Nothing's Shocking
1988 studio album by Jane's Addiction

Nothing's Shocking is the debut studio album by the American rock band Jane's Addiction, released on August 23, 1988 through Warner Bros. Records. The album was preceded by the band's eponymous live debut album.
Nothing's Shocking was well received by critics and peaked at number 103 on the Billboard 200, eventually being certified platinum by the RIAA. The single "Jane Says" reached number six on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks in 1988. It received a nomination for the 31st Grammy Awards in the category for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental, ultimately losing to Jethro Tull's Crest of a Knave.
Since its release, the album has continued to receive widespread acclaim and is now regarded as one of the most important alternative rock albums of all time and one of the greatest albums of the 1980s. Rolling Stone ranked Nothing's Shocking at number 312 on its "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", and it frequently appeared on "best album" lists of the 1980s.
The album was subject to censorship due to its cover and the music video for the second single, "Mountain Song".
Background
Jane's Addiction was formed in 1985 in Los Angeles by singer Perry Farrell and bassist Eric Avery. After going through multiple drummers and guitarists, they eventually recruited guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins.
The public source identifies “Nothing's Shocking” as 1988 studio album by Jane's Addiction. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Nothing's, Shocking and studio.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Nothing's Shocking”, the useful work is to connect “1988 studio album by Jane's Addiction” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1189149. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1988 and 1985.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Nothing's Shocking”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Nothing's Shocking primary sources, Nothing's Shocking archive and Nothing's research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Nothing's Shocking”?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Nothing's Shocking” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.