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."
I want you closer
I want you closer
I want you in my dirty hands
I want to touch you in your body, gonna let your baby, down
I want you every night I please
Want you to bend, want you to tease
Want you to take me down on your knees
Wanna let your baby down
And you can take me higher in your zone
If you tell me your name, I'll take you home
And you can take my pain, I've got loads
I wanna let your baby down.
(Lisa's verse)
I want you to take me closer
I want you to make me suffer
I want you to wear me out, no I'll let you down (??)
I'll let your baby down
And you can take me out, all night long
And you can turn my stones into gold
If you tell me your real name, I'll take you home
I wanna let your baby down
Yeah, you can take me out, all night long
And you can take my pain, cos I've got loads
If you tell me your real name, I'll take you home
I wanna let your baby down
I want you closer
I want you in my dirty hands (you're gonna let your baby down)
Want you to let me in your body (you're gonna let your baby down)
I want you every night I please
Want you to bend, want you to tease
Want you to take me down on your knees
You can take me out, all night long
And you can turn my stones, into gold
And if you tell me your real name, I'll take you home
I wanna let your baby...
I wanna let you
Make me out, all night long
And you can turn my pain into gold
Yeah, if you tell me your real name, I'll take you home
I wanna let your baby...
I wanna let your baby...
I wanna let your baby...
I wanna let your baby...
I want you closer
I want you in my dirty hands
I want to touch you in your body, gonna let your baby, down
I want you every night I please
Want you to bend, want you to tease
Want you to take me down on your knees
Wanna let your baby down
And you can take me higher in your zone
If you tell me your name, I'll take you home
And you can take my pain, I've got loads
I wanna let your baby down.
(Lisa's verse)
I want you to take me closer
I want you to make me suffer
I want you to wear me out, no I'll let you down (??)
I'll let your baby down
And you can take me out, all night long
And you can turn my stones into gold
If you tell me your real name, I'll take you home
I wanna let your baby down
Yeah, you can take me out, all night long
And you can take my pain, cos I've got loads
If you tell me your real name, I'll take you home
I wanna let your baby down
I want you closer
I want you in my dirty hands (you're gonna let your baby down)
Want you to let me in your body (you're gonna let your baby down)
I want you every night I please
Want you to bend, want you to tease
Want you to take me down on your knees
You can take me out, all night long
And you can turn my stones, into gold
And if you tell me your real name, I'll take you home
I wanna let your baby...
I wanna let you
Make me out, all night long
And you can turn my pain into gold
Yeah, if you tell me your real name, I'll take you home
I wanna let your baby...
I wanna let your baby...
I wanna let your baby...
I wanna let your baby...
Lyrics submitted by owl_waxer
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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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
He wrote this song for the strip club scene of Closer but, as Jellings said, it wasn't finished in time so it didn't make it to the movie. He performed it live just once and I don't think we'll ever going to hear it again.