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."
Ol' Silk Johnson,
Cruisin' up mighty fine,
Got a brand new cadillac.
His buddy, Conrad Smith,
Rollin' down the line,
Got last year's cadillac.
Johnson says "Hey Smitty boy,
Whatcha thinkin' of my spankin new Cadillac?"
Smitts just reeled his head back,
Looked him in the eye,
"That's a mighty fine cadillac,
But I'ma gonna get me one better,
Just you wait and see.
I'ma gonna get me one better,
You can't get the best of me.
I'ma gonna get me one better,
The baddest one around.
I'ma gonna get me one better,
'Cos I've got the biggest balls in town."
Remember old Khrushchev
When he was ridin' high with that Sputnik satellite?
He told us Yankee boys,
He was gonna fill the skies,
With them shiny new satellites.
He said "Hey Mr. Eisenhower,
What do you think of my Sputnik satellite?"
Ike just reeled his head back,
Looked him in the eye,
"That's a mighty fine satellite
But I'ma gonna get me one better,
Just you wait and see
I'ma gonna get me one better,
You can't get the best of me,
I'ma gonna get me one better,
The baddest one around,
I'ma gonna get me one better,
'Cos I've got the biggest balls in town."
Cruisin' up mighty fine,
Got a brand new cadillac.
His buddy, Conrad Smith,
Rollin' down the line,
Got last year's cadillac.
Johnson says "Hey Smitty boy,
Whatcha thinkin' of my spankin new Cadillac?"
Smitts just reeled his head back,
Looked him in the eye,
"That's a mighty fine cadillac,
But I'ma gonna get me one better,
Just you wait and see.
I'ma gonna get me one better,
You can't get the best of me.
I'ma gonna get me one better,
The baddest one around.
I'ma gonna get me one better,
'Cos I've got the biggest balls in town."
Remember old Khrushchev
When he was ridin' high with that Sputnik satellite?
He told us Yankee boys,
He was gonna fill the skies,
With them shiny new satellites.
He said "Hey Mr. Eisenhower,
What do you think of my Sputnik satellite?"
Ike just reeled his head back,
Looked him in the eye,
"That's a mighty fine satellite
But I'ma gonna get me one better,
Just you wait and see
I'ma gonna get me one better,
You can't get the best of me,
I'ma gonna get me one better,
The baddest one around,
I'ma gonna get me one better,
'Cos I've got the biggest balls in town."
Lyrics submitted by JAStewart
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Page
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.
This song is about mostly men that compete with buying expensive things, the guy with the best thing has the ''biggest balls'' and therefore shows-of to the neighbor or someone. As he shows it to the impress the other gets jealous and has to buy a better thing. This is a great song i cant wait to buy the new album.
This song is about mostly men that compete with buying expensive things, the guy with the best thing has the ''biggest balls'' and therefore shows-of to the neighbor or someone. As he shows it to the impress the other gets jealous and has to buy a better thing. This is a great song i cant wait to buy the new album.
This song is about mostly men that compete with buying expensive things, the guy with the best thing has the ''biggest balls'' and therefore shows-of to the neighbor or someone. As he shows it to the impress the other gets jealous and has to buy a better thing. This is a great song i cant wait to buy the new album.
sorry about that.
Great great song
"Remember old Khrushchev When he was ridin' high with that Sputnik satellite? He told us Yankee boys, He was gonna fill the skies, With them shiny new satellites. He said "Hey Mr. Eisenhower, What do you think of my Sputnik satellite?" Ike just reeled his head back, Looked him in the eye, "That's a mighty fine satellite "
this song is obviously about the feud between the united states and Russia, known as the cold war. We were basically competing with nuclear weapons(les uses cadillacs as reference to how we both wanted the newest and the best technology). The whole sputnik satellite line references to the space race. Russia sent out a sputnik satellite that made it around earth once before it fell back into our atmosphere, and the united states had to beat it, so we started building satellites.
Awesome song. My favorite off of the new album.
by far the best song to listen to while stoned
When I saw Les and the Fancy band at Bonnaroo this past July, in the middle of this ditty he comented at what the song was about. He spoke of how we as Americans seam to have trouble excepting others gaining more new/better material possetions. As Americans, we have to be the best at it all, we look at others and concider that at that momment they indeed have began a contest which declares the person with the more nice/geniune object, the winner. WE can't settle for second, cuz' we got the biggest balls.
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