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."
Young, all we ever think about is fun
All we ever want to be is twenty one
Hey, doesn't everyone want to sit on top of the world
Revolves around athletic boys
And girls dressed up in their older sisters' clothes
R. Kelly on the radio, screaming out this will never get old
Racin' cars and breakin' hearts
First taste of love and twist off wine
Kissin' strangers, darin' danger
Burnin' bridges, crossin' lines
You don't think to take it slow, and you don't know what you don't know
The nights are young and our ID's are fake
Underage, underage
Time, feels like it's always on our side
So we fill it up with midnight drives
And lies to your momma when she asks you where you've been
And you hide your smile and say anywhere but with him
'Cause you know when she was seventeen she was doin' the same damn thing
Racin' cars and breakin' hearts
First taste of love and twist off wine
Kissin' strangers, darin' danger
Burnin' bridges, crossin' lines
You don't think to take it slow, and you don't know what you don't know
The nights are young and our ID's are fake
Underage, underage
Every light is sayin' go, and you don't know what you don't know
Racin' cars and breakin' hearts
First taste of love and twist off wine
Kissin' strangers, darin' danger
Burnin' bridges, crossin' lines
You don't think to take it slow, and you don't know what you don't know
The nights are young and our ID's are fake
The kind of days that are those were the days
Underage, underage
Young, all we ever think about is fun
Doesn't everyone
All we ever want to be is twenty one
Hey, doesn't everyone want to sit on top of the world
Revolves around athletic boys
And girls dressed up in their older sisters' clothes
R. Kelly on the radio, screaming out this will never get old
Racin' cars and breakin' hearts
First taste of love and twist off wine
Kissin' strangers, darin' danger
Burnin' bridges, crossin' lines
You don't think to take it slow, and you don't know what you don't know
The nights are young and our ID's are fake
Underage, underage
Time, feels like it's always on our side
So we fill it up with midnight drives
And lies to your momma when she asks you where you've been
And you hide your smile and say anywhere but with him
'Cause you know when she was seventeen she was doin' the same damn thing
Racin' cars and breakin' hearts
First taste of love and twist off wine
Kissin' strangers, darin' danger
Burnin' bridges, crossin' lines
You don't think to take it slow, and you don't know what you don't know
The nights are young and our ID's are fake
Underage, underage
Every light is sayin' go, and you don't know what you don't know
Racin' cars and breakin' hearts
First taste of love and twist off wine
Kissin' strangers, darin' danger
Burnin' bridges, crossin' lines
You don't think to take it slow, and you don't know what you don't know
The nights are young and our ID's are fake
The kind of days that are those were the days
Underage, underage
Young, all we ever think about is fun
Doesn't everyone
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