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."
We are here, we were there, they are nearing people everywhere we go.
People catching in their hands the ashes of the Marlboro man.
Burn them down, burn them down with our canteens pouring gasoline;
its never what they're saying but why oh why they say it.
Burning down the billboards to the ground and not a sound will touch
These ears, for the sights to be gained will everlast us through the years
Five o'clock rush hour traffic gazing upward at our magic.
Calvin Klein went down in flames,
And the authorities aren't asking for the names.
Miller light was burning bright, illuminating our fearless night,
And victory was ours again, ours until the very end.
Burn them down, burn them down with our canteens pouring gasoline;
its never what they're saying but why oh why they say it.
Burning down the billboards to the ground and not a sound will touch
These ears, for the sights to be gained will everlast us through the years
Burning down the billboards to the ground and not a sound will touch
These ears, for the sights to be gained will everlast us through the years
People catching in their hands the ashes of the Marlboro man.
Burn them down, burn them down with our canteens pouring gasoline;
its never what they're saying but why oh why they say it.
Burning down the billboards to the ground and not a sound will touch
These ears, for the sights to be gained will everlast us through the years
Five o'clock rush hour traffic gazing upward at our magic.
Calvin Klein went down in flames,
And the authorities aren't asking for the names.
Miller light was burning bright, illuminating our fearless night,
And victory was ours again, ours until the very end.
Burn them down, burn them down with our canteens pouring gasoline;
its never what they're saying but why oh why they say it.
Burning down the billboards to the ground and not a sound will touch
These ears, for the sights to be gained will everlast us through the years
Burning down the billboards to the ground and not a sound will touch
These ears, for the sights to be gained will everlast us through the years
Lyrics submitted by bitterbrian, edited by phillipjr
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fuck consumerism!!!
I freaking love this song. A serious departure from their usual style, it just shows how versatile these guys can be. Besides, the lyrics are amazing. Calvin Klein down in flames. I wish.
Yah, but it's a cover.
This isn't a cover. Magnified is though.
I wouldn't be surprised to find that this song was inspired by The Monkeywrench Gang by Edward Abbey, an amusing novel about a pack of eco-terrorists. a pair of them actually start off by burning down or otherwise destroying billboards to reclaim scenery before moving on to bigger and better things.