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."
Fake tales of San Francisco
Echo through the room
More point to a wedding disco
Without a bride or groom
And there's a super cool band, yeah
With their trilbies and their glasses of white wine
And all the weekend rock stars are in the toilet
Practicing their lines
I don't want to hear you
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you, no
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you
I don't want to hear your
Fake tales of San Francisco
Echo through the air
And there's a few bored faces at the back
All wishing they weren't there
And as the microphone squeaks
A young girl's telephone beeps
Yeah, she's dashing for the exit
Oh, she's running to the streets outside
"Oh, you've saved me," she screams down the line
"The band were fucking wank
And I'm not having a nice time"
I don't want to hear you
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you, no
(Kick me out, kick me out)
Yeah, but his bird said it's amazing, though
So all that's left
Is the proof that love's not only blind but deaf
He talks of San Francisco, he's from Hunter's Bar
I don't quite know the distance
But I'm sure that's far
Yeah I'm sure it's pretty far
And yeah, I'd love to tell you all my problem
You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham
So get off the bandwagon, and put down the handbook
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
Echo through the room
More point to a wedding disco
Without a bride or groom
And there's a super cool band, yeah
With their trilbies and their glasses of white wine
And all the weekend rock stars are in the toilet
Practicing their lines
I don't want to hear you
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you, no
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you
I don't want to hear your
Fake tales of San Francisco
Echo through the air
And there's a few bored faces at the back
All wishing they weren't there
And as the microphone squeaks
A young girl's telephone beeps
Yeah, she's dashing for the exit
Oh, she's running to the streets outside
"Oh, you've saved me," she screams down the line
"The band were fucking wank
And I'm not having a nice time"
I don't want to hear you
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you, no
(Kick me out, kick me out)
Yeah, but his bird said it's amazing, though
So all that's left
Is the proof that love's not only blind but deaf
He talks of San Francisco, he's from Hunter's Bar
I don't quite know the distance
But I'm sure that's far
Yeah I'm sure it's pretty far
And yeah, I'd love to tell you all my problem
You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham
So get off the bandwagon, and put down the handbook
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
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Great song, cheers Alex Turner. this is what I think, it is probably false.
In the first verse,
He is saying that there is a band singing about San Francisco. He uses the word "fake" because they probably have never been there (hence the third verse), so they don't know what they are talking about. He is saying they are singing at a fake wedding without a bride or groom, meaning that their gig is crap (because they couldn't get a better one). Then, he is using irony with the "super cool band", because they are obviously prestigious posers who have no idea what they are talking about. They think indeed, that they are a "super cool band", when in reality they suck. He uses more irony by saying "weekend rockstars", we all know that there is no such thing- you are either a rockstar or you are not. A weekend rockstar is just another term showing that the band he is describing thinks that they are the shit. He's basically calling them fake and posers. (making fun of them with the "white wine", they probably drink it to look classy)
And then for the "I don't wanna hear you, kick me out, kick me out" No one wants to hear this shitty band, and they all want to leave the gig.
3rd verse, they are tediously going on about San Francisco because they aren't original to come up with anything else to sing about, and people are starting to get bored and wanting to leave. "there are a few bored faces wishing they weren't there"
4th verse, this band must not be used to using quality equipment, or must not be experienced at all, or it just gets awkwardly silent and the microphone starts to squeak because even it doesn't want to hear this shitty music anymore. A young girl [teenager probably, they are always on their phones] is looking for a way to get out of this gig, and her friends picking her up, she's happy to death that her friend saved her, and she calls the band [fucking wank], obviously saying she's had the shittiest time ever and they suck.
5th verse, "his bird said its amazing, though so all thats left... but deaf" it seems to me as though the teenager's friend is replying to what she said in the previous verse, his bird being one of the bands lover's? And if so, everyone says "love is blind", and this proves that love is also deaf, because who could love anyone who participates in this shitty band?
6th verse, "he talks of SF, he's from Hunter's Bar ... far" It is revealed this band talks/sings about San Francisco over and over again, and they've never even been there. This is probably showing us how bands these days, the poser ones, sing about all this stuff that hasn't even happened to them, or they sing about bull shit, are terrible live, and everyones looking for an escape to leave.
7th verse, "And yeah, I'd love to tell you... Rotherham" Alex is basically saying shut the fuck up, stop singing about stuff you don't know about, if your sequel to San Francisco is New York City, you STILL don't know what you are talking about because you are from Rotherham, England. Stick to what you know. A bandwagon has two meanings, one being a stage or a movable platform, that bands go on for parades and such and a certain activity that has suddenly become popular, or mainstream. (this is what makes the wording in this line pure genius) Everything music wise, or even in general these days, that is mainstream or popular is really crap lyrics and everything wise. These shitty boy bands that sing about things that they don't know about at all, or these stupid popstars and people who think they are the shit are very popular right now. He's saying get off the platform and [just because you are singing mainstream shit, it doesn't make it good] put down the handbook (supposedly on how to be a successful band? how to be popular in this generation?)
anyways, this song is pure genius, Alex is a boss in recognizing the complete bull shit mainstream music is today. Anyone, and i mean anyone could write the type of shit they put on the radio, quite depressing. This is my interpretation of the song, probably not correct.