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."
Who am I to tell her
Who am I to play god
Who am I to think I can go it alone
Something tells me girl this is bringing you down
Something tells me this is bringing me down
We've been through some changes
Always seem to hold on
Lately it feel like you can't take anymore
Something tells me girl this is bringing you down
Something tells me girl this is bringing you down
Forever my friend
Forever my love
Forever the woman that I'm thinking of
I just think if we keep our hearts together
Just think if we build on this trust that we have for one another
Baby we can make this last a lifetime
Who am I to tell her
Who am I to play god
I don't know just what's for real anymore
Something tells me girl this is bringing you down
Something tells me girl this is bringing you down
Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right
Maybe it's the last thing you want to hear me say
I just think if we keep out hearts together
I just think if we build on this trust that we have for one another
Maybe we can make this last a lifetime
Forever my friend
Forever my love
Forever the woman
That I'm thinking of
I just think if we keep our hearts together
I just think if we will build on this trust that we have for one another
Maybe we can make this last a lifetime
Who am I to play god
Who am I to think I can go it alone
Something tells me girl this is bringing you down
Something tells me this is bringing me down
We've been through some changes
Always seem to hold on
Lately it feel like you can't take anymore
Something tells me girl this is bringing you down
Something tells me girl this is bringing you down
Forever my friend
Forever my love
Forever the woman that I'm thinking of
I just think if we keep our hearts together
Just think if we build on this trust that we have for one another
Baby we can make this last a lifetime
Who am I to tell her
Who am I to play god
I don't know just what's for real anymore
Something tells me girl this is bringing you down
Something tells me girl this is bringing you down
Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right
Maybe it's the last thing you want to hear me say
I just think if we keep out hearts together
I just think if we build on this trust that we have for one another
Maybe we can make this last a lifetime
Forever my friend
Forever my love
Forever the woman
That I'm thinking of
I just think if we keep our hearts together
I just think if we will build on this trust that we have for one another
Maybe we can make this last a lifetime
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
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.
This song has a special meaning to me because it makes me think of the person I love. We had been friends as teenagers and into our early 20's but had gotten separated by life's circumstances. Those same circumstances had always kept us from dating though we'd had a little crush on each other since our teenage days.
When we reconnected I was in a relationship. It wasn't bad but it felt incomplete. Meeting him again was like waking up, it was like getting beat over the head with the reason I felt incomplete where I was. How can you walk away from someone who is your best friend even after nearly seven years without seeing each other. It was a difficult situation but I gained much out of it.
When we were in the confusing first stages of our reconnection we would talk for hours about everything and nothing. In one of those conversations I asked him if there was a song that made him think of me. Oddly enough he had just come across Ray Lamontagne and this song in particular.
This song will always be our song, and I tease him that he should write Mr. LaMontagne a thank you note someday. So yea, when I hear it I hear our story, a girl and a boy who have always been close friends but never together. He sees her in a relationship she doesn't know how to leave because she can't leave a good person even if he's not right for her. She's confused and he doesn't know if he should say this or not, who is he to play God after all, but he encourages her to listen to her doubt and then offers himself and makes his case for why she should be with him.
It's definitely a romantic song about taking a leap of faith to be with the one whose always been there, even if it was just in the back of your mind.