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Cover of Nothing’s Shocking by Jane's Addiction
Cover: Nothing’s Shocking

Song · Jane's Addiction

“Jane Says” by Jane's Addiction

From the album Nothing’s Shocking (1988)

“Jane Says” by Jane's Addiction appears on 106 radio countdowns from 36 stations between 1988 and 2026. It was first released in 1988 on the album Nothing’s Shocking. Its best result is #2 on the CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #60 alternative song of 1988, #20 alternative song of all time and #221 of the '80s.

106countdowns
36stations
#2best position
0#1 finishes
22top 10 finishes
1988–2026years charted

Watch

Jane's Addiction - Jane Says (Official Vinyl Video)

Video from YouTube (UPROXX Indie Mixtape). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Jane Says" first surfaced on Jane's Addiction's self-titled live album in 1987, then got recut for their studio debut, Nothing's Shocking, in 1988, and that second version is the one everyone knows. It went out as a promo single and gave the band its first entry on the Alternative Songs chart, climbing to No. 6.

The song barely needs more than two chords for most of its length, and it doesn't want more. The 1987 take had bongos and a lower vocal; on the studio remake Stephen Perkins swaps them for steel drums, and that island shimmer tilts the whole song toward sunshine. Perry Farrell wrote the words and sings them in his high, keening wail, while Dave Navarro and Eric Avery keep things loose and loping, built for swaying rather than slamming. The music is credited to all four.

It has become one of the band's best-known songs, and it's often the one they send the crowd home with. A genuine live version later turned up on Kettle Whistle in 1997.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1988 70 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1988 107
1988 40 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1988 91
1988 68 WLIR / WDRE Long Island, NY WLIR Top 100 Songs of 1988 100
1989 40 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1989 105
2005 100 CD101 Columbus, OH CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2005 101

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1989 436 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1989 492 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1990 86 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1990) 299
1991 25 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) 302
1991 90 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1991 17 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1991) 100
1992 12 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1992 74 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992) 299
1994 13 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 53 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 16 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1994 396 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 9 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1995 101 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 300 (July 1995) 300
1995 192 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 6 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 27 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 13 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1996 174 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1998 8 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1998 170 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 3 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 24 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 32 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 32 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 34 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 15 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 5 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 237 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
1999 43 The Buzz The Buzz Top 99 Songs of All-Time (1999) 99
1999 180 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2000 13 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 4 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2000 18 The Edge KEDJ Countdown 2000 (106 songs) 106
2000 81 103.3 The Edge 103.3 The Edge Top 103 New Rock Songs of the Millennium 103
2001 13 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 3 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 1372 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2001 40 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 10 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 3 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 524 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 157 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 33 91X 91X Top 91 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 91
2003 9 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 4 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 62 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 107 Q101 Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 35 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 4 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 68 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 732 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2005 21 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 3 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 5 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2005 5 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 70s & 80s 96
2006 28 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Songs of the '90s (December 2006) 107
2006 64 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 67 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 35 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2007 6 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2007 535 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2008 49 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 3 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 75 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 2 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 164 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of All-Time (2009) 200
2009 888 WYEP WYEP 913 Essential Songs 913
2009 727 WXPN WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) 885
2010 2 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 4 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 3 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 3 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 23 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2014 809 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2015 23 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2016 1000 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2018 472 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2019 338 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 81 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2020 888 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 55 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2021 247 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2021 339 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 307 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2022 90 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2022 804 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 185 101X 101X 500 (2022) 498
2022 190 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 393 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2023 166 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 61 91X 91X Top 91 Songs of The Last 40 Years 91
2023 190 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 603 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2023 175 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2024 707 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 265 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2024 32 107.7 The End The End Sweet Summer Vibes Countdown (2024) 100
2025 275 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2026 393 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 230 101X 101X 500 (2026) 500

Charting alongside it in 1988

Best songs of 1988 →
  1. 1SuedeheadMorrissey
  2. 2DesireU2
  3. 3Beds are BurningMidnight Oil
  4. 4Route 66Depeche Mode
  5. 5Peek-A-BooSiouxsie and the Banshees
  6. 6Chains of LoveErasure

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