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."
Now that I've lost everything to you
You say you wanna start something new
And it's breaking my heart you're leaving
Baby, I'm grieving
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you have a lot of nice things to wear
But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
I'll always remember you like a child, girl
You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do
And it's breaking my heart in two
Because I never want to see you sad girl
Don't be a bad girl
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware
Beware
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
Baby, I love you
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware
Beware
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And it's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
You say you wanna start something new
And it's breaking my heart you're leaving
Baby, I'm grieving
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you have a lot of nice things to wear
But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
I'll always remember you like a child, girl
You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do
And it's breaking my heart in two
Because I never want to see you sad girl
Don't be a bad girl
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware
Beware
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
Baby, I love you
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware
Beware
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And it's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
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More Featured Meanings
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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/
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
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.
After much deliberation, I believe this song was written about a girl wanting to make it in showbusiness, the entertainment industry. I think the author had already had some experience in this area and may have already been popular, then started seeing a girl who was a naive nobody. She starts believing she can make it on her own based on some comments of some higher-ups in the business due to exposure from being around the author, so she ditches the author so she can head out to Hollywood, or something to that effect. Problem is, she doesn't know what she is talking about, she only has these dreams, and thinks it will be very easy to make it. The author knows better, hence the line "It's hard to get by just upon a smile", and this song is a warning to her, kind of like "it doesn't quite work that way, but hey, knock yourself out". The line "I hope you have alot of nice things to wear" was a way of saying "I hope you make it"... then the next line "But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there" is basically saying "but I've seen the ugly side of this industry, and I am highly concerned". He knows that naive young women with big dreams can easily be taken advantage of in Hollywood and similar places. He tries to sum this up by saying "You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do, And it's breakin' my heart in two, Because I never wanna see you a sad girl". He then repeats his idea that he's trying to warn her about people taking advantage of her, but if she still wants to go, then she's got his blessing and he's not going to fight it, and he'll be rooting for her to succeed... just be careful... in the lines "But if you wanna leave, take good care, I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there, But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware". I think the central theme to the song is that the author has been in the exact footsteps of this girl, trying to make it in showbusiness, and because of that he has seen the shady side, so he's warning her, but at the same time, he's done it himself, so he's letting her go without a fight due to not wanting to be hypocritical.