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."
We started living in an old house
My ma gave birth and we were checking it out
It was a baby boy
So we bought him a toy
It was a ray gun
And it was 1981
We named him Baby
He had a toothache
He started crying
It sounded like an earthquake
It didn't last long
Because I stopped it
I grabbed a rag doll
And stuck some little pins in it
Now we're a family
And we're alright now
We got money and a little place
To fight now
We don't know you
And we don't owe you
But if you see us around
I got something else to show you
Now it's easy when you don't know better
You think it's sleazy?
Then put it in a short letter
We keep warm
But there's just something wrong
When you
Just feel that you're the hardest little button to button
I had opinions
That didn't matter
I had a brain
That felt like pancake batter
I got a backyard
With nothing in it
Except a stick
A dog
And a box with something in it
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
Uh-oh
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
Uh-oh
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
Uh-oh
My ma gave birth and we were checking it out
It was a baby boy
So we bought him a toy
It was a ray gun
And it was 1981
We named him Baby
He had a toothache
He started crying
It sounded like an earthquake
It didn't last long
Because I stopped it
I grabbed a rag doll
And stuck some little pins in it
Now we're a family
And we're alright now
We got money and a little place
To fight now
We don't know you
And we don't owe you
But if you see us around
I got something else to show you
Now it's easy when you don't know better
You think it's sleazy?
Then put it in a short letter
We keep warm
But there's just something wrong
When you
Just feel that you're the hardest little button to button
I had opinions
That didn't matter
I had a brain
That felt like pancake batter
I got a backyard
With nothing in it
Except a stick
A dog
And a box with something in it
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
Uh-oh
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
Uh-oh
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
The hardest button to button
Uh-oh
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I think Jack writes lyrics like Anthony KEidis from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. They just are not meant to make sense to us.
I disagree with teh communism idea, this song has nothing to do with class and stuff. I'm sorry i just don't think so.
I do think that this song is about his life. His mom having a new baby and him feeling in the background. Like the new baby took all the glory. I think he was feeling some hostility to it. "cause i stopped it/grabbed a rag doll and stuck some pins in it" he might have beaten this baby, or intimidated it with this doll.
But onto the the 'now we're a family' part of the song. He's grown up with his mom and 'baby'. He's not as angry with 'baby' anymore so thier sort of stable.
'The hardest button to button' might be his dad or something. Maybe he left the family when the mom was going to have the baby, that's why the started living in a old house. They had nowhere else to go. So his anger to 'baby' could be couped up from his dad. I dunno.
But i thinkt he hardest button to button might mean 'hard to swallow'. It's hard to swallow that his dad is gone, or left. But he's just saying that alot it's hard to get over a parent gone(as hard as it is to button that top button) but still, you get over it (get it buttoned)
I dunno. HE might have had a true story in this song, but changed the lyrics into these sort of silmiles and metaphors to makes sure we wouldn't figure this song out and thus, keep listening to try to figure it out. (jack you sly devil you ::wink wink::)