations into four letter words
And let them out on mine
The most weathered ears in town
So say what you will
Say what you mean
No, you could never offend
Your dirty words come out clean
Clean, clean
Clean, clean
Clean, clean
Say what you will
Say what you mean
No, you could never offend
Your dirty words come out clean
Say what you will
Say what you mean
No, you could never offend
Your dirty words come out clean, clean
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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
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
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.
i agree with you harry i love how this song builds up. Tomorrow, what price will I pay? "Could I make it all up to you by serving coffee for two in bed? Would you then gimme the time of day? I need a map of your head, translated into English so I can learn to not make you frown. "
i love that line. anybody who has every gotten into a fight with their girlfriend knows what this is like. the morning after a big fight u feel you have to do anything and everything to make it all up to her, even if you dont know why you got into a fight in the first place. I wouldn't say it was the best on MY but easily one of the top 3
I love this song. It completely describes one of my pet peeves. People will tell you everything's fine and then sit around seething while you don't know what you did wrong. You want them to just lash out and just scream at you so that everything is out in the open, but they just want to sit in silence. "You'd feel better if you'd vent/put your frustrations into four letter words/and let them out on mine, the most weathered ears in town." That's exactly what I've wanted to say to so many different people.
Men always gripe that women do this all the time. They ask what's wrong and we say "fine" even when everything is not at all fine. I heard this song and that's what I thought of right away, and so I've promised myself I'll never do that!!!
This song has personal meaning to me, because the first line basically describes my life. Everything is going great, and then suddenly, one little thing messes everything up. I think people live through music more than they know and we sould all recognize the importance of any music we listen to. This song is just a great compilation of true life. Listen and feel.
What does he mean "you could never offend?"
i love this song, just the way he says clean gives me chills, and i love it..and itdoes have personal meaning, and there is this person that i know, and whatever he says, it never seems to hurt...its clean...and i agree we all live thorugh music, definatly, i know that i do
I love the way this song builds up from the bongo to the full band. This song is the best on Make yourself, no questions asked
my favorite from make yourself
hoobagurl36, your right in some cases. I had a girl that I liked. But then she heard this song and said it sounded like shit. That's when everything she said sounded everything else BUT clean. So in some cases, depending on what subject, things do come out dirty. Even in out of the mouth of someone your CRAZY about.
Has anyone heard the acoustic version from the DVD? It rules! :D:
this is a great song
i do this, say everything is fine when its not... after i heard this song i decided maybe to try and stop...when i do vent i so put my frustrations into 4 letter words
i love brandons voice
This is definitely one of my top 3 from Make Yourself. how creative to use the bongos in the beginning! It adds a lot of feeling, the way it builds up. I kinda feel how moostah feels about it. It happens to me all the time!! Your day is going fine, and then just one little thing that should barely even aggravate you just pisses you off like you can't believe!! All of a sudden, your day has gone to crap... but you refuse to scream about it. If you did, it would release allll that frustration!! But no.
I realize the song's about a fight between a boyfriend and girlfriend, but I think you can relate it to your personal life too