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."
Well Bronco Billy's in the war room, breaking bottles in his teeth,
And Margaret Mary's seeing pixies. Course, she ain't been out in weeks.
And all her Maybelline is dried in little puddles on her cheeks.
So don't go doubting all the naysayers girl.
Had I told you this was coming, you'd have never understood.
And you'd have ran off with the waiter, bait it out in Hollywood.
Saw a Beatle out in Central Park and Dysentery Dave,
And you didn't even take his picture.
While every body else's lovers leave them flowers for the queen,
I've been locked inside an elevator, staring at my feet.
And while the titty bars on Broadway made a harlot of you all,
Bronco Billy cooked his cocaine in the hall.
Now Mother Nature, hand it over,
And get your rocks off with the soldiers out the back door.
Got a secret if you wanna, meet a million organ donors in the subway.
Now after seven-hundred cigarettes and all the fuzzy pictures.
And all the hollow compliments from all the babysitters.
You never saw the underside, where everybody said,
There were circus stars and Christmas carols.
Well there's a floor for all the circus freaks in every other room,
where all the bearded ladies congregate on rainy afternoons.
You must have known the rolly-pollies crush like Lilliput
When you lean on all the empty buildings.
And any self-respecting killer, with even half a soul to lose
Would never leave the house with any hero in his shows.
Get your methadone and hurry home. The world's about to end.
Gotta mood ring if you hurt your feelings.
Now Mother Nature, hand it over,
And get your rocks off with the soldiers out the back door.
Got a secret if you wanna, meet a million organ donors out the subway.
Gimme love, Gimme love, Gimme love,
Gimme cigarettes, baby!
Gimme love, Gimme love, Gimme love,
Gimme cigarettes, baby!
And Margaret Mary's seeing pixies. Course, she ain't been out in weeks.
And all her Maybelline is dried in little puddles on her cheeks.
So don't go doubting all the naysayers girl.
Had I told you this was coming, you'd have never understood.
And you'd have ran off with the waiter, bait it out in Hollywood.
Saw a Beatle out in Central Park and Dysentery Dave,
And you didn't even take his picture.
While every body else's lovers leave them flowers for the queen,
I've been locked inside an elevator, staring at my feet.
And while the titty bars on Broadway made a harlot of you all,
Bronco Billy cooked his cocaine in the hall.
Now Mother Nature, hand it over,
And get your rocks off with the soldiers out the back door.
Got a secret if you wanna, meet a million organ donors in the subway.
Now after seven-hundred cigarettes and all the fuzzy pictures.
And all the hollow compliments from all the babysitters.
You never saw the underside, where everybody said,
There were circus stars and Christmas carols.
Well there's a floor for all the circus freaks in every other room,
where all the bearded ladies congregate on rainy afternoons.
You must have known the rolly-pollies crush like Lilliput
When you lean on all the empty buildings.
And any self-respecting killer, with even half a soul to lose
Would never leave the house with any hero in his shows.
Get your methadone and hurry home. The world's about to end.
Gotta mood ring if you hurt your feelings.
Now Mother Nature, hand it over,
And get your rocks off with the soldiers out the back door.
Got a secret if you wanna, meet a million organ donors out the subway.
Gimme love, Gimme love, Gimme love,
Gimme cigarettes, baby!
Gimme love, Gimme love, Gimme love,
Gimme cigarettes, baby!
Lyrics submitted by Ayavaron
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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,
Magical
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Head > Heels
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Ed Sheeran
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Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
I still can't figure this one out all the way but there's some really wonderful imagery here. They're probably the most interesting lyrics that SSRS has done.
I think it's about how the narrator's friends have all been crushed by city life and it can seem like the only escape is to numb yourself to all of it. Maybilene and Margaret Mary are crushed by the city, reduced to patheticness and puddles. Bronco Billy coolly lives on with his cocaine.
The city's work to crush his friends has made the narrator question himself, wondering who he is when his friends and past are taken from him. He feels guilty because he should have known this would happen. (see the underside)
He also wants to save them but is afraid that any attempt to help his friends might push them farther into their drug addictions or other problems they might be caught up in. Even a killer wouldn't dare attempt the heroic. He could so easily crush them as Gulliver almost crushed everyone in Lilliput.
Bronco Billy and Mother Nature are just trying to tell him that he needs to let it go and stop caring; just start thinking of the people on the streets as organ donors. Torn between his empathy and the ease of not caring, he asks for love and cigarettes.
My uncle is in this band. ur missing sooo many songs
@superbang42 I know I'm missing a lot of songs, suberbang42. I transcribed all the ones up here myself. The missing ones are songs I either didn't like as much or had trouble understanding the lyrics of. I'm pretty aware what I'm missing.
That said, it's awesome you're close to the band. They're definitely one of my favorites.