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."
Back It, Back it, back it, back it up
Come a little bit closer to me (back it up)
Don't it feel a little nicer to me (back it up)
(ok...back it up...blue... back it up...back it up c'mon )
Back it up talk about temptation baby back it up
Learn a little rotation on me
B.L.U.E, just like that
Feel the baseline
Watch how it moves your waistline
Be mine and the next days headline
Back it up back it up
Come on let's slide no crime let's shine, ice all down your spiine
You be tempting me
Got me questioning
Can I have your cellphone for text messaging
B.L.U.E
Simon, Lee, Duncan and Antony
Gotta admit girl, you got to me
Closer to you babe, I gotta be
Making a lot of men enemies (that's right)
That's the price I
I'll show you the way if you follow me
On the one way road to intimacy
Got what i want now show me
Back it up don
[Chorus]
Back it up
Come a little bit closer to me
Back it up
Don't it feel a little nicer tell me
Back it up
Coz we gonna get hot now maybe
More than a little
Caught in the middle
Back it up
Talk about temptation baby
Back it up
And a little rotation on me
Just like that
Now you're talking real slick
And you're confident
Way you're driving that
(you) better back it in
Said you're talking real slick
And you're confident
Way you're driving that
(you) better back it in
Got me uptight with your body heat
Makin' me sweat, girl it's all I need (all I need)
Feelin' your breath when you talk to me
Up in this spot tonight
Checkin' you out while you movin'
Head to toe while you groovin'
Don't you know what you Workin' that tonight
[Chorus x 1]
Step into the club
Rub a dub dub
Time to have some fun
Someone gladly come
Not into conversation like blah blah blah
Or rah rah rah
When you back it up it ha ha ha
Look everybody now I'm a star
I said I just sing I can't play guitar
won't you stay I love the way you back it up on me uh
Just like that
Back it up
Come a little bit closer to me
Back it up
Don't it feel a little nicer tell me
Back it up
Coz we gonna get hot now maybe
More than a little
Caught in the middle
Back it up
Come a little bit closer to me
Back it up
Don't it feel a little nicer tell me
Back it up
Coz we gonna get hot now maybe
More than a little
Caught in the middle
Now you're talking real slick
And you're confident
Way you're driving that
You better back it in
Said you're talking real slick
And you're confident
Way you're driving that
You better back it in
[Chorus x 1]
Come a little bit closer to me (back it up)
Don't it feel a little nicer to me (back it up)
(ok...back it up...blue... back it up...back it up c'mon )
Back it up talk about temptation baby back it up
Learn a little rotation on me
B.L.U.E, just like that
Feel the baseline
Watch how it moves your waistline
Be mine and the next days headline
Back it up back it up
Come on let's slide no crime let's shine, ice all down your spiine
You be tempting me
Got me questioning
Can I have your cellphone for text messaging
B.L.U.E
Simon, Lee, Duncan and Antony
Gotta admit girl, you got to me
Closer to you babe, I gotta be
Making a lot of men enemies (that's right)
That's the price I
I'll show you the way if you follow me
On the one way road to intimacy
Got what i want now show me
Back it up don
[Chorus]
Back it up
Come a little bit closer to me
Back it up
Don't it feel a little nicer tell me
Back it up
Coz we gonna get hot now maybe
More than a little
Caught in the middle
Back it up
Talk about temptation baby
Back it up
And a little rotation on me
Just like that
Now you're talking real slick
And you're confident
Way you're driving that
(you) better back it in
Said you're talking real slick
And you're confident
Way you're driving that
(you) better back it in
Got me uptight with your body heat
Makin' me sweat, girl it's all I need (all I need)
Feelin' your breath when you talk to me
Up in this spot tonight
Checkin' you out while you movin'
Head to toe while you groovin'
Don't you know what you Workin' that tonight
[Chorus x 1]
Step into the club
Rub a dub dub
Time to have some fun
Someone gladly come
Not into conversation like blah blah blah
Or rah rah rah
When you back it up it ha ha ha
Look everybody now I'm a star
I said I just sing I can't play guitar
won't you stay I love the way you back it up on me uh
Just like that
Back it up
Come a little bit closer to me
Back it up
Don't it feel a little nicer tell me
Back it up
Coz we gonna get hot now maybe
More than a little
Caught in the middle
Back it up
Come a little bit closer to me
Back it up
Don't it feel a little nicer tell me
Back it up
Coz we gonna get hot now maybe
More than a little
Caught in the middle
Now you're talking real slick
And you're confident
Way you're driving that
You better back it in
Said you're talking real slick
And you're confident
Way you're driving that
You better back it in
[Chorus x 1]
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Back It Up Lyrics as written by Dicky Obi Klein Antony Daniel Costa
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.