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."
Welcome to a city that'll bring you to your knees
It'll make you beg for more, until you can't even breathe
Your blindfold is on tight, but you like what you see
So follow me into the night, 'cause I got just what you need
We're all rollin' down the boulevard, full of pimps and sharks
It's a motherfuckin' riot, we've been dying to start
You better grab a hold 'cause now you know your falling apart
You thought these streets were paved in gold
But their dirty and dark
Been to hell
I can show you the devil!
Down you fell
Can't hold yourself together!
Soul to sell
Down here you live forever!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Been to hell
I can show you the devil!
Down you fell
Can't hold yourself together!
Soul to sell
Down here you live forever!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Nightmares!
Welcome!
In the belly of the beast, I'm a wolf amongst the sheep,
At the bottom of the hill, but at the top of the street
Above the boulevard, schoolyard, victim of deceit
And you're runnin' hard, but this wolf is always at your feet
And you've seen it all before, but the wolf's outside your door
And you're old enough to run, you ain't hiding anymore
Another victim of the star spangled banner of the street
Now you're in the world of wolves
And we welcome all you sheep
Been to hell
I can show you the devil!
Down you fell
Can't hold yourself together!
Soul to sell
Down here you live forever!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Been to hell
I can show you the devil!
Down you fell
Can't hold yourself together!
Soul to sell
Down here you live forever!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Nightmares!
Welcome!
You need to wake up and face it,
So you can taste my reality
Now you're stuck in this place you hate,
And you came here so happily
Then it made you lose your faith,
And that's what fucked with your sanity
Say goodbye to your soul and say hello to your vanity
Hollywood is your friend, and the undead are your family
We'll take you to the edge, and turn your regret into agony
And I'll never let you go, 'cause I know you'll come back to me
I'm the reason you came here
I'm the American tragedy
Been to hell
I can show you the devil!
Down you fell
Can't hold yourself together!
Soul to sell
Down here you live forever!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Been to hell
I can show you the devil!
Down you fell
Can't hold yourself together!
Soul to sell
Down here you live forever!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Nightmares!
Welcome!
Welcome!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Welcome!
It'll make you beg for more, until you can't even breathe
Your blindfold is on tight, but you like what you see
So follow me into the night, 'cause I got just what you need
We're all rollin' down the boulevard, full of pimps and sharks
It's a motherfuckin' riot, we've been dying to start
You better grab a hold 'cause now you know your falling apart
You thought these streets were paved in gold
But their dirty and dark
Been to hell
I can show you the devil!
Down you fell
Can't hold yourself together!
Soul to sell
Down here you live forever!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Been to hell
I can show you the devil!
Down you fell
Can't hold yourself together!
Soul to sell
Down here you live forever!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Nightmares!
Welcome!
In the belly of the beast, I'm a wolf amongst the sheep,
At the bottom of the hill, but at the top of the street
Above the boulevard, schoolyard, victim of deceit
And you're runnin' hard, but this wolf is always at your feet
And you've seen it all before, but the wolf's outside your door
And you're old enough to run, you ain't hiding anymore
Another victim of the star spangled banner of the street
Now you're in the world of wolves
And we welcome all you sheep
Been to hell
I can show you the devil!
Down you fell
Can't hold yourself together!
Soul to sell
Down here you live forever!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Been to hell
I can show you the devil!
Down you fell
Can't hold yourself together!
Soul to sell
Down here you live forever!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Nightmares!
Welcome!
You need to wake up and face it,
So you can taste my reality
Now you're stuck in this place you hate,
And you came here so happily
Then it made you lose your faith,
And that's what fucked with your sanity
Say goodbye to your soul and say hello to your vanity
Hollywood is your friend, and the undead are your family
We'll take you to the edge, and turn your regret into agony
And I'll never let you go, 'cause I know you'll come back to me
I'm the reason you came here
I'm the American tragedy
Been to hell
I can show you the devil!
Down you fell
Can't hold yourself together!
Soul to sell
Down here you live forever!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Been to hell
I can show you the devil!
Down you fell
Can't hold yourself together!
Soul to sell
Down here you live forever!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Nightmares!
Welcome!
Welcome!
Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!
Welcome!
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.
This song is about how people go to Hollywood with big dreams, only to have them be crushed by the nightmare that follows.
Some of the lyrics in this song make me think that their profane party songs songs like "everywhere I Go", "Comin' in Hot", and "No. 5" are meant to be sarcastic, or at least the band doesn't see them as a good way to live.
"Hollywood is your friend, and the undead are your family We'll take you to the edge, and turn your regret into agony And I'll never let you go, cuz I know you'll come back to me I'm the reason you came here... ...I'm the American tragedy"
He's saying that it's the American Tragedy to be trapped in Hollywood with the undead.
"Now you're stuck in this place you hate, And you came here so happily Then it made you lose your faith, And that's what fucked with your sanity"
Almost seems like they're saying that losing your faith(I'm assuming it primarily means christian faith based on them mentioning Christianity in songs such as Paradise Lost) is a bad thing that messes with your sanity while you hate where you're at in life.
Altogether, whether their party songs are sarcastic or not, this song make it very obvious that the partying is not worth how crappy it is to lose your soul, lose your faith, and live in streets that are dirty and dark.
This song is so bad-ass
damn this song is awsome... i just heard it for the first time and i have my ipod on repeat mode.