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."
Giving a swish with your ass in the air
Don't you know what they're saying?
Charlotte, you're so refined
When you take all the love that they're giving
Sticking with every man that you find
Don't you know what they're after?
Charlotte, you've got your legs in the air
Don't you hear all the laughter?
Charlotte the harlot show me your legs
Charlotte the harlot take me to bed
Charlotte the harlot let me see blood
Charlotte the harlot let me see love
Taking so many men to your room, don't you feel no remorse?
You charge them a fiver, it's only for starters
And ten for the main course
And you've got no feelings, they died long ago
Don't you care who you let in?
And don't you know you're breaking the law with the service you're giving
Charlotte the harlot show me your legs
Charlotte the harlot take me to bed
Charlotte the harlot let me see blood
Charlotte the harlot let me see love
Oh baby
Oh, oh-oh
There was a time when you left me standing there
Picking up pieces of love off the floor
Well, Charlotte, you left me alone in there
To make your ends as a bloody whore
Well, Charlotte, you told me you love me true
Picking up pieces of love yesterday
Well, Charlotte, your draws are off color too, oh
'Cause you're making love all day
Ah, 'cause you're making
Oh
Oh yeah
Aw 'cause you're making
Giving a swish with your ass in the air
Don't you know what they're saying?
Charlotte, you're so refined
When you take all the love that they're giving
Sticking with every man that you find
Don't you know what they're after?
Charlotte, you've got your legs in the air
Don't you hear all the laughter?
Charlotte the harlot show me your legs
Charlotte the harlot take me to bed
Charlotte the harlot let me see blood
Charlotte the harlot let me see love
Don't you know what they're saying?
Charlotte, you're so refined
When you take all the love that they're giving
Sticking with every man that you find
Don't you know what they're after?
Charlotte, you've got your legs in the air
Don't you hear all the laughter?
Charlotte the harlot show me your legs
Charlotte the harlot take me to bed
Charlotte the harlot let me see blood
Charlotte the harlot let me see love
Taking so many men to your room, don't you feel no remorse?
You charge them a fiver, it's only for starters
And ten for the main course
And you've got no feelings, they died long ago
Don't you care who you let in?
And don't you know you're breaking the law with the service you're giving
Charlotte the harlot show me your legs
Charlotte the harlot take me to bed
Charlotte the harlot let me see blood
Charlotte the harlot let me see love
Oh baby
Oh, oh-oh
There was a time when you left me standing there
Picking up pieces of love off the floor
Well, Charlotte, you left me alone in there
To make your ends as a bloody whore
Well, Charlotte, you told me you love me true
Picking up pieces of love yesterday
Well, Charlotte, your draws are off color too, oh
'Cause you're making love all day
Ah, 'cause you're making
Oh
Oh yeah
Aw 'cause you're making
Giving a swish with your ass in the air
Don't you know what they're saying?
Charlotte, you're so refined
When you take all the love that they're giving
Sticking with every man that you find
Don't you know what they're after?
Charlotte, you've got your legs in the air
Don't you hear all the laughter?
Charlotte the harlot show me your legs
Charlotte the harlot take me to bed
Charlotte the harlot let me see blood
Charlotte the harlot let me see love
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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,
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Sory slipper*, but acordin 2 wikipedia Acacia Avenue is 1 of the most comon streets u get in GB, so much that it became a metaphor 4 an average middle-class suburban street. Acording to them there ar at least 60 of them in GB...