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."
Do you remember British achievement
Living when times were good
Watching the start of the end of an era
Would you go back if you could
When I was younger
The smell of the hunger
In all of the music you played
Kept me believing
You lived for the lifestyle
And not just the cash to be made
Cos it's a place where people happen
It's the corner of success
Everybody loves you and you're never second best
The smell of easy money
And you follow it to death
I smell the shit upon your breath
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
Walking away from the crumbling empire
Won't make it grow anymore
Changing your style cos the radio tells me
How can sleep you're a commercial whore
And you'd lick the steaming phallus
If it offered you a hit
Clean you of integrity
And then they'll make you fit
Think you'll glide to stardom
Then you show them what you've got
Your pride
Your balls
They own your lot
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
I want to be American
I wanna be a star
You should be over there
You should go far
But I don't wanna learn
Cos I know it all now
You should be guaranteed
To find out how
You'll always be a wannabe
You look too far away
Cos it's a place where people happen
It's the corner of success
Everybody loves you
And you're never second best
The smell of easy money
And you follow it to death
I smell the shit
Upon your breath
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Living when times were good
Watching the start of the end of an era
Would you go back if you could
When I was younger
The smell of the hunger
In all of the music you played
Kept me believing
You lived for the lifestyle
And not just the cash to be made
Cos it's a place where people happen
It's the corner of success
Everybody loves you and you're never second best
The smell of easy money
And you follow it to death
I smell the shit upon your breath
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
Walking away from the crumbling empire
Won't make it grow anymore
Changing your style cos the radio tells me
How can sleep you're a commercial whore
And you'd lick the steaming phallus
If it offered you a hit
Clean you of integrity
And then they'll make you fit
Think you'll glide to stardom
Then you show them what you've got
Your pride
Your balls
They own your lot
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
I want to be American
I wanna be a star
You should be over there
You should go far
But I don't wanna learn
Cos I know it all now
You should be guaranteed
To find out how
You'll always be a wannabe
You look too far away
Cos it's a place where people happen
It's the corner of success
Everybody loves you
And you're never second best
The smell of easy money
And you follow it to death
I smell the shit
Upon your breath
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Turning American
I remember you
When you were an Englishman
But now you're turning American
Lyrics submitted by Cranberried
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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.
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.
Sunglasses at Night
Corey Hart
Corey Hart
In the 1980s, sunglasses were a common fashion for people who wanted to adopt a "tough guy" persona (note all the cop shows from that era -- Simon & Simon, Miami Vice, etc. -- where the lead characters wore shades). So I think this song is about a guy who wears shades as a way of hiding his insecurity after learning that his girlfriend is cheating on him. He's trying to pretend that he's a "tough guy" to hide the fact that his girlfriend's affair is disturbing him.
Not a jingoistic criticism of Americans as a lot of people think. About how bands change and get commercial when the money is flashed in front of them.
Ginger is such a legend - who else could refer to a 'steaming phallus' in a song?!