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."
Share my body and my mind with you
That's all over now
Did what I had to do
'Cause you're so far past me now
Share my body and my life with you
That's way over now
There's not anymore I can do
You're so famous now
Got your Bible, got your gun
And you like to party and have fun
And I like my candy and your women
I'm finally happy now that you're gone
Got my little red party dress on
Everybody knows that I'm the best
I'm crazy, yeah yeah
Get a little bit of Bourbon in ya
Get a little bit suburban
And go crazy, yeah yeah
Because you're young, you're wild, you're free
You're dancing circles around me
You're fucking crazy
Oh oh, oh oh, you're crazy for me
I shared my body and my mind with you
That's all over now
I did what I had to do
I found another, anyhow
Shared my body and my mind with you
That's all over now
I did what I had to do
I could see you leaving now
I got your Bible and your gun
And you love to party and have fun
And I love your women and all of your heroin
And I'm so happy now that you're gone
Got my little red party dress on
Everybody knows that I'm a mess
I'm crazy, yeah yeah
Get a little bit of Bourbon in ya
Get a little bit suburban
And go crazy, yeah yeah
Because you're young, you're wild, you're free
You're dancing circles around me
You're fucking crazy
Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, you're crazy for me
Got your Bible and your gun
You like your women and you like fun
I like my candy and your heroin
And I'm so happy, so happy now you're gone
Got my little red party dress on
Everybody knows that I'm the best
I'm crazy, yeah yeah
Get a little bit of Bourbon in 'ya
Get a little bit suburban
And go crazy, yeah yeah
Because you're young, you're wild, you're free
You're dancing circles around me
You're fucking crazy
Oh oh oh, oh oh oh, you're crazy for me
Oh oh, oh, you're crazy for me
That's all over now
Did what I had to do
'Cause you're so far past me now
Share my body and my life with you
That's way over now
There's not anymore I can do
You're so famous now
Got your Bible, got your gun
And you like to party and have fun
And I like my candy and your women
I'm finally happy now that you're gone
Got my little red party dress on
Everybody knows that I'm the best
I'm crazy, yeah yeah
Get a little bit of Bourbon in ya
Get a little bit suburban
And go crazy, yeah yeah
Because you're young, you're wild, you're free
You're dancing circles around me
You're fucking crazy
Oh oh, oh oh, you're crazy for me
I shared my body and my mind with you
That's all over now
I did what I had to do
I found another, anyhow
Shared my body and my mind with you
That's all over now
I did what I had to do
I could see you leaving now
I got your Bible and your gun
And you love to party and have fun
And I love your women and all of your heroin
And I'm so happy now that you're gone
Got my little red party dress on
Everybody knows that I'm a mess
I'm crazy, yeah yeah
Get a little bit of Bourbon in ya
Get a little bit suburban
And go crazy, yeah yeah
Because you're young, you're wild, you're free
You're dancing circles around me
You're fucking crazy
Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, you're crazy for me
Got your Bible and your gun
You like your women and you like fun
I like my candy and your heroin
And I'm so happy, so happy now you're gone
Got my little red party dress on
Everybody knows that I'm the best
I'm crazy, yeah yeah
Get a little bit of Bourbon in 'ya
Get a little bit suburban
And go crazy, yeah yeah
Because you're young, you're wild, you're free
You're dancing circles around me
You're fucking crazy
Oh oh oh, oh oh oh, you're crazy for me
Oh oh, oh, you're crazy for me
Lyrics submitted by think0fme, edited by belmad, pryncemyke, mayjailer
Cruel World Lyrics as written by Blake Stranathan Elizabeth Grant
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
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.
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
It talks about the "then" ("Shared my body and my mind/life with you") vs. the "now" ("That's all over now"). She acknowledges the wasted time, energy, passion, and devotion of a relationship, which is an interesting thought: where does all that love go when a relationship ends? And even though she has "found another, anyhow," it is clear that she is not fine at all. She puts on her "little red party dress" and talks about candy, fun, happiness, and such, yet "everybody knows that she's a mess," and "fucking crazy." She completely admires his lifestyle ("you're young, you're wild, you're free") and has adopted it as her own, but she knows he is still "dancing circles" around her. All in all, the song sonically and thematically introduces the conflicting emotions she says the album itself contains (ex: the quiet, almost lifeless verses followed by the hectic, bitter and loud chorus). A great way to introduce the theme/story and sound of the record.