Album · Jane's Addiction
Nothing’s Shocking by Jane's Addiction
Nothing’s Shocking is an album by Jane's Addiction, released in 1988. 10 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 210 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Jane Says”, on 106 lists with a best position of #2.
Nothing's Shocking, the first studio album by Jane's Addiction, came out on Warner on August 23, 1988, following their self-titled live debut, and it sounds like nothing else from that year. Dave Jerden produced it, and he gave the band room to sprawl: huge, churning riffs, a rhythm section that can swing like a jazz combo one second and pound like a metal band the next, and a howling, reverb-drenched vocal floating over all of it.
The songs lurch between extremes. "Mountain Song" is heavy and ugly in the best way, "Ocean Size" builds from a shimmer to a tidal wave, and "Summertime Rolls" drifts along like a lazy, sun-struck daydream. Then there's "Jane Says", loose, sun-dappled and tender, which reached number six on the Modern Rock chart in 1988. "Had a Dad", "Ted, Just Admit It" and "Pigs in Zen" push further into the weird.
Not everybody was ready. The album got caught up in censorship, both for its cover and for the "Mountain Song" video. It only reached number 103 on the Billboard 200, but it eventually went platinum, drew a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance (losing to Jethro Tull's Crest of a Knave), and critics loved it. These days it stands among the most important records alternative rock ever produced, and among the great albums of the '80s.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Nothing’s Shocking on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jane Says#119 of all time | 106 | #2 | – | 1988–2026 | |
| 2 | Mountain Song | 38 | #43 | – | 1989–2023 | |
| 3 | Ocean Size | 19 | #595 | – | 1994–2014 | |
| 4 | Standing In The Shower...Thinking | 16 | #724 | – | 1999–2014 | |
| 5 | Summertime Rolls | 15 | #821 | – | 1999–2014 | |
| 6 | Jane Says (Live) | 6 | #43 | – | 1997–1999 | |
| 7 | Up the Beach | 1 | #70 | – | 2024 | |
| 8 | Had A Dad | 7 | #1663 | – | 2007–2014 | |
| 9 | Ted, Just Admit It | 1 | #819 | – | 1991 | |
| 10 | Pigs In Zen | 1 | #844 | – | 1991 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.