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."
Ain't nobody ever prove their love when
Things were all good
And two people are smiling
Love is found way down in the trenches
When he's throwin' a fit
And she is sittin' there crying
We tear it up
To patch it up
Break up
To make up
The show goes round and round
And that how we get down
We go back and forth
And anyone who goes through this should know
That what I am saying is for real
Real love is meant this way
We say things that we don't mean
And that's the way love works out sometimes
He's trippin'
She's trippin'
And we both be trippin' and
That's the way love works out sometimes
'Cause when it's on it's on
And your no longer stressin'
And life teaches a lesson
That love is still a blessin
'Cause when it's all said and done
Were back at square one
And that's the way love works out sometimes
What you know about screamin' yellin' cuzin' pushin', and rumblin' and arguing
Like it's 12 rounds up inside the garden
I say where the hell you going
And you say I'm getting up out of here
And I say you ain't going no where
Then I follow you down the stairs,
Get in front of you and then I scream
Times like this I know you're
Still the one
And the truth is this is really love
And oh yeah
When I feel like going off
I brush my shoulders off
And you know
We say things that we don't mean
And that's the way love works out sometimes
He's trippin'
She's trippin'
And we both be trippin' and
That's the way love works out sometimes
'Cause when it's on it's on
And your no longer stressin'
And life teaches a lesson
That love is still a blessin'
'Cause when it's all said and done
Were back at square one
And that's the way love works out sometimes
You won't believe it until you see it
How much you need somebody
(Need somebody)
And you'll never know how far you'll go
When you love somebody
(Love somebody)
Oh oh
Sometime we say the craziest things!
We say things that we don't mean
And that's the way love works out sometimes
He's trippin'
She's trippin'
And we both be trippin' and
That's the way love works out sometimes
'Cause when it's on it's on
And your no longer stressin'
And life teaches a lesson
That love is still a blessin'
'Cause when it's all said and done
Were back at square one
And that's the way love works out sometimes
Things were all good
And two people are smiling
Love is found way down in the trenches
When he's throwin' a fit
And she is sittin' there crying
We tear it up
To patch it up
Break up
To make up
The show goes round and round
And that how we get down
We go back and forth
And anyone who goes through this should know
That what I am saying is for real
Real love is meant this way
We say things that we don't mean
And that's the way love works out sometimes
He's trippin'
She's trippin'
And we both be trippin' and
That's the way love works out sometimes
'Cause when it's on it's on
And your no longer stressin'
And life teaches a lesson
That love is still a blessin
'Cause when it's all said and done
Were back at square one
And that's the way love works out sometimes
What you know about screamin' yellin' cuzin' pushin', and rumblin' and arguing
Like it's 12 rounds up inside the garden
I say where the hell you going
And you say I'm getting up out of here
And I say you ain't going no where
Then I follow you down the stairs,
Get in front of you and then I scream
Times like this I know you're
Still the one
And the truth is this is really love
And oh yeah
When I feel like going off
I brush my shoulders off
And you know
We say things that we don't mean
And that's the way love works out sometimes
He's trippin'
She's trippin'
And we both be trippin' and
That's the way love works out sometimes
'Cause when it's on it's on
And your no longer stressin'
And life teaches a lesson
That love is still a blessin'
'Cause when it's all said and done
Were back at square one
And that's the way love works out sometimes
You won't believe it until you see it
How much you need somebody
(Need somebody)
And you'll never know how far you'll go
When you love somebody
(Love somebody)
Oh oh
Sometime we say the craziest things!
We say things that we don't mean
And that's the way love works out sometimes
He's trippin'
She's trippin'
And we both be trippin' and
That's the way love works out sometimes
'Cause when it's on it's on
And your no longer stressin'
And life teaches a lesson
That love is still a blessin'
'Cause when it's all said and done
Were back at square one
And that's the way love works out sometimes
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More Featured Meanings
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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
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 is a song to me about faith. i think it talks about the real meaning of love. that love isnt just the ooey gooey stuff and the kissing and the happiness and the sex and stuff. you dont just prove your love to someone when everything is peachy and going well. love is meant to be a test of faith when things are not that easy. when the fighting starts and arguing and everything else. it is meant to be a test to see if you actually do love the person enough to work through the problems you have. this song is the story of mostly every person who is married's life. i think means that happy love isnt always true love