Following the demise of the critically and commercially successful Jane's Addiction project, frontman Perry Farrell and drummer Stephen Perkins formed Porno for Pyros after acquiring guitarist Peter DiStefano and bass player Martyn LeNoble. Farrell named the band after viewing an ad for fireworks in a pornographic magazine. The name has also been connected through song lyrics to the LA riots which occurred in the band's hometown around the time of Porno for Pyros inception. Prior to releasing their eponymous first album, Porno for Pyros embarked on a nationwide tour to support the new band. By the time the band's debut album (Porno for Pyros) was released in 1993, anticipation surrounding the project was enough to briefly drive the album to the #3 position on the Billboard top 200 list. Reaction to the album was mixed, with some fans ecstatic and others disappointed. The video for the album's first single, "Pets," received heavy airplay on MTV. Following the album's release, Porno for Pyros continued a heavy touring schedule, including an appearance at Woodstock '94. Unlike the relatively straight-ahead rock shows that were the hallmark of live Jane's Addiction, Porno for Pyros live shows relied heavily on props, extras and special-effects (including, but not limited to, pyrotechnics).
For the band's follow-up album, Good God's Urge, bass player LeNoble quit after completing the majority of the bass tracks. Ex-Minutemen bassist Mike Watt was brought in to finish up the album tracks and join the band on tour. The album also featured the post-Jane's Addiction reunion of Farrell with guitarist Dave Navarro, who made a guest appearance on "Freeway," along with Red Hot Chili Peppers' bass player Flea. The band again set forth on a heavy touring schedule. On several tour stops Porno for Pyros played "Mountain Song," a popular Jane's Addiction tune, and was a foreshadowing of the later Jane's Addiction reunion efforts. Further touring by the band was scuttled when DiStefano was diagnosed with cancer in 1997.
Perkins and Watt subsequently formed the punk jazz improvisation group Banyan and, along with DiStefano, occasionally perform sets of the Stooges cover versions in the Los Angeles area under the band name Hellride.
The Jane's Addiction/Porno for Pyros book Whores (by Brendan Mullen) states that a third Porno for Pyros album was penned but never recorded.
In April 2009, the original lineup of Farrell, Perkins, DiStefano, and LeNoble performed at Farrell's 50th birthday party.
100 Ways
Porno for Pyros Lyrics
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Now I lay awake and think how very smart you were
I thought about you every day
I hear the rain comin' in from miles away
The air is as clean as your skin next to my face
Thought about you every day
100 ways
I thought about you and me a hundred ways
And now I lay awake and dream you're right above my face
Look into my eyes the way you doìdon't look away
Thought about you every day
Birds fall in love here right above my head
They make the same kind of sounds you do
When we're laying in my bed
100 ways
I thought about you and me a hundred ways
100 ways
And if I had my way when I woke up
in the morning I would read and write
before I ever drew the shades I would kiss you
before you opened up your eyes
Birds build their homes here right above my head
They make the same kind of sounds you do
When we're laying in my bed
100 ways
I thought about you and me a hundred ways
100 ways
The lyrics of 100 Ways by Porno For Pyros depict the deep longing and desire of the singer for another person. The song starts with the singer recalling the gift of a necklace from the person they desire, which they now treasure, even though it was given to them before they parted ways. The singer confesses that they have been thinking about this person every day, and how they can't help but feel drawn to them. As rain falls, the singer muses about how clean the air is, comparing it to the purity of the person's skin next to their face.
The song speaks of the singer's intense romantic obsession, imagined and real moments with this person, and their desire to be with them in every possible way. The imagery in the song is vivid and poetic, with the singer imagining birds falling in love and building their nests above their head, making the same kind of sounds the person they long for makes when they are in bed together. The repetition of the phrase "100 ways" serves to emphasize just how deeply the singer has thought about their love interest and the many ways in which they long for them.
Overall, the lyrics of 100 Ways are a representation of the kind of all-consuming, passionate love that one can feel for another person. The song is a testament to the power of love, the uncontrollable feelings that it brings, and the ways in which it can fill our thoughts and imaginations.
Line by Line Meaning
You didn't have to give your necklace to me before I left
I appreciate the gesture of the necklace you gave me, but you didn't have to do it
Now I lay awake and think how very smart you were
I can't stop thinking about how thoughtful and intelligent you are
I thought about you every day
You've been on my mind constantly
I hear the rain comin' in from miles away
I'm fully aware of everything around me, including the distant sound of rain
The air is as clean as your skin next to my face
The air feels pure and refreshing, much like the feeling of your skin against mine
Thought about you every day
My thoughts have been consumed with thoughts of you
100 ways
I've thought of countless scenarios of you and me together
I thought about you and me a hundred ways
My imagination has wandered to numerous possibilities of us together
And now I lay awake and dream you're right above my face
I can't help but fantasize about you being so close to me
Look into my eyes the way you doìdon't look away
Please gaze into my eyes with the same tenderness as you always do, don't avert your gaze
Thought about you every day
My thoughts remain fixated on you every single day
Birds fall in love here right above my head
Nature seems to be in the mood for love, just like you and me
They make the same kind of sounds you do, When we're laying in my bed
The bird's chirping sounds to me like your moans when we're being intimate
100 ways
My mind is saturated with ideas of you and me coming together in various situations
I thought about you and me a hundred ways
My mind is flooded with scenarios of us together in different situations
And if I had my way when I woke up, in the morning I would read and write
If I had my way, I would spend my morning hours reading and writing
before I ever drew the shades I would kiss you, before you opened up your eyes
Before the day starts, I would kiss you sweetly while you're still asleep
Birds build their homes here right above my head
Nature is busy creating new life, much like how I want to create a future with you
They make the same kind of sounds you do, When we're laying in my bed
The birds chirp happily, much like how you make sounds of pleasure when we're in bed together
100 ways
My mind is teeming with thoughts of us together in a hundred different ways
I thought about you and me a hundred ways
I've explored the possibilities of us being together in a hundred different scenarios
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PERRY FARRELL, PETER DISTEFANO, STEPHEN PERKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind