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."
From the pocket of an honest preacher
To the empty hand of a homeless bum
To the cash drawer at the liquor store
Where he bought a pint of rum
To the bank clerk who past me off
To the single mom trying to pay the rent
I can't even count all the times
And all the ways I've been spent
I close my eyes and hold my breath
When the bad man steals me
And ruins my name
If I had my way I rather be
Passed off in the offering plate
I've been in the hands of a rich man
In a shoebox under a farmer's bed
Help post the bail of a stubborn boy
Who could have walked but he fought instead
I've been torn in half over some silly bet
Taped back together and then they tossed me
In the case of a beggin' Cajun fiddler player
On Bourbon Street
Some people call me George
Some people worship the color green
I don't really mind of course
I just like the company
'Cause I'm sure one day
I'll be a thing of the past
I'll be sitting folded up
In some old woman's hope chest
She'll be telling her grand kids
How she used to spend me
On a pack of gum, and jackerjacks
A can of Coke and a quarter snack
And she'll say "back then you could get so much for a dollar"
And they'll say, "what's a dollar?"
But for now I'm sitting in a piggybank
Of an eight year old trying to buy a bike
I'm proud to be a dollar twenty three
On the way to thirty five
She pours us out onto the carpet
Counts us all then holds us tight
Then she puts us back in one by one
Blows a kiss then she says good night
And there ain't tellin' where I'll end up next
In a bra or a bible it's anybody's guess
Maybe in a bottle just floatin' in the water
Living the life of a dollar
To the empty hand of a homeless bum
To the cash drawer at the liquor store
Where he bought a pint of rum
To the bank clerk who past me off
To the single mom trying to pay the rent
I can't even count all the times
And all the ways I've been spent
I close my eyes and hold my breath
When the bad man steals me
And ruins my name
If I had my way I rather be
Passed off in the offering plate
I've been in the hands of a rich man
In a shoebox under a farmer's bed
Help post the bail of a stubborn boy
Who could have walked but he fought instead
I've been torn in half over some silly bet
Taped back together and then they tossed me
In the case of a beggin' Cajun fiddler player
On Bourbon Street
Some people call me George
Some people worship the color green
I don't really mind of course
I just like the company
'Cause I'm sure one day
I'll be a thing of the past
I'll be sitting folded up
In some old woman's hope chest
She'll be telling her grand kids
How she used to spend me
On a pack of gum, and jackerjacks
A can of Coke and a quarter snack
And she'll say "back then you could get so much for a dollar"
And they'll say, "what's a dollar?"
But for now I'm sitting in a piggybank
Of an eight year old trying to buy a bike
I'm proud to be a dollar twenty three
On the way to thirty five
She pours us out onto the carpet
Counts us all then holds us tight
Then she puts us back in one by one
Blows a kiss then she says good night
And there ain't tellin' where I'll end up next
In a bra or a bible it's anybody's guess
Maybe in a bottle just floatin' in the water
Living the life of a dollar
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
The Life of a Dollar Lyrics as written by Rachel Thibodeau Rebecca Lynn Howard
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
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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.
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/
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.