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."
My inspiration note
the sympathy
They've taken everything you want and they
left you all alone
My setting sun, self appointed,
I am a fraud
You are the martyr
It's decided and I owe you several worlds
I can tell you...
Rat in the sewer, scraps they left behind
Once their visionary, and they all have robbed you blind
Your broken records playing for
None fabricate song
Amputated creative tongue
You sing on and on and on
I can tell you why
I'm bringing you down,
calling you out,
taking your shield
It's easier now
Years have been kind
Distance between
has given hind sight
I jumped a train
Your tragedy so easy to read,
is bitter envy
They're reaping all the lowly benefits
You missed the train they stole
and you've never...
I'm burning you down,
calling you out,
taking your shield
It's easier now
Years have been kind
Distance between has given hind sight
I'm on a train.
the sympathy
They've taken everything you want and they
left you all alone
My setting sun, self appointed,
I am a fraud
You are the martyr
It's decided and I owe you several worlds
I can tell you...
Rat in the sewer, scraps they left behind
Once their visionary, and they all have robbed you blind
Your broken records playing for
None fabricate song
Amputated creative tongue
You sing on and on and on
I can tell you why
I'm bringing you down,
calling you out,
taking your shield
It's easier now
Years have been kind
Distance between
has given hind sight
I jumped a train
Your tragedy so easy to read,
is bitter envy
They're reaping all the lowly benefits
You missed the train they stole
and you've never...
I'm burning you down,
calling you out,
taking your shield
It's easier now
Years have been kind
Distance between has given hind sight
I'm on a train.
Lyrics submitted by Sk{A}narchy_Punk
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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/
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Trouble Breathing
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
While the obvious connections with suicide or alcoholism could be drawn easily, more subtly this song could be about someone who views the world through a negative lens constantly and how as much as the writer tries to show the beauty in the world, this person refuses to see it. It's one or another between the rope and the bottle. There is no good option for this person. They can't see it. Skiba sings it in a kind of exasperated way like He's tired of hearing this negative view constantly and just allowing that person to continue feeling the way they feel knowing he can't do anything about it. You can hear it when he says maybe you're a vampire.
Sunglasses at Night
Corey Hart
Corey Hart
In the 1980s, sunglasses were a common fashion for people who wanted to adopt a "tough guy" persona (note all the cop shows from that era -- Simon & Simon, Miami Vice, etc. -- where the lead characters wore shades). So I think this song is about a guy who wears shades as a way of hiding his insecurity after learning that his girlfriend is cheating on him. He's trying to pretend that he's a "tough guy" to hide the fact that his girlfriend's affair is disturbing him.
lagwagon rool, this song roolz.
great song, sort of sounds like someone or a band who had sold out, "amputated creative tongue", and how in the end they wound up broke, to "sing on and on on" for someone who "robbed you blind".. thats just what it seems like to me though
I agree ... the lyricist seems to have a lot of respect for the individual who's now the "scraps they've left behind" ... probably this person was once a source of inspiration or creativity for the other band members, but was sucked dry and left blowing in the breeze while the rest of them "jumped a train" to fame and success. It sounds to me almost like an apology to an old friend/band member; who is envious of how well the rest of them have done. The writer has had some time reflect on how this guy was treated ("distance between has given hind sight"), and he's realized this guy has been left in the gutter while "I'm on a train" to the good life
I think maybe that the "train" is like a metaphor for a journey. It starts of slow, gets faster and more exciting with so many new people and places. In the end it all comes to a dead stop and everyone empties the train. But yes, i also agree judo, somebody was robbed of their "creative tounge" for the sake of others.
I thought that it was more about using someone that you cared about. "I'm burning you down, calling you out, taking your shield" and the train being riden could possibly be the person being used..