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."
In the here and now I wait
Among the young and the old
Between the moon and the ground I play
With my children in my home
This is for the daughters and sons
Of forgotten ones
Learning how to stand
This is for the innocent unknowns
Buried in the sand
Running from the sound of a gun
[Chorus]
Running from the sound of a gun
Til you're weary
Running from the sound of a gun
In the crack of the blackness I wake
It's getting closer every night
My city playground is a battleground
Between the wrong and the right
I could run free as a child
I was safe and wild
Naked and unarmed
Now I'm grown and safe in my home
But some will never stop
[Chorus]
The open mouth of the city
Swallowed the town
With that same old concrete
That I still walk down
And it seems they put a shine
On this place when I was young
But baby I just don't see it now
[Chorus]
Among the young and the old
Between the moon and the ground I play
With my children in my home
This is for the daughters and sons
Of forgotten ones
Learning how to stand
This is for the innocent unknowns
Buried in the sand
Running from the sound of a gun
[Chorus]
Running from the sound of a gun
Til you're weary
Running from the sound of a gun
In the crack of the blackness I wake
It's getting closer every night
My city playground is a battleground
Between the wrong and the right
I could run free as a child
I was safe and wild
Naked and unarmed
Now I'm grown and safe in my home
But some will never stop
[Chorus]
The open mouth of the city
Swallowed the town
With that same old concrete
That I still walk down
And it seems they put a shine
On this place when I was young
But baby I just don't see it now
[Chorus]
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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,
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.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
I'm definitely with forthelove on this one. I just don't catch the terrorism/war interpretation.
To me, I see it as someone recounting their experiences of living and raising a family in their home town/city. The place they grew up in was once majestic and beautiful, but as of late it has begun to deteriorate and succomb to violence.
"In the here and now I'll wait Down among the young and the old" (A man is living within a city, he is neither naive nor wise.)
"With the moon and the ground I play With my children in my home" (He is able to raise a family in comfort. These two lines juxtapose what is about to be said about the less fortunate. This draws attention to the fact that not everyone is as lucky as he is, and people around the country are in need of help morally, financially, and socially.)
"This is for the daughters and sons Of forgotten ones" (Children/people of the city whose parents have passed away due to violence and crime)
"Learning how to stand" (These children must grow up without a parental figure, and learn to be independent by themselves)
"This is for the innocent unknowns Buried in the sand" (Innocent unknowns are the people who continue to live but go unnoticed, uncared for. I don't take the sand literally, but rather I see it as a product of a deteriorating city. Basically, They are stuck in the city that they live in.)
"All running from the sound of a gun Running from the sound of a gun 'till you're weary Running from the sound of a gun Running from the sound of a gun" (These children become involved in violence, or violence surrounds them in their daily life and they have no choice but to "run and hide")
"From the crack in the blackness I'll wake It's getting closer every night" (Violence is creeping into his neighborhood? And he worries for his children.)
"In my city the playground is a battleground Between the wrong and the right" (The city he had memories of once being a playground is now filled with gang wars, violence, and crime.)
"I could run free as a child I was safe and wild Naked, and unarmed" (He was once able to roam the city without fear)
"Now I'm gone and safe in my home But some will never stop" (As an adult, he is able to live in a safe area, however not everyone is so lucky. they are forced into ghettos, poorer projects, etc.)
"The open mouth of the city Swallowed up the town" (Over the years, as population expanded, poorer people were forced into this area of the city. Thus, the wealthy/upper class stopped caring about the area, and it began to fall apart.)
"On that same old concrete That I still walk down And it seemed they put a shine On this place when I was young Well maybe I just don't see it now" (Walking down the streets, he sees that the city has changed for the worse. In the past, it was a beautiful, thriving area. Now it has fallen apart and faded.
yeah, this song is from their new album due out in June. However they played it live on their last tour. Just to clarify where it came from.
Yes, this was played on the OOE tour. It's an AMAZING song.
This song is infinitely better than their new single, Original Fire, which gives me hope.
any tips where i can hear this new track...i mean, i've heard a version, but the sound quality was terrible...
this album is shapping up to be audioslave's best effort yet.
nope. This song caught my attention when i heard it live. I think its definitely going to be big. Anyway i really havent put thought into the songs meaning but it could be about youth, how theyl change this crappy world we live in
wow thats i didnt even catch that till now, great observation. I think both songs are tied
In the here and now I wait Among the young and the old Between the moon and the ground I play With my children in my home This is for the daughters and sons Of forgotten ones Learning how to stand This is for the innocent unknowns Buried in the sand
sounds like hes aloof in time, hes grown but still fighting for causes like a child growing up
In the crack of the blackness I wake It’s getting closer every night My city playground is a battleground Between the wrong and the right I could run free as a child I was safe and wild Naked and unarmed Now I’m grown and safe in my home But some will never stop
It kindof sounds like a reference to how childrens ideas are innocent at first but then get swayed into believing what other people think and the cycle goes on and hes weary of that
I think the gun is a symbol of those trying to make you choose sides between the wrong and the right
The open mouth of the city Has swallowed up the town With that same old concrete That I still walk down And it seems they put a shine On this place when I was young But maybe I just don’t see it now
It sounds like the past or the innocent has been swallowed up by new ideas and changes, its similar and "better" but it doesnt seem so to him
hey emo kid, you are right he says it softly in the background of drwon me slowly, even in an audioslave thread on their site they discussed it there too, and he does sing it, also its a great song
Hah, I knew I recognized that part from "Drown Me Slowly"...
The song is basically summing up a fractured youth...
It's probably the best song on their new CD...
Now, about the new CD. It's good. It's great. But nonetheless disappointing. I was expecting another epic rock album like their masterpiece Out of Exile...I understand that they've become more funky and soulful, but the songs aren't as instantly memorable as Audioslave's biggest hits...
But what this album does give is consistency...every song is good, there is not one song that constitutes as filler.
This song better be relesed as a single, because it is downright awesome...I would also like to see "Until We Fall" and "Wide Awake" gain some radioplay, as they are very good also...
I would give the album 4 out of 5 stars...and this song a perfect 5.
Huh. That verse being in two songs on two different albums is weird.
I find this album better than Out Of Exile on a whole, but still not to the par of the debut album. There's less tracks on here that I've really taken to though, in comparision with Out Of Exile. That had Dandelion, Doesn't Remind Me, Drown Me Slowly, Man Or Animal, and above all, The Worm. So far all this has is Original Fire, One And The Same and Revelations. Tch tch.