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."
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Caution is a word that I can't understand
Caution is a word that I can't understand
C-A-U-T-I-O-N is a word I could not understand
Walked the dog with a real short leash
Turned around, saw the dog walk me
Stainless steel and painted glass
Give me a pulse like a hammer and a mind to match
No relief, no food, no sleep
When you're king for a day, you're a whore for a week
(All right)
Caution is a word that I can't understand
Ah, caution is a word that I can't understand
C-A-U-T-I-O-N is a word I could not understand
Walked the dog with a real short leash
Turned around, saw the dog walk me
Stainless steel and painted glass
Give me a pulse like a hammer and a mind to match
No relief, no food, no sleep
When you're king for a day, you're a whore for a week
(Yeah)
Caution is a word that I can't understand
Caution is a word that I can't understand
I didn't get it then
I think I got it now
Caution, my friend
Don't step in the water 'til you know you can swim
Caution is a word that I can't understand
Caution is a word that I can't understand
(Yeah, caution)
Can't understand
(Yeah, caution)
Can't understand
Caution is a word that I can't understand
Caution is a word that I can't understand
C-A-U-T-I-O-N is a word I could not understand
Walked the dog with a real short leash
Turned around, saw the dog walk me
Stainless steel and painted glass
Give me a pulse like a hammer and a mind to match
No relief, no food, no sleep
When you're king for a day, you're a whore for a week
(All right)
Caution is a word that I can't understand
Ah, caution is a word that I can't understand
C-A-U-T-I-O-N is a word I could not understand
Walked the dog with a real short leash
Turned around, saw the dog walk me
Stainless steel and painted glass
Give me a pulse like a hammer and a mind to match
No relief, no food, no sleep
When you're king for a day, you're a whore for a week
(Yeah)
Caution is a word that I can't understand
Caution is a word that I can't understand
I didn't get it then
I think I got it now
Caution, my friend
Don't step in the water 'til you know you can swim
Caution is a word that I can't understand
Caution is a word that I can't understand
(Yeah, caution)
Can't understand
(Yeah, caution)
Can't understand
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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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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."
System
Mel And Kim
Mel And Kim
Just listening for the 784,654th time....and it's just perfect in every way. Just incredible. The only reason it was remade was to scoop up a boatload of money from a more modern and accepting audience. But it is a completely different song than the other one that sounds slapped together in a few takes without a thought for the meaning.
This song captivates me still, after 50+ years. Takes me to the deep South and the poverty of some who lived thru truly hard times. And the powerful spirit of a poor young girl being abandoned to her future with only a red dress and her wits to keep her alive.
She not only stayed alive, she turned her hard beginnings around, became self sufficient, successful and someone with respect for herself. She didn't let the naysayers and judgers stop her. She's the one sitting in the drivers seat at the end.
So, not a song about a poor girl, but a song of hope and how you can rise up no matter how far down you started.
There is a huge difference between a singer who simply belts out a song that is on a page in front of them, and someone who can convey an entire experience with their voice. Telling not just a story with words, but taking you inside it and making you feel like you are there, with their interpretation.
c-a-u-t-i-o-n is a word that i cant understand
I think this song is about drug use, quite possibly cocaine. "a pulse like a hammer and a mind to match, no relief no food no sleep" sounds like he's getting high off uppers, no doubt. "when you're a king for a day you're a whore for a week" is the great high you have but the awful comedown afterwards.
antispace, i completely disagree with you.
operation ivy's lyrics are usually much deeper than drugs, and i'm pretty sure none of them were druggies.
this song seems to be about carpe diem, not drugs.
i think antispace is absolutely correct.
skaboss, op ivy didn't write this song to condone or promote drug use-- if anything, it's a warning. it's about someone who wasn't cautious and started taking drugs, and then it got out of hand ("turned around, saw the dog walk me"). then he learns his lesson and offers some advice: "i didn't get it then/ i think i got it now... don't step in the water til you know you can swim".
don't kid yourself; op ivy weren't as deep as you think. they simply wrote very smart, insightful lyrics, often about urban issues. drug abuse is as good a topic as any.
can anybody guess as to what he means by "stainless steel and painted glass"?
I always thought stainless steel on painted glass was a reference to preparation of drugs. Either the kind of surfaces in toilets or bathrooms or stainless steel blades, mirror, that kind of thing.
I thought of a pipe for "painted glass", but nothing specific for stainless steel. So that works with the drug theory.
it seems to work for drugs, but I think this pattern in seen in all kinds of ways.
i think the steel and glass could mean something about a syringe if the song really is about drug use
I can see hoe it can be looked on as a drug influenced song, but to be honest I agree with skaboss it has always stood out to me as more of a carpe diem idea, I look at it as a postive energy filled song of awesome :D
I agree that this song is about drug use.
Everyone thinks they dont have a problem when doing drugs and that they can controll their use(walked dog on a real short leash) but in hind sight addicts really don't (turned around saw the dog walk me)
Stainless steel and painted glass i think refers to spoons (sterling silver = stainless steel)(use spoons to free base) and pyrex pipes, bowls and bongs (painted glass) which is used to consume drugs.
The rest of the lyrics describe the feelings of being high and coming down from it(a pulse like a hammer and a mind to match no relief no food no sleep when you're king for a day you're a whore for a week)
And the last bit is about finally getting clean and telling his story through this song as a warning to us, to have caution when using, cuz they've been there before. Caution was a word he couldn't understand (when he started or someone in the group started) but he's got it now (that he's off of it). Brings it all full circle.