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."
Everywhere I look they are there... what is everyone doing?
Going to a home?
To a place that makes us feel warm... a place that grants us a smile.
Seems like a very simple idea, but not hardly figured out.
(looking everywhere)
I just see faces.
Faces staring blank as they go on with the routine.
This routine.
Nothing new... its time to go through with this.
A spaceman. That?s what they say I am. Nothing but a spaceman... always pushing it all away.
Trying to get to that one place I call home.
The journey begins... forcing a new life with the unexplained... a creeping rush that surrounds me.
Floating.... floating away.
Always pushing it all away. Trying to get to that one place I call home.
My own planet... I allowed this wish... unexpected... not knowing why.
Wonder why I question it now? I'm my own planet... not many can experience this sensation.
Loneliness is creeping out... or in, however you think of it.
But it sure is surrounding me. Maybe all the complaining is an accurance of boredom.
I suppose it?s too late.
I am floating farther and farther away. I did love, I did laugh, I did live.
(Now I?m my own planet)
A spaceman. They say I am? a spaceman.
Planets everywhere... my own destiny? I?m floating towards the sun.
The sun of nothing. Floating towards the sun, the sun of nothing. I have become the sun of nothing.
Nothing is here. Memories are not clear.
Floating to the sun? farther away.
I can't believe that?s what it has come to... I never really had it all that bad.
I just looked around and never thought about the blank stares.
(Blank stairs)
They were looking into something much worse than what I thought I was.
Selfishness is a very sticky quality of this species. Looking around...
I don't see any faces... yes I am lonely. It?s to be expected. I?ll sleep now.
(Dream waves)
Going to a home?
To a place that makes us feel warm... a place that grants us a smile.
Seems like a very simple idea, but not hardly figured out.
(looking everywhere)
I just see faces.
Faces staring blank as they go on with the routine.
This routine.
Nothing new... its time to go through with this.
A spaceman. That?s what they say I am. Nothing but a spaceman... always pushing it all away.
Trying to get to that one place I call home.
The journey begins... forcing a new life with the unexplained... a creeping rush that surrounds me.
Floating.... floating away.
Always pushing it all away. Trying to get to that one place I call home.
My own planet... I allowed this wish... unexpected... not knowing why.
Wonder why I question it now? I'm my own planet... not many can experience this sensation.
Loneliness is creeping out... or in, however you think of it.
But it sure is surrounding me. Maybe all the complaining is an accurance of boredom.
I suppose it?s too late.
I am floating farther and farther away. I did love, I did laugh, I did live.
(Now I?m my own planet)
A spaceman. They say I am? a spaceman.
Planets everywhere... my own destiny? I?m floating towards the sun.
The sun of nothing. Floating towards the sun, the sun of nothing. I have become the sun of nothing.
Nothing is here. Memories are not clear.
Floating to the sun? farther away.
I can't believe that?s what it has come to... I never really had it all that bad.
I just looked around and never thought about the blank stares.
(Blank stairs)
They were looking into something much worse than what I thought I was.
Selfishness is a very sticky quality of this species. Looking around...
I don't see any faces... yes I am lonely. It?s to be expected. I?ll sleep now.
(Dream waves)
Lyrics submitted by Shevanel, edited by Shados, theniceguyhere
Sun of Nothing Lyrics as written by Daniel Lanford Briggs Cartland Blake Richardson
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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When We Were Young
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This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
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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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Here is the interpretation from Tommy:
"This song is about a man that gets tired of his life. He decides the only natural way to rid himself of this world is to fly to the sun and burn his body. He builds a rocket ship (he has already been named the “spaceman” in his town) and starts his journey. The song is the thought process during his voyage towards death. He evaluates all the different aspects of his life and towards the end realizes he had it better than most. He has regret but there’s no turning back cause he is already floating towards the sun."
This song is perfection.
"Floating towards the sun, the sun of nothing.." is epic.
"I can't believe that’s what it has come to... I never really had it all that bad." Awesome.
Favorite on the album.
Epic. Fucking. Song.
After listening to it and reading it, it seems to be about someone who gives up completely on social interaction, and takes up a completely nihilistic point of view.
Nihilistic? Hardly >.<<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Read up on the reason for a journey to the sun. Tommy believes that there is more to existence than what we see everyday, we just can't sense these other planes/dimensions and often refers to them as "Colors". <br /> <br /> This song is about his 'journey' to the Sun to rid himself of this world. (He wants to ascend, spiritually) As he floats toward the 'sun' (ascension), he thinks back on the beauty of this illusion he's about to leave.<br /> <br /> <br /> The phrase, "Floating towards the sun, the sun of nothing" is saying that he's working towards spiritually ascending, but that the Sun (literally) is still an illusion of this world. Its a really pretty play on words.<br />
This and Ants of the Sky are like one majorly epic 24-minute song.
shoot, this whole album is a song, really. one glorious hour-and-5-minute-song
The whole album is amazing. This song is my favourite out of all of them.
Between The Buried And Me list Pink Floyd as one of their influences... I believe this song is titled after Floyd's unreleased early version of their epic "Echoes", "The Return Of The Son Of Nothing".
T
This whole album is pretty much one song. If you saw them tour for this one, they played the whole cd pretty much without stopping. Then, at least when I saw them, they played Mordecai. It was an intense show. This kid got to sing with Tommy too. He actually gave the kid his mic. They are amazing live.
I wonder if katie will look at this....