"Jane Says" is a song by American rock band Jane's Addiction, released in 1988 as a promotional single from their debut studio album Nothing's Shocking. It became the band's first chart entry on the Alternative Songs chart, peaking at #6.[2] It is one of Jane's Addiction's most famous songs and frequently ends their concerts.
The song was first released in 1987 in semi-live format on the band's self-titled album, but was re-recorded in the studio for their debut album, Nothing's Shocking (1988). This version is the most well known and was released as a promotional single, featuring steel drums not present in the original. A true live version was included in 1997 on the compilation album Kettle Whistle.
"Jane Says" uses only two chords for most of the song. The original recording from Jane's Addiction features bongos and is sung in a lower register than later versions. The version that appears on Nothing's Shocking makes extensive use of steel drums played by Stephen Perkins in place of the original's bongos. The live version from Kettle Whistle interpolates the two versions, opening with an extended bongo introduction, over Perry Ferrell's scat vocals, before abruptly shifting to steel drum one measure before starting the verse.
The song format does not follow standard verse–chorus form, instead featuring three verses and a bridge section, following a traditional AABA form. Each verse ends with a short refrain ("I'm gonna kick tomorrow...") repeated twice. The song concludes on a coda consisting of a repeat of the bridge.
The title refers to lead singer Perry Farrell's ex-housemate, Jane Bainter, who was the muse, inspiration, and the namesake of the band.[3] In a 2001 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bainter confirmed and clarified many things about the song; she was dating an abusive man named Sergio and she did wear wigs, but stated she never sold her body for sex. In the same interview, Bainter said she had been clean for eight years and did eventually get to go to Spain.[4]
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