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."
Sex jibe husband murders wife
Bomb blast victim fights for life
Girl, thirteen, attacked with knife
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
Jet airliner shot from sky
Famine horror, millions die
Earthquake terror figures rise
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
You can't change the world
But you can change the facts
And when you change the facts
You change points of view
If you change points of view
You may change a vote
And when you change a vote
You may change the world
In black townships fires blaze
Prospects better premier says
Within sight are golden days
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
You can't change the world
But you can change the facts
And when you change the facts
You change points of view
If you change points of view
You may change a vote
And when you change a vote
You may change the world
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
Bomb blast victim fights for life
Girl, thirteen, attacked with knife
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
Jet airliner shot from sky
Famine horror, millions die
Earthquake terror figures rise
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
You can't change the world
But you can change the facts
And when you change the facts
You change points of view
If you change points of view
You may change a vote
And when you change a vote
You may change the world
In black townships fires blaze
Prospects better premier says
Within sight are golden days
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
You can't change the world
But you can change the facts
And when you change the facts
You change points of view
If you change points of view
You may change a vote
And when you change a vote
You may change the world
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
Princess Di is wearing a new dress
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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.
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.
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.
This is one of my top ten fav DM songs. It's talking about how people focus on stupid things like Princess Di's new dress instead of real issues or more important news. And then the chorus explains the spin doctor tactic very well.
The lyrics to this song are fantastic! I do agree with the first commenter that it's about people focusing on mundane issues when there is much suffering going on. On a political standpoint, it reflects to me the people who are too preoccupied with small issues, that they can't focus on more important issues and actually trying to do something for the world.
I worked for the Daily Mail for a short time a few years ago. At the morning editorial meeting there would be a round-up of the big news stories - bomb blast in Baghdad, NHS hospital in crisis, Pope dies etc. We'd run with the headline 'Jennifer Aniston gets new hairdo' or similar. Reminded me of this song every time.
It's crazy that over 25 years on, nothing has changed at all. In fact, it's much worse. It's a very similar message to Panic by The Smiths.
This song is fantastic. It really makes you realize that gossip is so much bs and the world has much bigger problems to deal with. Really cool song. One of my DM favorites.
As per my understanding, this song is about how the media was using the fact that Princess Di was updating her wardrobe and running that as headlines rather than actual news.
I bought a "best of" depeche mode album a few years ago and it just became part of my collection. I then played it when I had some friends around and realised what I had been missing so I bought further albums which is when I stumbled accross this song. I'm saying all this because I think this song is amazing and is so apt today it is unbelievable. I think everyone has covered what the song means I just wanted to put my personal feeling down.
I think there is more to this than DM lambasting the media for giving the public 'bread and circuses' (and the public's eager acceptance of same). Yes, there is plenty of 'Which star has celulite' and 'Which Royal was behaving badly' and all of that crap, but Diana used that attention for charities like landmine removal, starving children, and AIDS awareness. She used the existing machinery that works to create more and more fluff to create somthing of substance. You can't change the world, but she was able to start changing the facts, which ultimately did change the world in some lasting ways.
It might be about pop culture, and how all people care about is what the most popular or well loved person is wearing, like in this time in Britain, was Princess Di.
And still, these days people are more fascinated with what Meghan Markle or Kate Middleton are wearing, versus famine, disease, or heck, even any of their accomplishments. Same with actors, people care more about the shallow and superficial, like their dress and its cost, than the substance and achievements of the person. The world could be falling apart, everything going to hell in a hand basket, but people would only notice and focus on someone's appearance or gossip, nothing else would matter!