Jane's Addiction - Just Because

Here’s what I’d like to know — why now? I’m referring to the recent on-stage brawl between Jane’s Addiction frontman, Perry Farrell and his bandmate/guitarist/shirt averse, Dave Navarro. Technically, it appears from news reports that Farrell was the aggressor, after hitting some breaking point, possibly related to the sound system, but the question remains: why now? The band released their debut album, Nothing’s Shocking in 1988, and over the ensuing 35+ years the members have broken up, gotten back together, suffered through various addictions, formed side bands, joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers, kicked off Lollapalooza, got super big and then saw their stars fade. All with no big fisticuffs (at least nothing that made this much news). What happened now, decades into their careers and well into middle age that spurred Farrell attempting to punch Navarro in the beef?

It seems appropriate, then, to make today’s song pick “Just Because” by Jane’s Addiction. “Just Because” is off the band’s 2003 comeback(?) album Strays. It’s not their best song, or their most well-known, or the one that was the theme to the TV show Entourage. But it has an excellent guitar hook, and a pretty good lyric in “When was the last time, You did anything, Not for me, Or anyone else?, Just because.” It’s surprisingly profound, in its own self-help kinda way. Sometimes, it’s okay to do something for no other reason or aspiration or hope, and do it just because.

Maybe you try to throw a punch at your lead guitarist after decades of egos clashing. Or maybe you try to throw a punch at your lead guitarist just because. Rock stars, they’re just like us! I like “Just Because,” because it’s a slick, straightforward, catchy rock song. It sheds the more artsy pretensions of earlier Jane’s work in favor of more RAWK, or alternative RAWK, or whatever you want to call a song kicking ass. It’s just too bad for concertgoers and Jane Addiction fans that the ass kicking didn’t stay in the music.