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."
He's the kind of guy who's always passin' by
And never has time to spend
And he'll take you for a spin
And won't look within to find out who you are
And he numbs himself with weed, he's from the coldest breed
Who judge by what they see
And I thought he was smart enough to know that the girl on his arm will
Never calm his storms
Watch out! He'll charm you.
Smoother than the L.A. weather, that's how he holds himself together
He's colder than the winter, I wrap my coat around to better
Counteract his charm attack that leaves me hungry well,
I'm no savior, but I tried to save you
Ooh.. my.. love
It's raging high inside
And he has his minions with no real opinions
‘cause they only walk on glass
And your lies become the truth
And give me proof that you really care
And with your gorgeous friend you have the world so dim
Believe an and everything you say
Watch out! He'll charm you.
Smoother than the L.A. weather, that's how he holds himself together
He's colder than the winter, I wrap my coat around to better
Counteract his charm attack that leaves me hungry well,
I'm no savior, but I tried to save you
Ooh.. my.. love
It's raging high inside
Smoother than the L.A. weather, that's how he holds himself together
He's colder than the winter, I wrap my coat around to better
Counteract his charm attack that leaves me hungry well,
I'm no savior, but I tried to save you
Ooh... ooh
Ooh... ooh
And he stamps out every emotion and
He dampens each and every explosion
He dampens each and every explosion
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
And never has time to spend
And he'll take you for a spin
And won't look within to find out who you are
And he numbs himself with weed, he's from the coldest breed
Who judge by what they see
And I thought he was smart enough to know that the girl on his arm will
Never calm his storms
Watch out! He'll charm you.
Smoother than the L.A. weather, that's how he holds himself together
He's colder than the winter, I wrap my coat around to better
Counteract his charm attack that leaves me hungry well,
I'm no savior, but I tried to save you
Ooh.. my.. love
It's raging high inside
And he has his minions with no real opinions
‘cause they only walk on glass
And your lies become the truth
And give me proof that you really care
And with your gorgeous friend you have the world so dim
Believe an and everything you say
Watch out! He'll charm you.
Smoother than the L.A. weather, that's how he holds himself together
He's colder than the winter, I wrap my coat around to better
Counteract his charm attack that leaves me hungry well,
I'm no savior, but I tried to save you
Ooh.. my.. love
It's raging high inside
Smoother than the L.A. weather, that's how he holds himself together
He's colder than the winter, I wrap my coat around to better
Counteract his charm attack that leaves me hungry well,
I'm no savior, but I tried to save you
Ooh... ooh
Ooh... ooh
And he stamps out every emotion and
He dampens each and every explosion
He dampens each and every explosion
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Lyrics submitted by fraggles, edited by arthurjay1974
Charm Attack Lyrics as written by Leona Naess
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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No Surprises
Radiohead
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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/
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.
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.
unfortunately i'm in love with someone like that at the moment. it's driving me crazy