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."
There are places I remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all
But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all
But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more
Lyrics submitted by Ice
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First of all, I'd like to say that I don't truly think anyone's really given this particular song a justified response, as to what the song is actually supposed to mean. Sure, some people give very surface-level statements about what it means, but nothing deep -- and it's a deep song, as Lennon said. Most of the comments involve the poster's life, and how the song has affected them, rather than what the song actually means. Hence, I'd like to actually put some attention in the song, where it belongs.
In its entirety, the song is basically written to someone beloved to the songwriter. The speaker is expressing their love for someone special. This is indicated by the line "In my life I love you more." Although, rather than simply saying, "I love you," the writer decides to compare their newfound love to everything they've known to love and cherish their entire life. This is indicated by the lines, "And these memories lose their meaning/ /When I think of love as something new." Hence, the writer is saying, "Compared to even the most cherished of all of my life's memories, I love you more."
Hence, the song isn't necessarily about reminiscing or nostalgia. Instead, it's more about expressing one's love for someone, by comparing them to the past. "You're greater than my most cherished and fond memories." Although, in doing so, the writer must express how great and cherished these memories actually are. Hence, there is a sense of nostalgia and reminiscing, in order to express the depth of this love and appreciation for the past. And so, by showing how deeply in love he/she is with their past, the writer is truly saying miles, by comparing their love to these feelings. They are, in essence, saying that they respect and appreciate their past indefinitely, but that even those memories cannot surpass the love he/she now feels for this new special person. And so, they express the immensity and seriousness of their love for that person.
Although, the average person will only really relate to the nostalgia and reminiscing, so that the song isn't really cherished as a love song. Instead, oddly, it's cherished as a looking-back song. A song of memory. A song of reflecting on the past. And it's odd how the chord structure of the music, and every selected note, seems to get across a sad, somber feeling, rather than some excitement and seriousness of an expression of love. Instead of a love song, it comes across more as a melancholy perspective of the past; a deep, sad look at all of the memories of one's life.
And personally, I think the beat is too Beatlesque. In other words, it's too poppy. Too upbeat. Too rock and roll. John Lennon's later music was very serious and deep -- expressing worlds of emotion, as he had matured as an independent songwriter/musician. I think it's sad that John Lennon didn't re-record this particular song in his later years. It was truly one of his all-time best songs, along with Imagine. And also, I feel the same way about Help. I think Help should have been re-recorded, along with Strawberry Fields Forever. While Strawberry is simply odd-sounding, and could've been orchestrated better, Help suffers from the same problems as In My Life: the beat is too poppy, too upbeat, too Beatlesque. The odd thing is, these aren't Beatle songs; their Lennon songs. One can sense Lennon's particular style all over these songs. The very lyrics are philosophically deep and moving -- full of meaning and emotion, whereas most Beatle songs are simply catchy, without the extra sense of meaning, for which Lennon was no doubt talented.
I think McCartney's Yesterday was a good example of how these Lennon songs should've been recorded. Solo piano, or solo guitar, without the rest of the band, and without the drums. Lennon's songs were simply too bare and special to involve the rest of the Beatles. He should have recorded In My Life, Help, and Strawberry Fields Forever in a very personal, solo manner. I think the songs are now left in a form which isn't truly genuine to Lennon. I feel they are songs suck in the past, in a form Lennon could have done away with. I feel Lennon's true mature song writing style would've naturally brought out the true depth and scope of these earlier songs. And now they're simply stuck in a two-dimensional Beatlesque box of pop garbage. But I still think they are decent, even if they aren't exactly entirely Lennonesque. Lennon's spirit still lies within the music -- one just has to overlook all of that Beatly nonsense to hear it!
Cheers.
Great post mate
not to rain on your parade but this is pretty much just a longwinded re-iteration of what was already consicely expressed in the post above by dr4g0sm4ft31...
plus some pretty ridiculous comments about beatles songs being too "beatlesque." If i understand correctly, you're implying that the addition of electric guitars, bass, drums, and harmonies ruins the song by making it "stuck in a two-dimensional beatlesque box of pop garbage"??
@LennonGenius! I agree with the interpretation but disagree with the comments on chord structure and song style. The melancholy undertones resonate perfectly for me given the song's meaning.
@LennonGenius! Although I agree with about the first paragraph or so of what you say, I think it is because this was The Beatles and all of them together is GOLDEN. This is the perfect blend of the love they all shared as friends together in their lives and I think it could be understood as remembering someone who has passed on as one of the great loves, as they mention about things and people from the past and it probably resonates best with the melancholy tone of the song.
@LennonGenius! "He should have recorded In My Life, Help, and Strawberry Fields Forever in a very personal, solo manner." I don't think he should have, but it would have been great to have the opportunity to listen to these songs in that way, and they would have been different, not better. "And now they're simply stuck in a two-dimensional Beatlesque box of pop garbage. But I still think they are decent, even if they aren't exactly entirely ." You lost it here.
@LennonGenius! I agree with the interpretation that you made. But you have to realize what richard155 told you. You cannot expect Beatle songs to be purely Lennon songs. Being "Beatlesque" does not mean garbage and a song being "Lennonesque" does not mean the song is elevated to a higher level. You have to realize that although this song is composed by John Lennon, this is a Beatles song and not purely a John Lennon song.
@richard155 I agree that he lost it there. This is not a solo Lennon song but a Beatles song. The Beatles consist of John Lennon,Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.Not John Lennon alone. Despite the fact that John did not re-record this song on his own, it remains a great song. Who knows if Lennon lived beyond the age of 40? He could have had a better interpretation of the song. But unfortunately when the Beatles broke up, all members are trying to create their own brand of music particularly in the 70's and they refrained from singing Beatle songs. Then decades have past,then the surviving members of the Beatles started to sing Beatle songs in their concerts once again during the 90's. Too bad that we would not know what the solo version of John of this song would have been better when the Beatles recorded it as he did not live beyond his sudden death in 1980. BUT NO ONE CAN TAKE THE OUT THE FACT THAT IT REMAINS A GREAT SONG. If Lennon lived, I doubt that he would have surpassed the success of the Beatles. Even McCartney who still is alive today didn't despite the fact that he had a great solo career.
LennonGenius! Take note that when the Beatles released their like their albums like "1" and "Let It Be...Naked" during the 2000's, they still sold millions of copies. Beatles songs are timeless hits and classics. They are not primarily 60's songs or as you described "songs stuck in the past". Most of the songs by The Beatles stand the test of time and way better than today's garbage music. Even their first hit "Love Me Do" in 1962 is still enjoyed by many people at present. A lot of Beatles' songs are not just 60's songs alone.
@LennonGenius! i think of my dead wife and my daughter when i hear this song, but good analysis.<br />
@LennonGenius! Cheers to your great synopsis.<br /> <br /> My boyfriend and I of over a year were singing this song along with the radio as we pulled up to his home on a warm summer night.<br /> <br /> When we got to the last stanza, the last words “I love you more” he said I love you for the first time and kissed me.<br /> <br />
most people think, as i once did, that these lyrics are simply a "nostalgia trip" but if you get beyond the first verse, it is fairly plain to see that John's mentioning of old friends and nostalgic moments serves merely as a means to express his love through comparison; "But of all these friends and lovers / There is no one compares with you / And these memories lose their meaning /When I think of love as something new." In the next "stanza," if you will, or the second bridge to be precise, he goes on to say that even though he loves those memories so much that he'll "never lose affection" for them, he will actually "love you more," whoever "you" happens to be. What it basically comes down to is that this is a love song that compares one's romantic love for another with his nostalgic love for his memories... and as we all know, the latter is a very powerful emotion, hence the magnitude of the implication that the subject in the lyrics loves his woman more than his nostalgic memories.
had this been a different day, i might have considered arguing against the idea that these lyrics have "hidden" drug meanings.... but such an idea is so ridiculous that it really doesn't merit more than the brief mentioning it just received.
@dr4g0sm4ft31 Came looking for this. I just commented elsewhere: -<br /> I think Lennon was trying to say how much he loved a woman by comparing her to how valuable all his childhood memories were. He uses his developing songwriting skills to evoke the love we all can feel for our childhood experiences of people and places, but then tells her "In my life, I love you more".
This song is the ultimate lookin back, reflecting, mistakes and triumphs, loves and losses, missing your old friends, loving the new ones song! It was played on the Wonder Years a few times, along with many other Beatles songs. The best part about this song, is it all come back to one person "but of all these friends and lovers....there is no one compares with you", it all centers around true love, that one person that means more than all the others...in your life.
@Cherriepie spot on
this is the only song that i have ever heard and cried.
I hate to think about this and when I mentioned it to my mom she almost cried but I am requesting that my family members, when I die, play three songs at my funeral or whatever I have: Free as a Bird, Real Love, and this In my Life. Johns voice in those three songs move me to tears and when I was Watching the Anthology and this song came on and it is so beautiful. I love John Lennon and the other Beatles. ~ ((OLO)) lives ~
I'm only 18 and saying a beatles song which was released about 20years before i was born, is my favourite all time song may not be a common thing of someone my age, but it is true. this has been my favourite song for the last two years and i think it always will be. I recently split from my girlfriend, who i believed was my true love, it really hurt and this song reflects the way i feel about her, and life, and often makes me cry listening to it. i don't think ive known a song with so much meaning. It's also one of those rare songs that you can actually describe as being 'beautiful'.
I have always loved this song since I heard it as a kid in the sixties. It took on a whole new meaning when I heard it coming from the hospital the night my daughter was born.I "cried like a baby" driving home. My daughters' birth changed my life, I went from thinking about only myself to being a father with responsibilities. The song summed it all up, all the lovers and relatives and friends pale in comparison with loving a child. "Damn" I'm crying now......
A wonderful song. I think everyone can listen to this song and remember all the good things in their past.
you are so lucky to have been the first to comment on this amazing song :-)
The "harpsichord" solo is actually a piano (played by producer George Martin) recorded at half speed. A great song.
think its an organ
Amazing..quite a change for John