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."
We all come in from the cold
We come down from the wire
An everybody warms themselves
To a different fire
When sometimes we get burned
You'd think sometime we'd learn
The one you love is the one
That should take you higher
You ain't got no one
You better go back out and find her
Just like children hidin' in a closet
Can't tell what's goin' on outside
Sometimes we're so far off the beaten track
We'll get taken for a ride
By a parlor trick or some words of wit
A hidden hand up a sleeve
To think the one you love
Could hurt you now
Is a little hard to believe
But everybody darlin' sometimes
Bites the hand that feeds
When I look around
Everybody always brings me down
Well is it them or me
Well I just can't see
But there ain't no peace to found
But if someone really cared
Well they'd take the time to spare
A moment to try and understand
Another one's despair
Remember in this game we call life
That no one said it's fair
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Yeah
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Get down with yo' bad self
Alright
I've come to know the cold
I think of it as home
When there ain't enough of me
To go around
I'd rather be left alone
But if I call you out of habit
I'm out of love and I gotta have it
Would you give it to me
If I fit you needs
Like when we both knew we had it
But now the damage's done
And we're back out on the run
Fun how ev'rything was roses
When we held on to the guns
Just because you're winnin'
Don't mean you're the lucky ones
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Breakdown
Yeah
Breakdown
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
There goes the Challenger being chased
By the blue blue meanies on wheels
The vicious traffic squad cars are
After our lone driver
The last American hero
The the electric sitar
The demi-god
The super driver of the golden west!
Two nasty nazi cars are close behind
The beautiful lone driver
The police cars are getting closer-closer
Closer to our soul hero in his soul mobile yeah baby!
They about to strike, they gonna get him, smash! rape!
The last beautiful free soul on this planet
But it is written if the evil spirit
Arms the tiger with claws
Brahman provided wings for the dove
Thus spake the super guru"
"Did you hear that"
We come down from the wire
An everybody warms themselves
To a different fire
When sometimes we get burned
You'd think sometime we'd learn
The one you love is the one
That should take you higher
You ain't got no one
You better go back out and find her
Just like children hidin' in a closet
Can't tell what's goin' on outside
Sometimes we're so far off the beaten track
We'll get taken for a ride
By a parlor trick or some words of wit
A hidden hand up a sleeve
To think the one you love
Could hurt you now
Is a little hard to believe
But everybody darlin' sometimes
Bites the hand that feeds
When I look around
Everybody always brings me down
Well is it them or me
Well I just can't see
But there ain't no peace to found
But if someone really cared
Well they'd take the time to spare
A moment to try and understand
Another one's despair
Remember in this game we call life
That no one said it's fair
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Yeah
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Get down with yo' bad self
Alright
I've come to know the cold
I think of it as home
When there ain't enough of me
To go around
I'd rather be left alone
But if I call you out of habit
I'm out of love and I gotta have it
Would you give it to me
If I fit you needs
Like when we both knew we had it
But now the damage's done
And we're back out on the run
Fun how ev'rything was roses
When we held on to the guns
Just because you're winnin'
Don't mean you're the lucky ones
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Breakdown
Yeah
Breakdown
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
There goes the Challenger being chased
By the blue blue meanies on wheels
The vicious traffic squad cars are
After our lone driver
The last American hero
The the electric sitar
The demi-god
The super driver of the golden west!
Two nasty nazi cars are close behind
The beautiful lone driver
The police cars are getting closer-closer
Closer to our soul hero in his soul mobile yeah baby!
They about to strike, they gonna get him, smash! rape!
The last beautiful free soul on this planet
But it is written if the evil spirit
Arms the tiger with claws
Brahman provided wings for the dove
Thus spake the super guru"
"Did you hear that"
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
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,
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.
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.
Easily my favorite long track by Guns, and the only one I can bear to listen to on UYI consistently (sorry, "November Rain," "Coma," "Locomotive," "Estranged," and even, to a lesser extent, "Civil War" aren't my speed).
I think it reflects Axl's state of mind at the time. Slash said in his autobiography that during the UYI recording process he became detached and very seldom came to practice on time. They almost never saw him in the studio. He was having obvious emotional conflict but became impossible to speak with. It was during this time that he rearranged the contract so he owned the Guns N' Roses name. A legal battle ensued, and with Axl's controlling impulses becoming higher and higher (including the addition of studio musicians, synthesized effects, pay cuts, a legal battle within the band) Slash decided to leave the band. Not late after, Duff McKagan quit, and Matt Sorum was fired soon after.
What could have caused all of this? Slash seemed to ignore the music's lyrical value in his book. The only times he went into the lyrical aspects of GNR's music were when mentioning the story of Michelle (a real person) in "My Michelle" and Slash's input on the chorus of "Paradise City." Maybe Axl was dealing with family problems, or maybe he lost a very important friend, though no such thing was mentioned in the book. Maybe he was losing control of his life in a hundred ways, and he tried to control the only thing he had left: Guns N' Roses. I think if the band had paid more attention to Axl's lyrics, they could have helped in some way, and maybe they'd still be together. But maybe they tried.
Well, Axl's still a dick. (A great songwriter, but a dick.)