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."
Here I go, I don't give a damn if you with me
Stupidity, shit I'm the reverse of jiggy
All that prettiness running on empty
Only wusses need pity, no I ain't from the city
Five minutes of fame if you don't know my name
Oh yeah, I'm that field nigga they all fear
Here's a mad salute to all my troops
Fuck a lawyer and the law and all them suits
I spits and I vomit 'cause I come like a comet
Better quit it if y'all don't know what y'all gettin' from it
Just forget it if you with it, that racket runnin' it
Come on come with it, I think I'll fit it
Go to war but what the hell I'm fightin' for
As I soar yeah baby I like it raw
No cigar, I ran over the pop star with my car,
Again and may the best jam win
Here I go, there you go
Bingo, it don't matter if this platter's a single
Needin' needles like the Beatles needin' Ringo
From the beginnin' I told you how to see through the linen
All that talk but that's the way
The side walks in new york
I simplify 'cause you might be high
Rip shit in the pit so what you don't like it
This is man shit a hip hop trip
On that aggressive tip but rap got pussy whipped
Got out psyched down on that turnpike
I knew this Philly who just wouldn't get right
Cause I was aware as a square in Delaware
Execs writing checks for sex in spandex
Radios gettin' sucked by labels under the table
Mix DJ's gettin' overpaid for airplay
Try to shut me down like ray, what I say?
Fuck your friends and may the best jam win
Here I go, there you go
Mirror mirror I'm finger pointin' at the man
It is I, I interrupt the program
Chuck d rubberneckin' with the fans
PE don't give a damn about uncle Sam
And on and on like I said before
Some, the 100 meter dash, I'm the marathon
Against the grain comin' like a train
As you listen to the sounds that remains insane
One on one and it's just begun
To get out the ghetto and get something done
To be the man you gotta beat the man
Don't confuse me with being dumb or bubble gum
And I'll be here as you disappear
And I'll be around amongst the crowd
Cause anything I wear is a step on down
That's how I've always been
And may the best jam win
Stupidity, shit I'm the reverse of jiggy
All that prettiness running on empty
Only wusses need pity, no I ain't from the city
Five minutes of fame if you don't know my name
Oh yeah, I'm that field nigga they all fear
Here's a mad salute to all my troops
Fuck a lawyer and the law and all them suits
I spits and I vomit 'cause I come like a comet
Better quit it if y'all don't know what y'all gettin' from it
Just forget it if you with it, that racket runnin' it
Come on come with it, I think I'll fit it
Go to war but what the hell I'm fightin' for
As I soar yeah baby I like it raw
No cigar, I ran over the pop star with my car,
Again and may the best jam win
Here I go, there you go
Bingo, it don't matter if this platter's a single
Needin' needles like the Beatles needin' Ringo
From the beginnin' I told you how to see through the linen
All that talk but that's the way
The side walks in new york
I simplify 'cause you might be high
Rip shit in the pit so what you don't like it
This is man shit a hip hop trip
On that aggressive tip but rap got pussy whipped
Got out psyched down on that turnpike
I knew this Philly who just wouldn't get right
Cause I was aware as a square in Delaware
Execs writing checks for sex in spandex
Radios gettin' sucked by labels under the table
Mix DJ's gettin' overpaid for airplay
Try to shut me down like ray, what I say?
Fuck your friends and may the best jam win
Here I go, there you go
Mirror mirror I'm finger pointin' at the man
It is I, I interrupt the program
Chuck d rubberneckin' with the fans
PE don't give a damn about uncle Sam
And on and on like I said before
Some, the 100 meter dash, I'm the marathon
Against the grain comin' like a train
As you listen to the sounds that remains insane
One on one and it's just begun
To get out the ghetto and get something done
To be the man you gotta beat the man
Don't confuse me with being dumb or bubble gum
And I'll be here as you disappear
And I'll be around amongst the crowd
Cause anything I wear is a step on down
That's how I've always been
And may the best jam win
Lyrics submitted by ButNeverOutgunned
Here I Go Lyrics as written by Verlon Thompson Richard C Leigh
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
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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,
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