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."
Did you see her walking?
Did she come around here, Sir?
Black hair, brown eyes
My beautiful Leah
She was always so needing
Said, "I have no-one"
Even as I held her
She went out looking for someone
She only had nightmares,
And her sadness never lifted
And slowly over the years
Her lovely face twisted
Did she come around here, Sir?
I swear you would remember
Black hair, Brown eyes
Late September
October
November
December
It never leaves my mind
The last words she said
"If I don't find it this time,
Then I'm better off dead".
Did she come around here, Sir?
Black hair, brown eyes
My beautiful Leah
She was always so needing
Said, "I have no-one"
Even as I held her
She went out looking for someone
She only had nightmares,
And her sadness never lifted
And slowly over the years
Her lovely face twisted
Did she come around here, Sir?
I swear you would remember
Black hair, Brown eyes
Late September
October
November
December
It never leaves my mind
The last words she said
"If I don't find it this time,
Then I'm better off dead".
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
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/
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
The song starts out with a chorus, that has two quistions, "Did you see her walking? Did she come around here, sir?" so now we can see, that this person are looking for someone. In the next two sentences, we get a little discription of this girl and also her name; Leah. "Black hair, brown eyes. My beautiful Leah". By using the word beautiful, we can sense that this person cares about Leah. In the first stanza, we get a deeper discription of Leah. The person is telling somebody what her bad sides was, "She was always so needing" and "Said 'I have no-one'", with the last sentence i get the feeling that Leah isn't satisfied with herself. The last sentences of the first stanza is he/she who is telling somebody, that nomatter how much he/she held her or showed that he/she loved her, Leah went out looking for someone to care about her, even though she had it right in front of her. In the second stanza he/she tells more abouth Leah; "She only had nightmares, and her sadness never lifted" wich also gives us a better picture of Leah, she is depressed or just not satisfied with herself and her life and it did'nt get any better with time. "And slowly over the years, her lovely face twisted", that's a metafor for Leah's situation, it got worse over the years and then she got suicidal. Then the chorus comes again, but with some changes. He/she is asking again if 'Sir' has seen Leah and tells him that he would have remembered her, if he saw her. And the look of Leah is coming again "Black hair, brown eyes" and then he/she is telling us that Leah disapeared "Late september" and after that he/she is counting down the months of Leah's disapearing "October, November, December", so they found her dead when december was over. The third stanza or a outro, he/she rememberes Leah's last words; "It never leaves my mind, the last words she said, 'If I don't find it this time, then i'm better off dead". So Leah went out looking for someone who could care about her, but she didn't find it, so she killed herself. He/she could never let it go, because if he/she told her that he/she loved her, she wouldn't have killed herself. Overall this song is about a persons longin to Leah, who died because he/she never idmittet his/her love to her.
I generally agree with Sundquist but when I listen to the song think that the person who is looking for Leah is her mother. So I imagine an old lady grabbing my hand and asking me with anxiety in her eyes 'did you see her walking? did she come around here sir? Dark hair brown eyes..my beautiful Leah'. Powerful song.
No I think PJ Harvey is singing as Leah's mother who feels she loved Leah, but Leah wanted a romantic love with some perfect guy she couldn't find.