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."
I'm like a storm cloud eager when to go wild
Calm again
I ask permission for the wrong to win
Drop the bomb and get your story out and get it on
In a haze, the beginning of your days
Going to fall down
Got to get back up, but at your own pace
Get to fill your cup and find the way
Out of your own maze
Yeah boy, what you said now!
And hide the rule book throw it in the waste
Look strong
Like you belong, cause you do belong
Whether right or wrong, you belong
Cause, I'm on your side, if you fail, at least you tried
To keep your aching, celebrating,
Wonder making heart alive, yeah.
And pride, don't keep it all inside
Don't keep your aching, celebrating,
Wonder making heart alone
Write your own song.
What ever happened to our inner glow?
What ever happened to the song, the soul, the me, I used to know?
What ever happened to my radio?
What ever happened to my song?
It is my song.
So here's a preview. shove it under old/new
Or call it rock, or pop, or Bach, or fuck
Goddamn! Where did we go wrong?
Now there's a category for every song
Yeah, we only want to sing when we want to
Yeah, we only want a dream we can flaunt to
Yeah, we only want to fly by the side, making love
To the rhythm, be a Jeckyl and a Hyde
Yeah, we only want a field we can run through
Yeah, we only want a beat we can drum to
Yeah, we only want to fly by the side, making love
To the rhythm, be a Jekyll and a Hyde
So stride, if you fail, at least you tried
To keep your aching, celebrating
Wonder making heart alive
And pride, don't keep it all inside
Don't keep your aching, celebrating
Wonder making heart alone
Write your own song.
What ever happened to our inner glow?
What ever happened to the song, the soul, the me, I used to know?
What ever happened to my radio?
What ever happened to that song?
It is my song.
Gonna wake up strong
Ya we're all gonna wake up strong
Calm again
I ask permission for the wrong to win
Drop the bomb and get your story out and get it on
In a haze, the beginning of your days
Going to fall down
Got to get back up, but at your own pace
Get to fill your cup and find the way
Out of your own maze
Yeah boy, what you said now!
And hide the rule book throw it in the waste
Look strong
Like you belong, cause you do belong
Whether right or wrong, you belong
Cause, I'm on your side, if you fail, at least you tried
To keep your aching, celebrating,
Wonder making heart alive, yeah.
And pride, don't keep it all inside
Don't keep your aching, celebrating,
Wonder making heart alone
Write your own song.
What ever happened to our inner glow?
What ever happened to the song, the soul, the me, I used to know?
What ever happened to my radio?
What ever happened to my song?
It is my song.
So here's a preview. shove it under old/new
Or call it rock, or pop, or Bach, or fuck
Goddamn! Where did we go wrong?
Now there's a category for every song
Yeah, we only want to sing when we want to
Yeah, we only want a dream we can flaunt to
Yeah, we only want to fly by the side, making love
To the rhythm, be a Jeckyl and a Hyde
Yeah, we only want a field we can run through
Yeah, we only want a beat we can drum to
Yeah, we only want to fly by the side, making love
To the rhythm, be a Jekyll and a Hyde
So stride, if you fail, at least you tried
To keep your aching, celebrating
Wonder making heart alive
And pride, don't keep it all inside
Don't keep your aching, celebrating
Wonder making heart alone
Write your own song.
What ever happened to our inner glow?
What ever happened to the song, the soul, the me, I used to know?
What ever happened to my radio?
What ever happened to that song?
It is my song.
Gonna wake up strong
Ya we're all gonna wake up strong
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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,
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Zomg I love this song so much, everytime I hear it, it almost has the power to make me break down and cry. I think this song is about life in general, as we go through life we have a lot of things thrown at us, good and bad but its how we deal with it. Over time we tend to migrate away from people who we use to be or strive to be. This song is saying just to be you, that you have to over come whatever is thrown at you, that its ok to fail its ok to feel bad its ok to cry its ok to be you.