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."
Do you ever look around
Turn your ear to the ground
Show your face to the sky
On a night when the skies echo sounds
From inside of your mind
On the stage that you shone
Where the sun did become you
And move with your thoughts
Through the sighs and the scenes
Of the worlds you have seen
And the sights that have been
Your reflection in shadows and dreams
Your reflection in shadows and dreams?
Did you ever see a man
Who did walk down the street
White robe with no shoes on his feet
And on top of his head place a box with two slits?
And the sign from his neck said
"I do not exist"
Or a woman who could not remember her name
Did stutter and stutter
Again and again
And saw you and called you her son?
Her eyes said
"My being is gone"
"But still I'm not dead"
Oh, miserere, miserere
Miserere, miserere
Miserere me
Have you ever seen a sound?
Have you listened to an image?
Have you ever touched a thought?
Have you ever tasted nothing?
Have you ever told a lie
That was true more than truth
Because truth it had lied
All its life when it spoke to you?
And what did it say?
It is that, it is this
This goes here, here is there
It is not, yes it is
It was dulling your senses
Your eyes they were bound
Have you ever, my friends
Been looking around?
And the other replies
With a wave of a hand
I am already here
In this promised land
But not by a God and not by a king
And not by a spirit
Deep from within
I am here
Because a miracle's a whim
It's a flash of glory
It's an empty tin
And maybe might lets you in
Not to save you
But to keep on looking
Oh, miserere, miserere
Miserere, miserere
Miserere me
Oh, miserere, miserere
Oh, miserere, miserere
Have you ever
Been so happy that you're sad?
That the lights turn to stars
And the stars become eyes
And hellos are goodbyes
And the laughs are the sighs
And the show disappears with the note
"Until next time"
Long live living
If living can be this
Long live living
If living can be this
Long live living
If living can be this
Long live living
If living can be this
Do you ever look around
And find what is yet to be found?
Turn your ear to the ground
Show your face to the sky
On a night when the skies echo sounds
From inside of your mind
On the stage that you shone
Where the sun did become you
And move with your thoughts
Through the sighs and the scenes
Of the worlds you have seen
And the sights that have been
Your reflection in shadows and dreams
Your reflection in shadows and dreams?
Did you ever see a man
Who did walk down the street
White robe with no shoes on his feet
And on top of his head place a box with two slits?
And the sign from his neck said
"I do not exist"
Or a woman who could not remember her name
Did stutter and stutter
Again and again
And saw you and called you her son?
Her eyes said
"My being is gone"
"But still I'm not dead"
Oh, miserere, miserere
Miserere, miserere
Miserere me
Have you ever seen a sound?
Have you listened to an image?
Have you ever touched a thought?
Have you ever tasted nothing?
Have you ever told a lie
That was true more than truth
Because truth it had lied
All its life when it spoke to you?
And what did it say?
It is that, it is this
This goes here, here is there
It is not, yes it is
It was dulling your senses
Your eyes they were bound
Have you ever, my friends
Been looking around?
And the other replies
With a wave of a hand
I am already here
In this promised land
But not by a God and not by a king
And not by a spirit
Deep from within
I am here
Because a miracle's a whim
It's a flash of glory
It's an empty tin
And maybe might lets you in
Not to save you
But to keep on looking
Oh, miserere, miserere
Miserere, miserere
Miserere me
Oh, miserere, miserere
Oh, miserere, miserere
Have you ever
Been so happy that you're sad?
That the lights turn to stars
And the stars become eyes
And hellos are goodbyes
And the laughs are the sighs
And the show disappears with the note
"Until next time"
Long live living
If living can be this
Long live living
If living can be this
Long live living
If living can be this
Long live living
If living can be this
Do you ever look around
And find what is yet to be found?
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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Yo La Tengo
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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,
Blue
Ed Sheeran
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Punchline
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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.
Amazing
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the little boy's voive in the song is feilx's younger brother max
feilx said that the song maght sound sad and depressing, but it is meant to be an uplifting song