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."
A late April day and it's sunny outside
And a red little girl's at the top of a slide
And an orange old man at the bottom
Wants to take her for a ride
As she slips and she tumbles the orange man mumbles
Pennies crash down from the sky
And he tells her, he'll take her away where it's safe
And of course it is a lie
She's a third the down and her skirts are yanked up
And her little girl cheeks start to wrinkle
But her smile is wide and her legs are spread wider
Her hair growing long and her hips getting larger
Past getting brighter
Light growing weaker
She is halfway down now but the man is impatient
Shakes change in his pocket he might have to wait
But she's coming
She's coming
She's coming
Who are you blaming?
They're just playing
That's a good one, who left the playground
A good decade before the bell rang?
As she starts to draw nearer the view becomes clearer
The splinters are painful but she doesn't feel it
The pennies were loaded and as they exploded
She starts to spin out of control
Her eyes are now closing her sleeves are unrolling
Up past her head and her veins are all showing
Not that she noticed, she's thoroughly focused on
One old man who's laughing
Who's laughing
Who's laughing
Don't worry, I've got you
Don't worry, I've got you
Don't worry, I've got you
Don't worry, I've got you
The orange man got you
A late April day and it's sunny outside
And a red little girl's at the top of the slide
And an orange old man at the bottom
Wants to take her for a ride
And a red little girl's at the top of a slide
And an orange old man at the bottom
Wants to take her for a ride
As she slips and she tumbles the orange man mumbles
Pennies crash down from the sky
And he tells her, he'll take her away where it's safe
And of course it is a lie
She's a third the down and her skirts are yanked up
And her little girl cheeks start to wrinkle
But her smile is wide and her legs are spread wider
Her hair growing long and her hips getting larger
Past getting brighter
Light growing weaker
She is halfway down now but the man is impatient
Shakes change in his pocket he might have to wait
But she's coming
She's coming
She's coming
Who are you blaming?
They're just playing
That's a good one, who left the playground
A good decade before the bell rang?
As she starts to draw nearer the view becomes clearer
The splinters are painful but she doesn't feel it
The pennies were loaded and as they exploded
She starts to spin out of control
Her eyes are now closing her sleeves are unrolling
Up past her head and her veins are all showing
Not that she noticed, she's thoroughly focused on
One old man who's laughing
Who's laughing
Who's laughing
Don't worry, I've got you
Don't worry, I've got you
Don't worry, I've got you
Don't worry, I've got you
The orange man got you
A late April day and it's sunny outside
And a red little girl's at the top of the slide
And an orange old man at the bottom
Wants to take her for a ride
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
i really like this song. (yes, its a sad terrible song, but i like it)
"past getting brighter"
maybe its that the girl who is molested in this story has been before, and the orange man is illuminating her past making her remember.