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."
The man in 119 takes his tea all alone.
Mornings we all rise to wireless Verdi cries.
I'm hearing opera through the door.
The souls of men and women, impassioned all.
Their voices climb and fall; battle trumpets call.
I fill the bath and climb inside, singing.
He will not touch their pastry
but every day they bring him more.
Gold from the breakfast tray, I steal them all away
and then go and eat them on the shore.
I draw a jackal-headed woman in the sand,
sing of a lover's fate sealed by jealous hate
then wash my hand in the sea.
With just three days more I'd have just about learned the entire score to Aida.
Holidays must end as you know.
All is memory taken home with me:
the opera, the stolen tea, the sand drawing, the verging sea, all years ago.
Mornings we all rise to wireless Verdi cries.
I'm hearing opera through the door.
The souls of men and women, impassioned all.
Their voices climb and fall; battle trumpets call.
I fill the bath and climb inside, singing.
He will not touch their pastry
but every day they bring him more.
Gold from the breakfast tray, I steal them all away
and then go and eat them on the shore.
I draw a jackal-headed woman in the sand,
sing of a lover's fate sealed by jealous hate
then wash my hand in the sea.
With just three days more I'd have just about learned the entire score to Aida.
Holidays must end as you know.
All is memory taken home with me:
the opera, the stolen tea, the sand drawing, the verging sea, all years ago.
Lyrics submitted by kornchick
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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,
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I sing this song to my children at bedtime - to me, this song is a lullaby that commemorates and reveres the memories of our childhood. "All is memory, taken home with me" - when the vacation ends, when your childhood ends, when your home is no more - you will always have this clear, happy memory. And when you remember it as an adult, you will begin to understand what you couldn't understand then as a child when you experienced it - the sadness and pain the man in 119 must have felt, listening to Aida over and over, refusing his breakfast. And now that you've lived as much life as the man in 119 has, you can imagine yourself in his place, listening to a beautiful piece of music to ease your grief, losing your appetite from the suffering you feel. It comes full circle.
I went to a lecture once about this song, and the thing I remember most about the talk was that there's a really lovely use of silence and pauses in the song - which forces us to slow down, and reflect.
Merchant was recently asked about this song on a BBC program. She explained it was about an experience in Europe when she was "probably 20". It was about someone (who she never saw - she called the man "fictitious") in the room next to her playing opera all day. Joking she said "he drove me insane".
@Kenneth1 <br /> <br /> Interesting to know that. I have always found it a sad and deeply moving song. I think she probably developed the experience to be very much sympathetic to the man. <br /> <br /> I saw this as being about a care home and a man left with nothing but memories, many of them sad (perhaps a lost wife or a failed romance) and an outlet for those memories in the music that allows him to relive this painful experience time and time again.
I\'m fascinated with this song--Anyone have any insight what she wrote it about.
Natalie\'s songs tend to be very autobiographical and often are of \"face value\", so I wouldn\'t be surprised if this were about a real part of her life.
The jackal-headed woman Natalie drew in the sand was a self-portrait. Natalie and her friend went to the resort for a romantic get-away. She became jealous, they fought and she went swimming in the sea to "wash" off. Terrific song.
I believe this song is about a vacation she (Natalie Merchant) probably took when she was a young girl.
She remembers fondly and a bit sadly the man staying in a room near hers who sang opera everyday as well as other memories of her "holiday." Sad that it had to end: "With just three days more I'd have just about learned the entire score to Aida," but happy she'd have the memories: "...the stolen tea, the sand drawing, the verging sea..."
Of course, I would not know if this is autobiographical but I think it's words a at least literal if not completely actual.
This song is pretty cut and dried, but it is beautiful. Natalie has such a way with words that she can paint an entire picture in her song lyrics.
This might be the best 10,000 Maniacs song of them all, so simple yet so brilliant. It is about the imagery of a past memories that we hold near and dear. It is about the nostalgia we wish we could return to, and because we can't, we feel like we miss that moment. This seems to be about a memory of Natalie's when she was staying at a hotel, listening to the man in room 119 sing to Aida, a Verdi composition, having some innocent fun, and really taking in the moments.
Love your take on it HLsGirl. It is about memories of a holiday, but it's got a depth to it, both musically and lyrically, that clearly is pointing to more than simply light memories of a good time.
If you're of a decent age (like I am LOL), you'll start to get this sort of song. Those special times as a child/teenager that are so full of carefree joy and fun that you can't even fully appreciate until you can look back on them from a distance.
I believe that this song is about a real part of Natalie's life: her birth as an artist. In the song she evolves from creating memories, to piano practice, to translating the Italian opera's vengeful role of Amneris into a jackal-headed woman thus creating art of art. Internalizing it all, she is on the verge of transitioning into what she will become.
I'm of two minds as to the title, either it's about Verdi not just writing about passion, he feels it and she feels it, it's a part of her; or as I like to believe, that Verdi's cry is the happy cry of knowing that an artist is born (the happy father).
She is truly a genius - beautiful!
This song is about a woman in the hotel killing the man in room 119. I believe she had a fascination and love for the man in 119 who listens to Verdi. she says ' draw a jackal headed woman in the sand' she is drawing her self. She then says 'lovers fate sealed by jealous hate' Perhaps she feels this jealous hate towards this mans lover. ' I was my hands in the sea'', she washes the blood off her hand.