Jane Says - Janes Addiction

[Carl]

We've never been able to nail this one down, so we don't have any Songfacts for it. Can anyone confirm if this is the real story?

Song Name: Jane Says

Artist: Jane's Addiction

SongFacts: Although most people think that this song is about a prostitute, it was inspired by a real Jane is L.A. whose addiction to heroin caused the band a lot of trouble.

[syd]

It is true.

This is from a link from one of the bands websites.

As for "Jane Says," it's a character study based on a real person, Farrell explains. There was an actual Jane -- with an actual heroin habit and an abusive boyfriend named Sergio -- who lived with Farrell and nearly a dozen others in a group house in Hollywood as the band was forming in the early '80s. Yes, she talked endlessly about scrimping for a jaunt to Europe ("Jane says, 'I'm going away to Spain / When I get my money saved' "), and yes, this tempestuous muse took an occasional swipe at a housemate, but she never seemed to connect. ("She gets mad and starts to cry / Takes a swing but she can't hit.")

Farrell has lost touch with Jane, but it turns out that finding her isn't all that hard. It took only a few phone calls to determine that she's still living in California, and though she's quoted in the song predicting she was "going to kick tomorrow," it took a little longer. Today, however, she's proud to say she's clean.

"The story of Jane has a happy ending," says Jane Bainter on the phone from Los Angeles.

[Carl]

Excellent find Syd! We'll get this into the Songfacts in the next update.