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."
An ancient business, a modern piece of glasswork
Down on the corner that you walk each day in passin'
The elderly sales clerk won't eye us with suspicion
The whole, immortal corporation's given its permission
A little stairway, a little piece of carpet
A pair of mirrors that are facing one another
Out in both directions, a thousand little Julias
That come together in the middle of Manhattan
You waited since lunch
It all comes at once
Around the corner, the house that modern art built
A house for modern art to keep it out the closets
The people who might own it, the sins of pride and envy
And on the second floor, the Richard Serra Skate Park
You waited since lunch
It all comes at once
Sit on the park wall, ask all the right questions
"Why are the horses racing taxis in the winter?"
Look up at the buildings, imagine who might live there
Imagining your wolfords in a ball upon the sink there
You waited since lunch
It all comes at once
Down on the corner that you walk each day in passin'
The elderly sales clerk won't eye us with suspicion
The whole, immortal corporation's given its permission
A little stairway, a little piece of carpet
A pair of mirrors that are facing one another
Out in both directions, a thousand little Julias
That come together in the middle of Manhattan
You waited since lunch
It all comes at once
Around the corner, the house that modern art built
A house for modern art to keep it out the closets
The people who might own it, the sins of pride and envy
And on the second floor, the Richard Serra Skate Park
You waited since lunch
It all comes at once
Sit on the park wall, ask all the right questions
"Why are the horses racing taxis in the winter?"
Look up at the buildings, imagine who might live there
Imagining your wolfords in a ball upon the sink there
You waited since lunch
It all comes at once
Lyrics submitted by billjohn, edited by dodgerblue
White Sky Lyrics as written by Christopher William Tomson Christopher Joseph Baio
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
i think it's about the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the art museum that houses "The Starry Night" and "The Persistence of Memory" and is located in New York.
"A modern piece of glasswork" "Down on the corner that You walk each day in passing" - It was originally located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, but it relocated to other places. "In the middle of Manhattan" - MoMA is located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. "The house that modern art built" "I ask for modern art"
The title "White Sky" probably refers to overcast weather, where the sky is mostly covered with clouds, hence the sky being white.
Ezra said in an NME interview: [Out in both directions, a thousand little Julias/Come together in the middle of Manhattan]'That part of the song takes place in a clothing store, it's about going into a dressing room and looking at Julia who is standing between two mirrors, and that weird thing happens where you see yourself going off in two directions.'
I think that was pretty much established but I thought I'd put a quote in from the man himself (:
I honestly think this song is about having sex in different places across the Manhattan. I especially got that from:
"You've waited since lunch/It all comes at once."
Which is followed by the raucous AHHahh Aahhhaaa woowoo's of the chorus, which could themselves represent the actual deed.
Hearing "The elderly sales clerk won't eye us with suspicion/ The holy motor corporation is giving it's permission" I thought it had to do with walking past a the desk in the building, nonchalantly, with the intention of actually having sex somewhere inside.
"Ask all the right questions While all the horses race the taxis in the winter Look up at the buildings imagine who might live there Imagining your wolfords in a ball upon the sink there" seems to lend itself to being about the silly, empty banter between a lustful couple, as the girl is really just imagining another place for their deviant hobby.
I think you're spot on there. Especially when you consider the lines <br /> <br /> "A pair of mirrors that<br /> Are facing one another<br /> Out in both directions<br /> A thousand little Julias<br /> That come together"<br /> <br /> They're having sex in a change room, and the last bit about the wolfords is them pretending to look at the buidings, and ask all the right questions, while really just imagining how her pantyhose would look balled up in one of the building's bathroom sinks<br />
awesome song. love that it's a little tour of a very expensive slice of manhattan
the house that modern art built bit is moma, thought maybe guggenheim since it looks very serra-like, but no, must be moma. 52nd btw 5th and 6th aves
holy motor corporation is the gm building, on 59th and 5th.
modern piece of glass work = apple store (it's a glass cube, very louvre-like). 59th and 5th
wolfords are tights. expensive ones. think bergdorf's. bloomies. sak's.
This lyric: "A little stairway A little bit of carpet A pair of mirrors that Are facing one another Out in both directions A thousand little Julias That come together In the middle of Manhattan"
"The holy motor corporation is giving it's permission"
Should be: "The whole, immortal corporation's given its permission"
((I have the lyric book from the CD infront of me >__>))
BEST. LYRICS. EVER. The "thousand little Julias" line is my favorite line of any song I've ever heard. It's so ambient and descriptive. I dig this band.
i hate to be "that dork with the lyrics corrections" but here's what i think:
first verse: an ancient business a model piece of glasswork down on the corner that you walk each day in passing the elderly sales clerk will eye us with suspicion the holy motor corporation giving its permission
last verse: sit on the park wall ask all the right questions while the horses race the taxis in the winter look up at the buildings imagine who might live there imagining your wolfords in a ball upon the sink there
richard serra is a modern sculptor who makes all these iron arcs and stuff; i guess they do look kind of like a skate park. i saw one of his installations at the museum of modern art ("the house that modern art built") about two or three years ago. wolfords are a brand of tights. i mean, he could have just said "imagining we're living together" or something, but instead he imagines her tights in the sink. SO. GREAT.
I think that they are describing a walk though manhattan, mainly to and through the museum on modern art. In 2007 MoMA had an exibit of Richard Serras work on, you guessed it, the second floor.
What's wonderful about vampire weekend, is that it's all about epiphany...
I agree about the MOMA - how wonderful to have a pop song about an epiphany in a museum!
Sit on the park wall Ask all the right questions While all the horses race the taxis in the winter Look up at the buildings imagine who might live there Imagining your wolfords in a ball upon the sink there
This made me think of the part of Central Park opposite the Plaza Hotel, where there are always horse-drawn carriages and taxis. But it could also be the part of the park right near the Met, where there are such beautiful apartment buildings. Very evocative of a Sunday afternoon in Manhattan.