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."
Mmm
Yeah
Yeah yeah
Uhh uhh
Yeah uhh yeah (yeah yeah yeah)
Aye 4 Rings on my coupe ouu it’s a Audi
Someone tell these fuck niggas stay far from round me (Far from round me)
Aye if I need a lawyer call Mike Lowry and Guadi
Need me a mansion built in the Saudi (Build it)
I can see the hate they 'tryna down me
Hear they waiting for me to drop like now please (Aye 'K now)
Miami booling up on South Beach
Shoes off at the door before you walk inside my house please (Inside my house please)
Told myself I was gonna see better times (Times)
So now I’m seeing better times (Yeah)
'Ima stone cold stunner (Yeah)
Take off with her in the back no 'longa
I wanna ride in my S5 not no Honda
Wicked one on my left no Kensuike Honda
Just met this bachelor I’m feeling honoured
No I’m not from Wales but this fit came from Bonner
You girls be crazy (Woo)
If were Mario you wouldn’t be my Daisy (Crazy)
Yeah see through the hazy
'Cause my third eyes working it’s not lazy
I be thinking maybe (Be)
I can teach you style but only if you pay me (50 racks now)
Through life I’m pacing
Only me against myself i’m not racing (Usain ting)
Aye 4 Rings on my coupe ouu it’s a Audi (Yeah)
Someone tell these fuck niggas stay far from round me (Don't come here)
Yeah if I need a lawyer call Mike Lowry and Guadi
Need me a mansion built in the Saudi
Aye I can see the hate they 'tryna down me
Hear they waiting for me to drop like now please (I'm riding)
Miami booling up on South Beach
Shoes off at the door before you walk inside my house please (Can't you see the carpet)
Get this shit off my chest
No way to digest
This ain’t chequers this is chess (This is chess)
People keep techs full of lead (Pew pew pew)
If I aim for net (That's a goal yeah)
It’s getting sold unlike a let (That's a house yeah)
I like a plain Patek (On my wrist yeah)
Gang got rose gold chains for respect (This shit is bliss yeah)
Yeah
Yeah yeah
Uhh uhh
Yeah uhh yeah (yeah yeah yeah)
Aye 4 Rings on my coupe ouu it’s a Audi
Someone tell these fuck niggas stay far from round me (Far from round me)
Aye if I need a lawyer call Mike Lowry and Guadi
Need me a mansion built in the Saudi (Build it)
I can see the hate they 'tryna down me
Hear they waiting for me to drop like now please (Aye 'K now)
Miami booling up on South Beach
Shoes off at the door before you walk inside my house please (Inside my house please)
Told myself I was gonna see better times (Times)
So now I’m seeing better times (Yeah)
'Ima stone cold stunner (Yeah)
Take off with her in the back no 'longa
I wanna ride in my S5 not no Honda
Wicked one on my left no Kensuike Honda
Just met this bachelor I’m feeling honoured
No I’m not from Wales but this fit came from Bonner
You girls be crazy (Woo)
If were Mario you wouldn’t be my Daisy (Crazy)
Yeah see through the hazy
'Cause my third eyes working it’s not lazy
I be thinking maybe (Be)
I can teach you style but only if you pay me (50 racks now)
Through life I’m pacing
Only me against myself i’m not racing (Usain ting)
Aye 4 Rings on my coupe ouu it’s a Audi (Yeah)
Someone tell these fuck niggas stay far from round me (Don't come here)
Yeah if I need a lawyer call Mike Lowry and Guadi
Need me a mansion built in the Saudi
Aye I can see the hate they 'tryna down me
Hear they waiting for me to drop like now please (I'm riding)
Miami booling up on South Beach
Shoes off at the door before you walk inside my house please (Can't you see the carpet)
Get this shit off my chest
No way to digest
This ain’t chequers this is chess (This is chess)
People keep techs full of lead (Pew pew pew)
If I aim for net (That's a goal yeah)
It’s getting sold unlike a let (That's a house yeah)
I like a plain Patek (On my wrist yeah)
Gang got rose gold chains for respect (This shit is bliss yeah)
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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,
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
Does this remind anyone else of the Killers?