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."
The sky is falling in on you
Crushed any happiness you knew
The tree gave more to you than love
It's still there but baby you're gone
Remember you, stretched out in the sun
All alone forever, conclusions foregone
Will you find some kind of nothingness?
Still and lonely like an old school photograph
Laid yourself out under the stars
Some peace at last so don't be sad
A fitting end to your end
But baby, death's our only friend
Remember you, stretched out in the sun
All alone forever, confusions foregone
Will you find some kind of nothingness?
Still and lonely like an old school photograph
Your future glories all empty of thoughts
There's beauty doing nothing at all
It's what you wanted, it's what you got
Your final search for truth has stopped
There's beauty doing nothing at all
Never, never stop
Never, never, never stop
Never stop
Never stop
Never stop
Never
Remember you, stretched out in the sun
All alone forever, conclusions forgone
Will you find some kind of nothingness?
Still and lonely like an old school photograph
Crushed any happiness you knew
The tree gave more to you than love
It's still there but baby you're gone
Remember you, stretched out in the sun
All alone forever, conclusions foregone
Will you find some kind of nothingness?
Still and lonely like an old school photograph
Laid yourself out under the stars
Some peace at last so don't be sad
A fitting end to your end
But baby, death's our only friend
Remember you, stretched out in the sun
All alone forever, confusions foregone
Will you find some kind of nothingness?
Still and lonely like an old school photograph
Your future glories all empty of thoughts
There's beauty doing nothing at all
It's what you wanted, it's what you got
Your final search for truth has stopped
There's beauty doing nothing at all
Never, never stop
Never, never, never stop
Never stop
Never stop
Never stop
Never
Remember you, stretched out in the sun
All alone forever, conclusions forgone
Will you find some kind of nothingness?
Still and lonely like an old school photograph
Lyrics submitted by deltasunlight
Some Kind of Nothingness Lyrics as written by Nicholas Jones James Bradfield
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I know this is said a lot about many Manics songs, but I really do think this one is about Richey. It just all seems to fit.
First verse: 'Crushed any happiness you knew'--'knew' being the key word, Richey became more and more depressed with age, longing for his childhood when he knew untainted happiness; the tree could be referring to the cherry blossom tree outside the place Richey & Nicky shared that has come to kind of represent Richey; and how the tree 'gave more to you than love' could refer to Richey's rejection of the idea of love and his struggle with finding any meaningful relationship.
Chorus: describes Richey's perpetual loneliness in 'all alone forever'; suggests the memory of someone who's passed away, but still 'conclusions' are 'foregone'--a satisfying conclusion has never been reached regarding Richey's disappearance.
Second verse: referring to Richey's choice to end the life as he knew it; 'some peace at last so don't be sad'--could be talking to himself (Nicky, I mean, being the lyricist) or to fans, saying reassuringly that while Richey might be gone, at least he is at peace.
Third verse: 'Your future glories all empty of thoughts'--because he's gone, he cannot achieve any more of the glory he had in the limelight; 'There's beauty doing nothing at all/It's what you wanted, it's what you got/Your final search for truth has stopped'--again referring to Richey's decision to either disappear or commit suicide.
Anyways, could be off the mark here, but that's just my take on it. Maybe the kind of gospel choir in this one is supposed to give it a spiritual feel to suit these (in my opinion) bereaved lyrics.
Brilliant song, Seems to be about lost love.
Beautiful song, deserved to be a bigger hit
It did make number 3 in the charts...
'I wrote the music for this, it's probably the most I've ever put in to a lyric and writing the tune, I really did. I was gnawing my teeth so hard at this point that that one actually cracked out in the night, I literally snapped my own tooth! Going back to the touch stones of our youth, Ian McCulloch, that kind of really deep, rich baritone seemed to... and y'know, he was just- it was one of the strangest days I've ever had in the studio in my life. Ah, he was truly stunning and truly... I mean for three hours he just did impressions of David Bowie and Stan Boardman and, y'know, all kinds of stuff. But when he sang he really tried to dig something out of the song, y'know he just said to James "I'm the man and you're the girl". So it was a nice relief for James to be the girl I think!'
They sample Echo and the Bunnymen's 'Never Stop' in the middle bit. Which is rather appropriate, I suppose, as it's Ian McCulloch doing the duet. Both fantastic songs :)