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."
You've got a fast car
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we can make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere
Anyplace is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
Me myself I got nothing to prove
You've got a fast car
I've got a plan to get us out of here
I've been working at East Side's Health and Children's Centre
I've managed to save just a little bit of money
We won't have to drive too far
Just across the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
Finally see what it means to be living
You see my old man's got a problem
He lives with his prescription drugs and that's the way it is
His body's too old for working
His body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
Somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit life and that's what I did
You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
Leave tonight or live and die this way
I remember we were driving
Driving in your car
The speed so fast it felt like I was drunk
The city lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
I had a feeling I could be someone
Be someone
Be someone
You got a fast car
We go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still don't have a job
And I work in the market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a big house and live in the suburbs
I remember we were driving
Driving in your car
The speed so fast it felt like I was drunk
The city lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
I had a feeling I could be someone
Be someone
Be someone
You got a fast car
I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out late drinking at the bar
You see your friends more than you do your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Maybe together you and me would find it
I got no plans, I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving
I remember we were driving
Driving in your car
The speed so fast it felt like I was drunk
The city lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
I had a feeling I could be someone
Be someone
Be someone
You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
Leave tonight or live and die this way
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we can make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere
Anyplace is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
Me myself I got nothing to prove
You've got a fast car
I've got a plan to get us out of here
I've been working at East Side's Health and Children's Centre
I've managed to save just a little bit of money
We won't have to drive too far
Just across the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
Finally see what it means to be living
You see my old man's got a problem
He lives with his prescription drugs and that's the way it is
His body's too old for working
His body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
Somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit life and that's what I did
You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
Leave tonight or live and die this way
I remember we were driving
Driving in your car
The speed so fast it felt like I was drunk
The city lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
I had a feeling I could be someone
Be someone
Be someone
You got a fast car
We go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still don't have a job
And I work in the market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a big house and live in the suburbs
I remember we were driving
Driving in your car
The speed so fast it felt like I was drunk
The city lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
I had a feeling I could be someone
Be someone
Be someone
You got a fast car
I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out late drinking at the bar
You see your friends more than you do your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Maybe together you and me would find it
I got no plans, I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving
I remember we were driving
Driving in your car
The speed so fast it felt like I was drunk
The city lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
I had a feeling I could be someone
Be someone
Be someone
You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
Leave tonight or live and die this way
Lyrics submitted by Airyca
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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,
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.
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.
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.
No offense to anyone who likes this song, but it annoys the heck out of me. As a matter of fact, Xiu Xiu annoys the heck out of me in general. I just dont dig the mix of wispering and talking super fast when I just want to get lost in pretty voices and music.
I found the original by Tracy Chapman last week and its 100 X better in my opinion.