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."
have you heard about jack johnson, hes a hero in this land. i dont like to sing about boxing but i hope youll understand. it was the 1st year they gave teh heavyweight to a black man and in 1908 it aint so easy. he was born right after slavery died, right after reconstruction died, born right after none of that stuff really died at all. he would walk down the streets wearing gold & diamonds, always hold his head up high, & he never had to say yes sir or no sir to the white forlks as they passed him by, or as he passed them by. so the great white hope was pulled out of retirement to nurse the bruised & shattered white pride. & when johnson beat him down there wasnt a man around at his side. when the fight was over there was beatings & murders, the worst race riot this country has seen. all because they didnt want a black man winning in their ring. who said heroes had to be role models anyway?
Lyrics submitted by 202033
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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Radiohead
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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.
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Ed Sheeran
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“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
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.
good song
agreed
Great song, I agree. It's obviously about Jack Johnson, a black boxer who managed to defeat the (white) Heavyweight champion. Look up Jack Johnson on Wikipedia if you don't understand the lyrics.
I do have one question, though. At the beginning of the song, it calls Jack Johnson a hero, which almost the rest of the song confirms. However, the end of the song says
"who said heroes had to be role models anyway?"
Jack Johnson had several flaws, but as none of them are mentioned in the song, I am hesitant to say that is the reason for that line. Does anyone have any ideas?
I most definitely agree with you (fortherechord) of your implication of the last line in this kick ass song. I think it's meaning may have something to do with the fact that Johnson was one of the very few black boxers of his time, and as we all know, his talent led to extreme mayhem. The majority of boxers/boxing fans of his time were against him. Therefore, as a boxer AND individual, he was more frowned upon than looked up to. I have no idea if this even applies to the true meaning of "who said heroes had to be role models anyway?" but it's just a thought.
The issue of Jack Johnson's life were left out of the song, this is true. He was known to cohort with prostitutes often and ended up marrying a former prostitute (she was white). He was also a bit of a drinker and a gambler. He had a penchant for buying fast cars and expensive jewelry. When you think of Jack Johnson, frame him as the kid recently drafted to the NBA that blows $15k partying with his friends and ends up arrested. That's Jack Johnson out of the ring. He was hardly a role model to base your life on; however, he stood up and broke racial barriers like they were the faces of those he fought.