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."
So you say that your heart
When it beats its like a landslide
And the word on the street from the man
It brings you down
Can you still find the time and the signs
To look around
You tell me love
Tell me where the stars sleep
Tell me why your eyes weep
I really want to know
And show me love
Take me to the place where
Everything would change there
And we'd all be free
And you place your faith in a mountain
But what you don't understand
Is that the man is
The same old rock
Can you still find the time and the signs
To look around
And tell me love
Tell me where the stars sleep
Tell me why your eyes weep
I really want to know
And show me love
Take me to the place where
Everything would change there
And we'd all be free
These are the times
When we live inside our minds
With our hands in the air
There's voices everywhere
In the slipstream
It's like a daydream
These are the days
When we're dancing through the haze
With our ears to the ground
We're searching for the sound
Of a dove's cry, but it won't be over until
You tell me love
Tell me where the stars sleep
Tell me why your eyes weep
I really want to know
And show me love
Take me to the place where
Everything would change there
And we'd all be free
I really want to know [x4]
When it beats its like a landslide
And the word on the street from the man
It brings you down
Can you still find the time and the signs
To look around
You tell me love
Tell me where the stars sleep
Tell me why your eyes weep
I really want to know
And show me love
Take me to the place where
Everything would change there
And we'd all be free
And you place your faith in a mountain
But what you don't understand
Is that the man is
The same old rock
Can you still find the time and the signs
To look around
And tell me love
Tell me where the stars sleep
Tell me why your eyes weep
I really want to know
And show me love
Take me to the place where
Everything would change there
And we'd all be free
These are the times
When we live inside our minds
With our hands in the air
There's voices everywhere
In the slipstream
It's like a daydream
These are the days
When we're dancing through the haze
With our ears to the ground
We're searching for the sound
Of a dove's cry, but it won't be over until
You tell me love
Tell me where the stars sleep
Tell me why your eyes weep
I really want to know
And show me love
Take me to the place where
Everything would change there
And we'd all be free
I really want to know [x4]
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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/
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.
I don't know if I'm accurate on this one but... Jeff's first CD was Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club by the Beatles. On that CD is a song called Within You/Without You, by George Harrison... I'm sure many of you have heard it. If you haven't heard or listened to that song I suggest you do. (All you need is Love is another one.)
Okay, so the first stanza is asking a question, on the surface its about a girl... on closer inspection it is asking the listener a question "Can you still find the time and the signs To look around" (?)
The chorus is about a desire for knowledge, knowing about 'the other side' ; "Everything would change there And we'd all be free" - These two lines are parallels to George Harrison's composition.
The third stanza is really cryptic. I read a quote by Pythagoras that said "A stone is frozen music." what this means is that everything is a vibration, like music. A frozen stone is just slow waves of energy. This being said, a mountain is the same as man. "And you place your faith in a mountain But what you don't understand Is that the man is The same old rock"
The fifth and final stanza is quite blatant. "These are the times When we live inside our minds" Meditation is becoming very popular, it is the key to a higher form of being, Jeff is saying this should be the time when we live inside our minds. "In the slipstream, It's like a daydream" the higher frequencies or levels of meditation are like a slipstream or a daydream. "These are the days When we're dancing through the haze With our ears to the ground We're searching for the sound Of a dove's cry, but it won't be over until" Jeff is saying that we are now dancing through a haze, unable to see the light so we have our ears to the ground, but we only hear the cry of a dove. The cry of a dove symbolizes death, and the entire world is fighting.
Take it or leave it, thats just what I got out of it. I mean on the surface its about a girl... but I just see more in it.
Cheers~
Wow no comments lol... I really love this song... Its sad... Tea party have been around for along time my best friend got me into them about 10 or 7 yrs ago i don't remember. don't know the meaning... can some one tell me cause i really wanna know.
Beautiful song awesome video. To have been there to watch Jeff sing this and work his magic on the crowd at the opening concert for The Seven Circles tour was a privledge indeed. Im a Tea Party fan and Jeff Martin fangirl for life.
As for meaning... Im not to concrete on this one
Possibly about someone who is in love and doesn't have time for the world around them, or they don't realize that this person is not as perfect as they think "Is that the man is The same old rock Can you still find the time and the signs To look around"
Hence the term Stargazer.
Closest I could get was it about being in love with a woman who is in love with another, and doesn't notice the man who is love. Tea Party songs are often difficult to decipher.
I think that the man's in love with a woman who's in love with a different guy, one that's nothing special and will treat her like any other man. Hence the "And you place your faith in a mountain / But what you don't understand / Is that the man is / The same old rock" and the guy who's in love with her is telling her "to look around" and see that the world has so much more to offer and she shouldn't waste her time on people who aren't worth it. That's what I got.
Anyway, I love this song but it sounds so different from all of their other stuff that I've heard. More like mainstream rock, I guess. I can't exactly put my thumb on it but the song feels really different than their other stuff. The first time I heard it, I was like, "This can't be Tea Party," but then -he- started singing and I knew it was. XD His voice is so unique, no one else could sound like him.
"Can you still find the time in the signs to look around"
Basically asking "can you still find the time to get with it?" like, can you find the time to stop being so blinded. This hole song I think is about him asking this question.... What do you see in this guy? "And you place your faith in a mountain But what you don't understand Is that the man is The same old rock" ....he's saying this guy is dull, boring...theres nothing really great about him, he's a rock. What do you see in him? "Tell me why your eyes weep, I really wanna know" He's saying, its clear your unhappy, so why are you still with him?
This is a shot in the dark here kids, i'm really not positive. Kick ass track, a true band. The beginning of song is amazing.