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."
Mother Father please explain to me
Why the world's so full of mystery
A place so bitter and still so sweet
So beautiful and yet so full of sad, sad
Mother Father please explain to me
Why forests march to deserts be
Why snow capped mountains melt away
What do we tell our babies, what do we say
Oh
Mother Father please explain to me
How a man rocks his child to sleep
Pulls the trigger on his brother's heart
He digs a hole right to the middle of his storm of hatred
Mother Father please explain to me
How it could be so this world has come to be
A precious balance in between
Such cruelty and such kind
Please, please
Mother Father please explain to me
How this world has come to be
Unequaled in her blessings, oh I see
Unbridled hatred so extreme
Please tell me
Mother Father please explain to me
How this world has come to be so
Twisted between time and dreams
Oh Mother Father please explain to me
Oh what's all this talk about
All this talk about it
Spilling down, down, down, down, down
All this talk about
Endless words without
Nothings done
Mother Father do you know
Why one man's belly overflows
Another sleeps in hunger's bed
Oh, we trade our world for a piece of bread
Oh
Mother Father please explain to me
How this rare world's come to be
A place so full of color
and yet overflowing always in black and white
Drowning in the waters of our
Mother Father please explain to me
How this world has come to be
But still blessed in all the things we see
Such a sad, sad home for you and me
C'mon, adult
C'mon not you, c'mon not you
Come a save yourself
C'mon I'll do
C'mon, we're taken on water
We're taken on water, we're taken on water
But you know
We got the freedom!
We got the freedom!
There's no god above and no hell below
It's here with us, It's up to us
To keep afloat
How this sweet world has come to be
Oh, to keep afloat
Mother Father please explain to me!
How this rare world has come to be
Oh, the blue planet, the blue planet
Mother Father please explain to me
Mother Father please explain
Why the world's so full of mystery
A place so bitter and still so sweet
So beautiful and yet so full of sad, sad
Mother Father please explain to me
Why forests march to deserts be
Why snow capped mountains melt away
What do we tell our babies, what do we say
Oh
Mother Father please explain to me
How a man rocks his child to sleep
Pulls the trigger on his brother's heart
He digs a hole right to the middle of his storm of hatred
Mother Father please explain to me
How it could be so this world has come to be
A precious balance in between
Such cruelty and such kind
Please, please
Mother Father please explain to me
How this world has come to be
Unequaled in her blessings, oh I see
Unbridled hatred so extreme
Please tell me
Mother Father please explain to me
How this world has come to be so
Twisted between time and dreams
Oh Mother Father please explain to me
Oh what's all this talk about
All this talk about it
Spilling down, down, down, down, down
All this talk about
Endless words without
Nothings done
Mother Father do you know
Why one man's belly overflows
Another sleeps in hunger's bed
Oh, we trade our world for a piece of bread
Oh
Mother Father please explain to me
How this rare world's come to be
A place so full of color
and yet overflowing always in black and white
Drowning in the waters of our
Mother Father please explain to me
How this world has come to be
But still blessed in all the things we see
Such a sad, sad home for you and me
C'mon, adult
C'mon not you, c'mon not you
Come a save yourself
C'mon I'll do
C'mon, we're taken on water
We're taken on water, we're taken on water
But you know
We got the freedom!
We got the freedom!
There's no god above and no hell below
It's here with us, It's up to us
To keep afloat
How this sweet world has come to be
Oh, to keep afloat
Mother Father please explain to me!
How this rare world has come to be
Oh, the blue planet, the blue planet
Mother Father please explain to me
Mother Father please explain
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Mother Father Lyrics as written by David Matthews Glen Ballard
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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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.
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.
He seems to be having trouble seeing the world as one, when such extremes exist in it.
I am only re-iterating what is said above, really. thought-provoking.