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."
With all the clarity of dream
The sky so blue, the grass so green
The rank and file and the navy blue
The deep and strong, the straight and true
The blue line they got the given sign
The belts and boots march forward in time
The wood and leather the club and shield
Swept like a wave across the battlefield
Now with all the clarity of dream
The blood so red, the grass so green
The gleam of spur on chestnut flank
The cavalry did burst upon the ranks
Oh the iron will and iron hand
In England's green and pleasant land
No music for the shameful scene
That night they said it had even shocked the queen
Well alas we've seen it all before
Knights in armor, days of yore
The same old fears and the same old crimes
We haven't changed since ancient times
The sky so blue, the grass so green
The rank and file and the navy blue
The deep and strong, the straight and true
The blue line they got the given sign
The belts and boots march forward in time
The wood and leather the club and shield
Swept like a wave across the battlefield
Now with all the clarity of dream
The blood so red, the grass so green
The gleam of spur on chestnut flank
The cavalry did burst upon the ranks
Oh the iron will and iron hand
In England's green and pleasant land
No music for the shameful scene
That night they said it had even shocked the queen
Well alas we've seen it all before
Knights in armor, days of yore
The same old fears and the same old crimes
We haven't changed since ancient times
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Yes, this is about the miners strike. Apparently, Knopfler had turned the TV on one evening and caught a report about the clash between the police and the miners, and the report had said that the Queen had been shocked by the violence. He thought, 'I'm not surprised, it shocks me, too!' and the song was written from that. I love the typical Knopfler bit at the end - all the way through, it seems as if he's condemning Margaret Thatcher and the police action, and yet at the end he says, 'We haven't changed since ancient times' which puts the onus for everything squarely on all of us, and it's true! Deep down, almost everyone is capable of just about anything. Mark Knopfler's writing is exceptional, I don't think I've ever seen a song of his where he's put in a word or phrase just so that it rhymes, his lyrics are always so well thought out. I think he and Paul Simon are the most outstanding musicians/song writers of our time. And by the way, has anyone read a book called 'The Sound Of one Hand Clapping' by Fay Doxford? Because it seems to me that the lead character, a famous musician, has a lot in common with Mark Knopfler!
@gutti Thanks for your insight. Was there cavalry involved in those events? Isn\'t this a song of the red and white roses?
No, you seem to be right. It\'s about the Battle of Orgreave. Cheers
A simple but effective anti-war song. Like most of the OES album, it aims at a fairly mediocre target and hits it.
I think this song is about the fairly brutal put-downs of the miner's protest during the miner's strike in the UK in the 80s.
It relates to the Battle of Orgreave during the UK miners' strike, with Mark Knopfler remarking on how the police charge on horseback into the crowd of striking miners had reminded him of the savagery of medieval times. The title is most likely a reference to Margaret Thatcher's nickname, the "Iron Lady"