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."
Hold on to your genre, your genre's got a hold on you.
Hold on to your hair-do, it's the only thing to hold onto.
Hold on to your genre, your genre's got a hold on you.
Get up on the vapor, 'cause the solid's tough to hold onto.
There's a promise in the back room. See it written in the bathroom.
You tell a little lie and then you
Try to get us in your bedroom.
You see our little lives and then you
Try to drag you to your death tomb.
I've been checking the seams of your red velvet blazer.
Now I'm haunted by dreams of the things I've found hid there:
All the rabbits you've vanished,
All the cards that you've killed,
All the dawns that you've banished
With too many pills.
Together forever,
The pity, the pleasure,
The privilege, the pressure,
The arteries we sever.
The stillness it chills us
It's chills that we crave.
The stillness will fill us when we fill in our graves.
I never wanted something
Like nothing half this much.
I'd gladly trade my state
For nullity and such.
For once to stop this buzzing
And the lights inside my head.
Can I please have truly nothing,
Once before I'm dead?
There's a promise in the back room. See it written in the bathroom.
You tell a little lie and then you
Try to get us in your bedroom.
You see our little lives and then you
Try to drag us to your death tomb.
I've been checking the seams of your red velvet blazer.
And I'm seeing the lines of your will and your wish list:
And you wish you were nothing,
And you wish you were cold,
And you wish day's meant something
So you'd stop getting old.
Back in the day you loved the night,
And you would feast with great delight.
A walnut coffin lined in silk,
And the daughters blood was mother's milk.
But now with fangs red as dusk,
A wet mouth in a drid up husk,
You try to make me one of "us."
Are you sick of being pretty?
Are you sick of being cool?
Are you alive beneath your makeup?
Or just an un-dead ghoul?
Hold on to your hair-do, it's the only thing to hold onto.
Hold on to your genre, your genre's got a hold on you.
Get up on the vapor, 'cause the solid's tough to hold onto.
There's a promise in the back room. See it written in the bathroom.
You tell a little lie and then you
Try to get us in your bedroom.
You see our little lives and then you
Try to drag you to your death tomb.
I've been checking the seams of your red velvet blazer.
Now I'm haunted by dreams of the things I've found hid there:
All the rabbits you've vanished,
All the cards that you've killed,
All the dawns that you've banished
With too many pills.
Together forever,
The pity, the pleasure,
The privilege, the pressure,
The arteries we sever.
The stillness it chills us
It's chills that we crave.
The stillness will fill us when we fill in our graves.
I never wanted something
Like nothing half this much.
I'd gladly trade my state
For nullity and such.
For once to stop this buzzing
And the lights inside my head.
Can I please have truly nothing,
Once before I'm dead?
There's a promise in the back room. See it written in the bathroom.
You tell a little lie and then you
Try to get us in your bedroom.
You see our little lives and then you
Try to drag us to your death tomb.
I've been checking the seams of your red velvet blazer.
And I'm seeing the lines of your will and your wish list:
And you wish you were nothing,
And you wish you were cold,
And you wish day's meant something
So you'd stop getting old.
Back in the day you loved the night,
And you would feast with great delight.
A walnut coffin lined in silk,
And the daughters blood was mother's milk.
But now with fangs red as dusk,
A wet mouth in a drid up husk,
You try to make me one of "us."
Are you sick of being pretty?
Are you sick of being cool?
Are you alive beneath your makeup?
Or just an un-dead ghoul?
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
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/
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Is this a song about meditation?
to me it seems tim's talking about artists or people in general being faithful to their passion for music or life in general. People liking something or acting a certain way for popularity or reasons that arent geniune. Take all the ' the ' bands who've come on board lately, twisting their style to suit what's cool at the time.. the last 4 lines of this song are killers.
Are you sick of being pretty? Are you sick of being cool? Are you alive beneath your makeup? Or just an un-dead ghoul?
creams his panties
I think the vampie imagery is more damning than those last four lines. It seems to me Tim Harrington is probably directing this as much to the artists and fans within the very genre in which his band has been placed as to commercially successful rock groups. To me, though, this song seems really critical of the "too cool to dance" hipsters Tim Harrington likes to antagonize at their live shows. Or so I've heard.
The beginning of this song reminds me of Joy Division.
i definitely agree with leonperkin's and artformsnow's takes, but i like to apply the lyrics in another way. :)
i may be misconstruing this to my current situation, but it seems to me like this is the epitomy of the anti-establishment/stereotype song.
"hold on to your genre, your genre's got a hold on you"
the line "there's a promise in the backroom/see it written in the bathroom" seems to be mocking the sexuality of teenagers today - or more just, its increasing pressure.
we do magic tricks (rabbits, cards) to perform for others, instead of just being ourselves.
the bit "together, forever/the pity, the pleasure" are the strongest lyrics to me in the song.
he's looking at all this and he wants to have none of it. he doesn't want to be "established", doesn't want to be apart of the sexuality, the magic tricks.. he just wants to be himself.
still kind of hazy on the vampire imagery.. uh.. hahaha!
I'm sure that each person brings their own experiences to this song, but I cant get Peter Murphy out of my head when I listen to it. Its just so gothic and vampire like. Love the line about the wet mouth. It brings to me the image of a ghostly white face with blood in the mouth.
Personally, i take this song to be about the whole conforming to the interests of everyone else.
'Hold on to your hair-do, it's the only thing to hold onto.' I think this is about how certain styles are associated with various genres of music. And by taking on this style you let the music define you hence the 'it's the only thing to hold onto'
I think the last 4 lines express the artists feelings towards those who are taken in by the mindless conformity. 'un-dead ghoul' meaning said people are brainless, the same as the people they aspire to look/act like with no individuality. 'you try to make me one of 'us' ' ^
Maybe i've misinterpreted the song but thats what i thought it meant.
I also agree with 'montana judas' about the start sounding like Joy Division.
This jam came out before the whole vampire, Twilight craze. Did Les Savy Fav help start the type of fad that they criticize? Probably not, but I like to visualize goths and hipsters alike dancing like crazy to this song, because, while it seems kind of emo, it really transcends genres in subject matter. Maybe they gave it a goth rock sound because goths tend to stick to their genre more than anyone. Anyway, do the mood and vocals in this remind anyone else of Billy Idol?