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."
I see you down on the front line
Such a sight for sore eyes, you're a suicide makeover
Plastic eyes lookin' through a numbskull
Self-effaced, what's his face, you've erased yourself, so shut up
You don't let up
You have a growth that must be treated
Like a severed severe pain in the neck
You can smell it, but you can't see it
No explanation identified, 'cause
You don't know
You don't say that you got no reply
Hey you, where did you come from?
Got a head full of lead, you're an inbred bastard son
All dressed up, a red blooded A-mannequin
Do or die, no reply, don't deny that you're synthetic
You're pathetic
You have a growth that must be treated
Like a severed severe pain in the neck
You can smell it, but you can't see it
No explanation identified, 'cause
You don't know
You don't say that you got no reply
You don't know
You don't say that you got no reply
I see you down on the front line
Such a sight for sore eyes, you're a suicide makeover
You don't know
You don't say that you got no reply
You don't know
You don't say that you got no reply
Such a sight for sore eyes, you're a suicide makeover
Plastic eyes lookin' through a numbskull
Self-effaced, what's his face, you've erased yourself, so shut up
You don't let up
You have a growth that must be treated
Like a severed severe pain in the neck
You can smell it, but you can't see it
No explanation identified, 'cause
You don't know
You don't say that you got no reply
Hey you, where did you come from?
Got a head full of lead, you're an inbred bastard son
All dressed up, a red blooded A-mannequin
Do or die, no reply, don't deny that you're synthetic
You're pathetic
You have a growth that must be treated
Like a severed severe pain in the neck
You can smell it, but you can't see it
No explanation identified, 'cause
You don't know
You don't say that you got no reply
You don't know
You don't say that you got no reply
I see you down on the front line
Such a sight for sore eyes, you're a suicide makeover
You don't know
You don't say that you got no reply
You don't know
You don't say that you got no reply
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yeh it does remind me of jackson, but its about some1 who is so fake if they're not careful they'll drop apart. 'all dressed up, redblooded a mannequin'. saying they look exactly like the mannequins in shop windows, apart from theyre red blooded. 'dont deny that youre synthetic'. 'plastic eyes looking through a numbskull.', these are all references to dummys in shop windows and the people that look like them.