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."
Occident out on the weekend
That's the way that we relax
English Breakfast tastes like Darjeeling
But she's too cute to even ask
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Nastiness will cause your doom
Turn and walk back to your room
The precedent's already set now
You spend a week in Old San Juan
Spanish brownstone with chairs of leather
And Spanish waves to roll along
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Majesty's not overheard
Cryptographs can't stand the word
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face
Oh, your collegiate grief has left you dowdy in sweatshirts
Absolute horror
That's the way that we relax
English Breakfast tastes like Darjeeling
But she's too cute to even ask
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Nastiness will cause your doom
Turn and walk back to your room
The precedent's already set now
You spend a week in Old San Juan
Spanish brownstone with chairs of leather
And Spanish waves to roll along
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Majesty's not overheard
Cryptographs can't stand the word
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face (Blake's got a new face)
Blake's got a new face
Oh, your collegiate grief has left you dowdy in sweatshirts
Absolute horror
Lyrics submitted by prayingmantis84
One (Blake's Got A New Face) Lyrics as written by Ezra Koenig Christopher William Tomson
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Great version of a great song,
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I was at a concert of theirs in SF in which he said that Blake was a graduate student at Standford. Since they were all Columbia students it would make sense that a former classmate went on to Stanford for his MS or PHD.
"Oh your collegiate grief has left you dowdy in sweatshirts Absolute horror! "
best part of the song.
I don't mean to dampen the happy vibe of this song, but I'm pretty sure it's about masturbation... You know, 'new face'...<br /> "Nastiness will cause you doom<br /> Turn and walk back to your room"<br /> "English Breakfast tasates like Darjeeling<br /> But she's too cute to even ask"<br /> <br /> Many of the mentioned lyrics are related to girls and how 'Blake' is attracted to them. I don't know, but that's what I got from it...<br /> P.S. think of "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors and you'll see what I mean.
No,it's not about masturbation.<br /> <br /> I went to a Vampire Weekend concert and Ezra said "this is a song about a guy making a change in his life".
Haha absolutely nothing about this song indicates it's about masturbation.<br /> <br /> Just because all you do is jerk off all day, DeerNeerNeer, doesn't mean that that's what every song is about.
mrsm:
i thought he was saying it like its the name of the the place the waitress works at (and she's knew)? like "oh hey billy, did you notice that Blake's got a 'new face'?" i.e. there's a new hottie working at the corner diner?
ah, i didn't even think of that... it must be correct.
i was thinking that this song was about a guy named blake, and his 'new face' is his new sense of confidence. and at the end his confidence fails, and he is left 'dowdy in sweatshirts'.
jackie, i totally agree. both the harmony on that line and what it means just KILLS ME every time.
english breakfast and darjeeling are both teas! i just learned that today. which kind of adds to the image of this song of prep school kids just laying about in old San Juan (puerto rico). and only the narrator really understands that despite their privilege they are just doomed to be "dowdy in sweatshirts" which is to them the epitome of "absolute horror."
competely agree with jackie! makes me laugh every time.
I totally agree with jackie and you can even hear an audible shivering sound like someone is trying to shake off a nasty feeling towards the end of the song. very clever.
Oh! The horror of being left alone wearing nothing but my cllegiate sweater.. I hope I never get caught wearing that... BTW... I enjoy both English Breakfast and Darjeeling... and I wouldn't want to correct the waitress, no matter what sex. ...Ssome of the best waitressess are the ones that serve you breakfast after a nasty hangover.
whoa, i never thought of it like that. i always thought that he was talking about a girl he was with who was too cute to ask the waiter or waitress if they got the order wrong.
oh and.... the concept blakes got a new face? that always threw me off while what all of you re saying totally makes sense.
but that part itself.. does it mean more like someone is turning over a new leaf or like blake has a new girlfriend kind of girl? I never really got it but i almost feel like its saying he has some sort of new flavor of the week girlfriend.
Mrsm: I was wondering about this too! That exact same thing!
But the idea that Blake's was the name of the place hadn't even crossed my mind =P I thought it was like...either Blake's trying to be someone else, or Blake has a new girlfriend, but I thought "new face" would be a strange and interesting thing to call the love interest =P