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."
O.P.P., how can I explain it
I'll take you frame by frame it
To have y'all jumpin' shall we singin' it
O is for "Other", P is for "People" scratchin' temple
The last P, well, that's not that simple
It's sorta like another way to call a cat a kitten
It's five little letters that are missin' here
You get on occasion at the other party
As a game 'n it seems I gotta start to explainin'
Bust it
You ever had a girl and met her on a nice hello
You get her name and number and then you feelin' real mellow
You get home, wait a day, she's what you want to know about
Then you call up and it's her girlfriend or her cousin's house
It's not a front, F to the are to the O to the N to the T
It's just her boyfriend's at her house (boy, that's what is scary)
It's OPP, time other people's what you get it
There's no room for relationship there's just room to hit it
How many brothers out there know just what I'm gettin' at
Who thinks it's wrong 'cause I'm splittin' and co-hittin' at
Well if you do, that's O.P.P. and you're not down with it
But if you don't, here's your membership
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
Who's down with O.P.P. (every last homie)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
Who's down with O.P.P. (all the homies)
As for the ladies, O.P.P. means something gifted
The first two letters are the same but the last is something
Different
It's the longest, loveliest, lean, I call it the leanest
It's another five letter word rhymin' with cleanest and meanest
I won't get into that, I'll do it, sorta properly
I say the last P stands for property
Now lady here comes a kiss, blow a kiss back to me, now tell me
Exactly
Have you ever known a brother who have another like ah girl or wife
And you just had to stop and just 'cause he look just as nice
You looked at him, he looked at you and you knew right away
That he had someone but he was gonna be yours anyway
You couldn't be seen with him and honestly you didn't care
'Cause in a room behind a door no one but y'all are there
When y'all are finish, y'all can leave and only y'all would know
And then y'all could throw the skeleton bones right in the closet do'
Now don't be shocked 'cause if you're down I want your hands up high
Say O.P.P. (OPP) I like to say with pride
Now when you do it, do it well and make sure that it counts
You're now down with a discount
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
Who's down with O.P.P. (every last homie)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
Who's down with O.P.P. (all the homies)
A scab tried to O.P.P. me
I had a girl and she knew that matter of fact her and my girl was partner's that
Had a fall out, disagreement, yeah an argument
She tried to do me so we did it in my apartment, bust it
That wasn't the thing it must have been the way she hit the ceiling
'Cause after that she kept on coming back and catchin' feelings
I said, "Let's go my girl is coming so you gotta leave"
She said, "Oh no, I love you Treach" I said, "Now child please"
You gots to leave, come grab your coat, right now you gotta go
I said now look you to the stairs and to the stair window
This was a thing, a little thing, you shouldn't have put your heart
'Cause you know I was OPP, hell from the very start
Come on, come on, now let me tell you what it's all about
When you get down, you can't go 'round runnin' off at the mouth
That's rule number one in this O.P.P. establishment
You keep your mouth shut and it won't get back to her or him
Exciting isn't it, a special kinda business
Many of you will catch the same sorta O.P.P. is you with
Him or her for sure is going to admit it
When O.P.P. comes, damn, skippy I'm with it
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
Who's down with O.P.P. (every last homie)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
Who's down with O.P.P. (all the homies)
Break it down
I'll take you frame by frame it
To have y'all jumpin' shall we singin' it
O is for "Other", P is for "People" scratchin' temple
The last P, well, that's not that simple
It's sorta like another way to call a cat a kitten
It's five little letters that are missin' here
You get on occasion at the other party
As a game 'n it seems I gotta start to explainin'
Bust it
You ever had a girl and met her on a nice hello
You get her name and number and then you feelin' real mellow
You get home, wait a day, she's what you want to know about
Then you call up and it's her girlfriend or her cousin's house
It's not a front, F to the are to the O to the N to the T
It's just her boyfriend's at her house (boy, that's what is scary)
It's OPP, time other people's what you get it
There's no room for relationship there's just room to hit it
How many brothers out there know just what I'm gettin' at
Who thinks it's wrong 'cause I'm splittin' and co-hittin' at
Well if you do, that's O.P.P. and you're not down with it
But if you don't, here's your membership
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
Who's down with O.P.P. (every last homie)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
Who's down with O.P.P. (all the homies)
As for the ladies, O.P.P. means something gifted
The first two letters are the same but the last is something
Different
It's the longest, loveliest, lean, I call it the leanest
It's another five letter word rhymin' with cleanest and meanest
I won't get into that, I'll do it, sorta properly
I say the last P stands for property
Now lady here comes a kiss, blow a kiss back to me, now tell me
Exactly
Have you ever known a brother who have another like ah girl or wife
And you just had to stop and just 'cause he look just as nice
You looked at him, he looked at you and you knew right away
That he had someone but he was gonna be yours anyway
You couldn't be seen with him and honestly you didn't care
'Cause in a room behind a door no one but y'all are there
When y'all are finish, y'all can leave and only y'all would know
And then y'all could throw the skeleton bones right in the closet do'
Now don't be shocked 'cause if you're down I want your hands up high
Say O.P.P. (OPP) I like to say with pride
Now when you do it, do it well and make sure that it counts
You're now down with a discount
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
Who's down with O.P.P. (every last homie)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
Who's down with O.P.P. (all the homies)
A scab tried to O.P.P. me
I had a girl and she knew that matter of fact her and my girl was partner's that
Had a fall out, disagreement, yeah an argument
She tried to do me so we did it in my apartment, bust it
That wasn't the thing it must have been the way she hit the ceiling
'Cause after that she kept on coming back and catchin' feelings
I said, "Let's go my girl is coming so you gotta leave"
She said, "Oh no, I love you Treach" I said, "Now child please"
You gots to leave, come grab your coat, right now you gotta go
I said now look you to the stairs and to the stair window
This was a thing, a little thing, you shouldn't have put your heart
'Cause you know I was OPP, hell from the very start
Come on, come on, now let me tell you what it's all about
When you get down, you can't go 'round runnin' off at the mouth
That's rule number one in this O.P.P. establishment
You keep your mouth shut and it won't get back to her or him
Exciting isn't it, a special kinda business
Many of you will catch the same sorta O.P.P. is you with
Him or her for sure is going to admit it
When O.P.P. comes, damn, skippy I'm with it
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
Who's down with O.P.P. (every last homie)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
You down with O.P.P. (yeah, you know me)
Who's down with O.P.P. (all the homies)
Break it down
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
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/
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.
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.
wut does the last P stand for, for a guy, i cant think of a 5 letter word that rhymes wit cleanest and meanest
LMAO....."women" may be the riddle?
its pussy
You know it starts with P, so it's got to be "peanest". duh.