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."
If lust and hate is the candy,
if blood and love tastes so sweet,
then we give 'em what they want.
Hey, hey, give 'em what they want.
So their eyes are growing hazy 'cos they wanna turn
it on,
so their minds are soft and lazy.
Well, hey, give 'em what they want.
If lust and hate is the candy,
if blood and love tastes so sweet,
then we give 'em what they want.
So their eyes are growing hazy 'cos they wanna turn
it on,
so their minds are soft and lazy.
Well... who do you wanna blame?
Hey, hey, give 'em what they want.
If lust and hate is the candy,
if blood and love tastes so sweet,
then we give 'em what they want.
So their eyes are growing hazy 'cos they wanna turn
it on,
so their minds are soft and lazy.
Well... who do you wanna blame?
if blood and love tastes so sweet,
then we give 'em what they want.
Hey, hey, give 'em what they want.
So their eyes are growing hazy 'cos they wanna turn
it on,
so their minds are soft and lazy.
Well, hey, give 'em what they want.
If lust and hate is the candy,
if blood and love tastes so sweet,
then we give 'em what they want.
So their eyes are growing hazy 'cos they wanna turn
it on,
so their minds are soft and lazy.
Well... who do you wanna blame?
Hey, hey, give 'em what they want.
If lust and hate is the candy,
if blood and love tastes so sweet,
then we give 'em what they want.
So their eyes are growing hazy 'cos they wanna turn
it on,
so their minds are soft and lazy.
Well... who do you wanna blame?
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Somewhere Only We Know
Keane
Keane
Per the FAQ on Keane's website, Keane's drummer Richard Hughes, stated the following:
"We've been asked whether "Somewhere Only We Know" is about a specific place, and Tim has been saying that, for him, or us as individuals, it might be about a geographical space, or a feeling; it can mean something individual to each person, and they can interpret it to a memory of theirs... It's perhaps more of a theme rather than a specific message... Feelings that may be universal, without necessarily being totally specific to us, or a place, or a time..."
With the nostalgic sentiment and the overall tone of the song, I think Keane is attempting to express a Portuguese term known as 'saudade', which does not have a direct English translation but roughly means "that which we remember because it is gone."
Natalie appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 1993 following the release of "Our Time in Eden." She discussed the song "Candy Everybody Wants" in that interview. Here is that portion:
"The second single on 'Our Time in Eden,' takes on traditional Merchant themes, in this case, the American appetite for televised sex and violence -- and big business's willingness to satisfy that craving. 'The song is complete satire, and the fact that it might end up being on Top Forty radio is real interesting,' Merchant says. 'I think it would be the first pop song in a long time to have lyrics like, "If lust and hate is the candy, if blood and love taste so sweet, then give them what they want." They're not typical pop lyrics, and it's very subversive.' But what about the video, a wry melange of nonsensical advertisements in which Natalie -- making fun of glamour and fashion and, of course, consumerism -- looks drop-dead gorgeous in a glam green dress? Isn't she worried that some people will see the video and think nothing more than 'Wow, Natalie looks hot'? 'Satire,' she says, 'is sort of crafted in a way that escapes some people.' Isn't she worried that she will, quite literally, be giving people what they want? 'That,' she replies, 'is beyond my control.' "
"Candy Everybody Wants" has a moral to it. Many of us consider blood, lust, hate and love of a sexual kind to be bad, yet those things are readily available in movies, books, and even song. If those things are truly wrong, the song questions who is to blame given how popular those things are. We hide behind others, blaming, but not wishing to be blamed.
By Lonnie E. Holder "The Review's the Thing" (Columbus, Indiana, United States)<br /> amazon.com/Our-Time-Eden-000-Maniacs/product-reviews/B000002HBI/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful
Agreed on the blame...<br /> This song is clearly an indictment on society. <br /> Who do you wanna blame? <br /> In the beginning it talks about how we are "marginalized member of a spectator democracy..." love, blood, lust, hate... the candy everybody wants... We are in a vicious circle here people. Give em what they want... Their eyes are growing hazy... They want to turn it on... TV, Sex, Love,... Everyone in this society blames someone. Anyone with a different view point is shunned with "Hate" thus nothing gets done. Democrats blame Republican's and vice versa... The bland leading the bland... this video has so many hints as to what it is about... Most people listen to the music and say, oh that is a good song. This song was written in effort to try to make a change in society... as many songs are... but they fall on deaf ears... People listen to the music, but do not hear it.<br /> <br /> They want to turn it on ... the TV, the cell phone, the computer...internet...etc... Turn it on... lust, Love, candy... that's what people want... People's minds are soft and layz and do not want to turn it on... they do not want to learn or hear different views. Try to persuade to see someone your views if they are different... Everyone is too busy pushing their own b.s. to even remotely think about someone who has different views... <br /> <br /> We are marginalized members of a spectator democracy...<br /> People are selected for us, then we select them... Mostly people care about the President... even though we still do not have a choice in that as these people are selected. What about all the other candidates on every other ballot, Governor, Senate, House, Judges.... We have 9 judges in this country that have life time terms that we do not vote for!!! <br /> We look at it and say well, that's the way it is... rather than banding together as a people and demanding change... they tell us what should be changed and 2 sides pit against each other... That's what they want, that's what they get...<br /> Who ya gonna blame? Your self. but everyone is going to blame some other group. <br />
I have always felt this song is about human beings and all of their lustful desires. Be it child abuse, media, tv voyeurism, big oil - this song is about all of it. As a global community we are hedonistic voyeurs who wave our prophetic flags across the world but feed our brains with violence and voyeurism with our media, video game, music video, and hollywood addictions. This is a song calling out the hypocrisy of the whole world. Good job Ms. Merchant.
I think this song is about TV. About how it causes the people watching it to go numb and stupid. It is written in the point of view of the TV managers, saying "We give them what they want".
interesting viewpoint
Come on. It about TV. You must be confused with "Whats the Matter Here?". I can see the child abuse point of view, but it seems kind of stretched.
I definitely think it's about TV and movies as well...or even music for that matter. From the first time I heard this song I thought it was the band being cheeky, because they aren't exactly the type to just "give 'em what they want."
I agree with the media/entertainment industry interpretation but I have watched the video a few times now and see a lot of clues to big oil and big business in the imagery and characters she portrays. Considering the theories floating around these days I can see the "we" doing the giving as a larger entity that encompasses more than just the media and what they are "giving" us is a lot less than we realize.
youtube.com/watch This song is clearly an indictment on society. Who do you wanna blame? In the beginning it talks about how we are "marginalized member of a spectator democracy..." love, blood, lust, hate... the candy everybody wants... We are in a vicious circle here people. Give em what they want... Their eyes are growing hazy... They want to turn it on... TV, Sex, Love,... Everyone in this society blames someone. Anyone with a different view point is shunned with "Hate" thus nothing gets done. Democrats blame Republican's and vice versa... The bland leading the bland... this video has so many hints as to what it is about... Most people listen to the music and say, oh that is a good song. This song was written in effort to try to make a change in society... as many songs are... but they fall on deaf ears... People listen to the music, but do not hear it.
They want to turn it on ... the TV, the cell phone, the computer...internet...etc... Turn it on... lust, Love, candy... that's what people want... People's minds are soft and layz and do not want to turn it on... they do not want to learn or hear different views. Try to persuade to see someone your views if they are different... Everyone is too busy pushing their own bull shit to even remotely think about someone who has different views...
We are marginalized members of a spectator democracy... People are selected for us, then we select them... Mostly people care about the President... even though we still do not have a choice in that as these people are selected. What about all the other candidates on every other ballot, Governor, Senate, House, Judges.... We have 9 judges in this country that have life time terms that we do not vote for!!! We look at it and say well, that's the way it is... rather than banding together as a people and demanding change... they tell us what should be changed and 2 sides pit against each other... That's what they want, that's what they get... Who ya gonna blame? Your self. but everyone is going to blame some other group.
Pohelia, you're full of crap. I think it's about sex and violence in movies and tv, but who knows.
'Fraid I'm not full of crap...they even stated what the song was about. Giving them what they want...refers to statements made by many abusers, who say they simply gave the child what they asked for....and who do you want to blame.....is asking should we blame the abusers, the children, or sicety for making kids grow up so fast and turning them into sex objects. Anyone who was around when this song was first released knows that this song is about child abuse. Think it's you who's full of crap!
no, you're pretty much full of crap.
For sure child abuse is only part of the range this song's target!