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."
living in cynical hills
dying down in cliche canyon
funny locusts are fighting
over tiny little misunderstandings
it's not funny that you used my name
she knew you'd get another prescription
living in hysterical hills
dying down in cliche canyon
getting out of the canyon
driving to the euphoric heights
they throw such killer parties
everyone gets pretty nice
people start touching people
people that they don't even like
we get out the canyon
we'll be hiking to the euphoric heights
we're going on a hike
we're trying to reach the peak of the euphoric heights and that's right
we do it almost every night
we come out from the mountain
with a fond farewell from out hosts
they throw such killer parties
everybody gets pretty close
i only know three sure things
the father son and holy ghost
we look off of the mountain
at the bloodshed down below (you know there's bloodshed down below)
we come into the prairie
like lazy laying out in the heat
a couple motels and a couple saloons
thinking we need a couple weeks off
i saw a small town parade and the lead majorette made me feel all weak in the knees
hot child in the city in the middle of the prairie waving out in the heat
waving out in the heat
because you can't get to heaven from down drinking
you get tired when you're halfway up the mount
we're going on a hike
we're trying to reach the peak of the Euphoric Heights and that's right
we do it almost every night
when we get off everything's soft
everything is just kinda floating
everything is sparkling and everything is soft
everything is just kinda floating
when we get off everything's soft
everything is just kinda floating
everything is sparkling and everything is soft
everything is just kinda floating
when we get off everything's soft
everything is just kinda floating
everything is sparkling and everything is soft
everything is just kinda floating
we were hanging at a rock and roll club
it was painted just like hell
the bar was plywood painted black
they had skull marks up on the shelves
they throw such killer parties
but some nights you don't feel so well
but you shouldn't be the singer in a be-yourself band if you don't want to be yourself
dying down in cliche canyon
funny locusts are fighting
over tiny little misunderstandings
it's not funny that you used my name
she knew you'd get another prescription
living in hysterical hills
dying down in cliche canyon
getting out of the canyon
driving to the euphoric heights
they throw such killer parties
everyone gets pretty nice
people start touching people
people that they don't even like
we get out the canyon
we'll be hiking to the euphoric heights
we're going on a hike
we're trying to reach the peak of the euphoric heights and that's right
we do it almost every night
we come out from the mountain
with a fond farewell from out hosts
they throw such killer parties
everybody gets pretty close
i only know three sure things
the father son and holy ghost
we look off of the mountain
at the bloodshed down below (you know there's bloodshed down below)
we come into the prairie
like lazy laying out in the heat
a couple motels and a couple saloons
thinking we need a couple weeks off
i saw a small town parade and the lead majorette made me feel all weak in the knees
hot child in the city in the middle of the prairie waving out in the heat
waving out in the heat
because you can't get to heaven from down drinking
you get tired when you're halfway up the mount
we're going on a hike
we're trying to reach the peak of the Euphoric Heights and that's right
we do it almost every night
when we get off everything's soft
everything is just kinda floating
everything is sparkling and everything is soft
everything is just kinda floating
when we get off everything's soft
everything is just kinda floating
everything is sparkling and everything is soft
everything is just kinda floating
when we get off everything's soft
everything is just kinda floating
everything is sparkling and everything is soft
everything is just kinda floating
we were hanging at a rock and roll club
it was painted just like hell
the bar was plywood painted black
they had skull marks up on the shelves
they throw such killer parties
but some nights you don't feel so well
but you shouldn't be the singer in a be-yourself band if you don't want to be yourself
Lyrics submitted by anonymiad
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Mountain Song
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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,
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It's "you can't get to heaven from down Cliche Canyon."
It sounds nothing like "you can't get to heaven from down drinking"