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 science halls
Have hollow walls
And sodden carpet
At least the cops don't come in
Spare us the legal poems
Broken legs can't run anyway
Some days were missed
Ten kegs at Albers
And Albers turns into geer
And hours become years
Well get back to work
Right back to work I swear
Our beakers are still full of beer
Crotch rockets
and violins
We chisled and we switched
Naw, but their not gonna mix
So please can our dying brains
Take another break
Have hollow walls
And sodden carpet
At least the cops don't come in
Spare us the legal poems
Broken legs can't run anyway
Some days were missed
Ten kegs at Albers
And Albers turns into geer
And hours become years
Well get back to work
Right back to work I swear
Our beakers are still full of beer
Crotch rockets
and violins
We chisled and we switched
Naw, but their not gonna mix
So please can our dying brains
Take another break
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
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,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
how many other college students besides myself is this song about?
one of my favorite drinking songs
I love how they introduce this song in the Glastonbury Black Sessions live recording: "So just to let you guys know, we're from an area where there's a bunch of, there's a bunch of hillbillies, and we like to camp and stuff, and, ahem, it would have been very, uh, very inaccurate of us to come here and not dip into what's going on here, so, if it's any consolation, between the five of us up here we probably ingested about six different kinds of chemicals and like four or five different kinds of alcohol, and we think we plan of making the best of it until we leave, so, we all had a good time". Audience goes wild, of course.
This song brings back memories of college and alcohol and classrooms.. no one does nostalgia better than Grandaddy.
i love the voice synth in this song. it adds such a nice effect. Another awesome song by an awesome band. wish they were still together.
That's so not a voice synth, That's JASON!!!! I think this song is about wasting away in your own hometown. Works for me, I live in a city similar to modesto. Not in the city, yet not in the country, just inbetween. The godamn suburbs.
Oh yeah, that's pure Jason right there! Try listening to the Glastonbury session that guatemalan guy mentioned. Whenever I think about Jason's voice, I always remember a line I read somewhere "that guy's voice is fucking AMAZING!"
Modesto native - This song is about stagnation and disappearing.
Albers and Geer are basically the same street, running east of Modesto, in the county, connecting a couple of smaller towns. CSU Stanislaus is right off of Geer, when you get into Turlock (a town south of Modesto).
Huge orchard parties happen east of Modesto, away from cops and any other self respecting human. Albers (one of said country roads) ends up running south into the center of Turlock, right up to the university. And apparently the party continued in the Science hall.
I myself used to get drunk at elementary schools late at night, so it seems plausible! But... even if you're going to college in Modesto or Turlock, you're looking at a life of bland, bland, drugs and/or crime.
It's a bad place. If you get out, you are lucky. Work at a Taco Bell and Starbucks at the same time in San Francisco? Better than being part of the walking dead of Modesto.
rant over :)