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."
Keep on knockin', keep it up, knock boots
Keep knockin', keep it up until the end, now
White trash, celebrities, talking heads and tabloid sleaze
War reports and violent crime, hideous news almost all the time
Feelin' really low, then I start to wonder how to stop myself from goin' under
It flashes super-bright, I realize the surest way to prove we're still alive
Knock boots until you die now
You never know when they're gonna pull the plug
So knock boots until the end
You think there's more, but suddenly there's none
Keep on knockin', keep it up now
Don't you cut and run when trouble comes around now
Knock boots until the end
Don't let it tweak you out, don't let it bring you down
Keep on knockin', keep it up
Talkin' loud, sayin' nothin', sayin' what enough's enough
They dumb it down until it's all the same
Talkin' loud, sayin' nothin', sayin' what enough's enough
They stir the pot until everything's insane
What did they just say?
Wait! Don't tell me! Time to start knockin'!
Oh yeah
Keep knocking
Keep it up-up-up-up
The goons talk, the creeps arrive
The suits laugh as they rob you blind
Bigger Ballers and self-appointed cops
In attack dog mode, they just won't stop
Feelin' really low, then I start to wonder how to stop myself from goin' under
It flashes super-bright, I realize the surest way to prove we're still alive
Knock boots until you die now
You never know when they're gonna pull the plug
So knock boots until the end
You think there's more, but suddenly there's none
Keep on knockin', keep it up now
Don't you cut and run when trouble comes around now
Knock boots until the end
Don't let it tweak you out, don't let it bring you down
Keep on knockin', keep it up now
Keep knockin', keep it up until the end, now
White trash, celebrities, talking heads and tabloid sleaze
War reports and violent crime, hideous news almost all the time
Feelin' really low, then I start to wonder how to stop myself from goin' under
It flashes super-bright, I realize the surest way to prove we're still alive
Knock boots until you die now
You never know when they're gonna pull the plug
So knock boots until the end
You think there's more, but suddenly there's none
Keep on knockin', keep it up now
Don't you cut and run when trouble comes around now
Knock boots until the end
Don't let it tweak you out, don't let it bring you down
Keep on knockin', keep it up
Talkin' loud, sayin' nothin', sayin' what enough's enough
They dumb it down until it's all the same
Talkin' loud, sayin' nothin', sayin' what enough's enough
They stir the pot until everything's insane
What did they just say?
Wait! Don't tell me! Time to start knockin'!
Oh yeah
Keep knocking
Keep it up-up-up-up
The goons talk, the creeps arrive
The suits laugh as they rob you blind
Bigger Ballers and self-appointed cops
In attack dog mode, they just won't stop
Feelin' really low, then I start to wonder how to stop myself from goin' under
It flashes super-bright, I realize the surest way to prove we're still alive
Knock boots until you die now
You never know when they're gonna pull the plug
So knock boots until the end
You think there's more, but suddenly there's none
Keep on knockin', keep it up now
Don't you cut and run when trouble comes around now
Knock boots until the end
Don't let it tweak you out, don't let it bring you down
Keep on knockin', keep it up now
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
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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,
Magical
Ed Sheeran
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How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced 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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Essentially it's about how following the herd blindly can get you into a bad situation, not unlike we have right now. Also hearing nothing but bad news all the time can lead to depression and misery, and one should fight for good things.