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."
Born in a generation, write lies but no inspiration,
Couldn't tell you what you need to believe,
Throw away, your integrity
The radios on and you listen
The T.V.'s on and you'll watch
So look, mark it, why don't you buy in
There has to be some way to make it stop
By now, you should've figure out
That everything you believe
It was overconfident
So take my hand and let me lead you
To where we feel
With our backs against the wall and maybe our shadows aren't that tall
Is this what it takes to make you think
I can't believe it
With our backs against the wall and maybe our shadows aren't that tall
Is this what it takes to make you think
I can't believe it
With out backs against the wall
And maybe our shadows aren't that tall
Is this what it takes to make you think
I can't believe it
Couldn't tell you what you need to believe,
Throw away, your integrity
The radios on and you listen
The T.V.'s on and you'll watch
So look, mark it, why don't you buy in
There has to be some way to make it stop
By now, you should've figure out
That everything you believe
It was overconfident
So take my hand and let me lead you
To where we feel
With our backs against the wall and maybe our shadows aren't that tall
Is this what it takes to make you think
I can't believe it
With our backs against the wall and maybe our shadows aren't that tall
Is this what it takes to make you think
I can't believe it
With out backs against the wall
And maybe our shadows aren't that tall
Is this what it takes to make you think
I can't believe it
Lyrics submitted by HeartOurHive
Backs Against the Wall Lyrics as written by
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I'm not so sure what this song's about, but I think it's about someone who believes everything she hears or sees, and he wants to make her not be so gullible.
This song has a multitude of different meanings to me, but recently I've come to relate it to a situation I've suddenly found myself in. I just started dating my close friend's ex, but he's my best friend and I love him with all my heart. My friend thinks that he and I are dating -just- to make her miserable, but that's not it at all. She's won't listen to either of us and just drowns herself in music that amplifies her sour mood and watched romantic shows in tv just to be bitter. She's bringing most of it upon herself and no matter how much we try explaining to her that we started dating because we love one another and that we're not dating to hurt her, she won't listen. We have no where else to go now, we're being so honest with her and it's not enough for her. "With our backs against the wall / and maybe our shadows aren't that tall / is this what it takes to make you think / I can't believe it..." Those are the lines that make me think of my situation. My boy-/best- friend and I have our backs against the wall and we're not trying to be threatening ("our shadows aren't that tall") we're just trying to be honest with her. The fact that it's come to this, her getting mad at us and us being backed into a corner, is just pitiful. "I can't believe it..."
Valencia kicks so much ass.
"throw away your integrity" -- gullible, naive girl who believes anything + she believes in things that are unrealistic, & the solution is as simple as realizing the problem isn't as big as it seems. ("our shadows aren't that tall)
alright, well i absolutly love this song to start off, && to me this song is about this girl who belives everything she hears and sees, also she will just go with whatever everyone else says and doesnt think of it herself. and he is trying to tell her not to in a way, then finally after he basically gives up with that, is thats when she finally relizes that she shouldnt belive all of that,&& comes to her senses and makes her own choices with things..... eh its just what it means to me atleast.
according to the lyric booklet, instead of "so look, mark it, why don't you buy in", it's "it's on the market, why don't you buy it?"
just a minor difference though. awesome song. :)
It seems pretty obvious the theme of the song is social commentary. "Born in a generation, of bright lights but no inspiration." A generation of people lost in the sights and sounds of radio and TV. Also alludes to consumerism in a negative light, "it's all a market, so why don't you buy in?" "Is this what it takes to make you think?" is asking what it takes to wake the people up.
this song is sick as fuck