Jane Bainter did have an abusive, drug-dealing boyfriend named Sergio—he treats me like a ragdoll.
Early housemate and muse of Jane’s Addiction, and namesake of the band, Bainter was trying to quit heroin—I’m gonna kick tomorrow—she did wear wigs, dreamed of one day getting to Spain, and inspired one of the band’s biggest hits: “Jane Says.”
Strumming solely around the A and G chords, the drifty acoustic ballad was released in 1987, a decade before California singer and songwriter Alicia Blue was born, yet it was a song that penetrated her early on and took the artist until now to cover.
“This song used to crunch my heart strings, but now I can sing it without crying,” said Blue on Instagram. “It was a song that made me feel so much, so I never covered it. When I broke it down, the lyrics kinda cracked me open. The original version has so much good music that the lyrics can wash over you, so I wanted to strip it down and let the narrative be in the front.” MORE