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."
1. Murray Ostril: "...they don't sleep anymore on the beach..." (00:00 - 01:10)
2. Monheim (01:10 - 13:24)
3. Broken Windows, Locks Of Love pt. III. / 3rd Part (13:24 - 23:17)
this next piece are spoke words from the song by an older man
speaking of past memories. this is also written in out to match
the man's dialect. hence, Coney Allen and not Coney Island.
And-ah... Anyways, lets see what else I-I, eh..
It was Coney Allen, they called Coney Allen the playground of the world.
There was no place like it, in the whole world.., like Coney Allen when I was a youngster.
No place in the world like it!
It was so fabulous, now it's shrunk down to almost nothing, you see, eh-heh.
And I still remember, in my mind how things used to be.
And-ah you know I feel very bad.
But people from all over the world came here, from all over the world.
There was a playground they called the playground of the worlds, over here.
Anyways, so but I-ah you know.
i even got, when I was very small I even got lost in Coney Allen.
But they found me. On the beach.
And we used to sleep on the beach here, sleep over night.
They don't do it anymore.. things changed.
They dont sleep anymore on the beach...
2. Monheim (01:10 - 13:24)
3. Broken Windows, Locks Of Love pt. III. / 3rd Part (13:24 - 23:17)
this next piece are spoke words from the song by an older man
speaking of past memories. this is also written in out to match
the man's dialect. hence, Coney Allen and not Coney Island.
And-ah... Anyways, lets see what else I-I, eh..
It was Coney Allen, they called Coney Allen the playground of the world.
There was no place like it, in the whole world.., like Coney Allen when I was a youngster.
No place in the world like it!
It was so fabulous, now it's shrunk down to almost nothing, you see, eh-heh.
And I still remember, in my mind how things used to be.
And-ah you know I feel very bad.
But people from all over the world came here, from all over the world.
There was a playground they called the playground of the worlds, over here.
Anyways, so but I-ah you know.
i even got, when I was very small I even got lost in Coney Allen.
But they found me. On the beach.
And we used to sleep on the beach here, sleep over night.
They don't do it anymore.. things changed.
They dont sleep anymore on the beach...
Lyrics submitted by Radiofloyd
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Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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This is very easy to tell, it's about nostalgia and yearning for the good ole days.
Every time I listen to this song I imagine a town, so vibrant and beautiful, bustling with thousands of happy faces and the hymn of high spirits amongst the townsfolk. A childhood memory of warmth and solace.
Return years later to find that the buildings sleep, and the only voices that comfort you now... are the tremulous cries of the distant past; the past, that will never live again.
"The city sleeps, for good."
seems the old man is gonna cry such a sad, beautiful and powerful song
When I heard that man almost break down in the end, I felt like I was going to cry. The music was just that powerful for me.
Bloodwinter; that's such an amazing visual, I can understand that perfectly.
Bloodwinter, your comment is almost as beautiful as this song itself.
These guys are one of my favourite bands! I really dislike how people judge them, and call them dumb because their songs are long. People need to understand music, and understand people value different types of music.
In my opinion, this is Godspeed's best song by far
i agree. During the part after the first climax when theres a whole lot of repitition, you can actually hear a guy grunting in the background if you listen closely. Scared the crap out of me the first time i heard it.
I think the string/offbeat drumming bit at the end ("broken windows, locks of love pt.3") is the most beautiful peice of music i have ever heard.
I think that the speech by the old man is talking about how our world has changed. Obviously, he's talking about how you used to be able to sleep on the beach, now people fear being outside at night, asleep or awake.
this is one of the prettiest works of art that i have ever heard.