Rock music would not be the same without the spice of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Unlimited Love, the bands' 12th studio album, is finally here and we are elated with this historic moment in the band's journey. This highly anticipated record is the group's first in 16 years to feature beloved guitarist John Frusciante, who officially rejoined the band in 2019. It also marks the band's reunion with the legendary Rick Rubin, who produced some of the band's most renowned albums (Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Californication, Stadium Arcadium and more.)
Listen to all your RCHP favorites and more on Audacy's Red Hot Chili Peppers Radio and find tickets to see them this summer here
Rubin reportedly shed tears upon seeing the band reunited with Frusciante, telling podcast host Chris Jericho, "Frusciante's back in the band and it's unbelievable. I went to the first rehearsal that I was invited to after John rejoined the band and it made me cry."
In honor of the new album, we're breaking down our top 10 go-to Red Hot Chili Peppers songs that span across their 40-year-career for your listening pleasure. Celebrate with us by tuning into Audacy's Red Hot Chili Peppers Radio above!
"Under the Bridge" Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
This melancholic yet optimistic ballad took the band to new heights. While this song has solidified itself as the band's highest charting single to date, it almost never made it to the airwaves. Anthony Kiedis initially wrote this song as a poem to reflect on the isolation he felt through his sobriety journey coming off of a heroin and cocaine addiction. While his bandmates continued their recreational drug use around Kiedis, the singer found it hard to connect with them and his loved ones as he forged his new sober path. The only place he seemed to find solace was in Los Angeles, writing, "At least I have her love, the city, she loves me. Lonely as I am, together we cry." During the recording of Blood Sugar Sex Magik, producer Rubin came across this poem in Kiedis' journal and urged Kiedis to share it with his bandmates. While initially hesitant, Kiedis eventually sang the song to the group who intuitively matched his poignant lyrics with a more-upbeat rhythm, and the rest is history.
"Caliornication" Californication (1999)
The titular song off the band's 1999 smash album Californication is easily one of their quintessential hits. Lyrically the song revolves around how Hollywood and the entertainment industry have contributed to unrealistic and superficial ideals that, according to the band, have fueled a cultural deterioration. Kiedis laments, "Pay your surgeon very well to break the spell of aging. Sicker than the rest, there is no test, but this is what you're craving?" Alluding to the plastic surgeries many celebrities undergo, the song basically begs the question, "what's it all for?" With further references to celebrities like Kurt Cobain and Dorothy Stratten who both died young, arguably at the hands of fame, the song is a powerful ode to the dangers of Hollywood's idealization of fame, beauty and glamor.
"Black Summer" Unlimited Love (2022)
"Black Summer" is the lead single off of the RHCP's new album Unlimited Love, and it's an instant hit. The beginning of the song starts off slow with Kiedis nodding to the darkness of the 2019-2020 bushfire season (the "Black Summer") in Australia where Flea, the founding bass player of the RHCPs, was born. The lyrics continue with, "Been a long time since I made a new friend, Waitin' on another black summer to end, It's been a long time and you never know when, Waitin' on another black summer to end." The "Black Summer" may be a reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has proven to be an extremely dark and painful time in human history. This album is coming at a more hopeful time in the pandemic, allowing the group to tour with musical guests like Thundercat, A$AP Rocky, The Strokes, and more, who are all celebrating the release of Unlimited Love with fans around the world.
"Dani California" Stadium Arcadium (2006)
"Dani California" is the opening song on the RHCP's GRAMMY-award winning album, Stadium Arcadium. The song itself won the GRAMMY for Best Rock Song back in 2007 and is one of their most imaginative songs to this day. The song tells the story of a young girl, Dani California, who is known for causing trouble. With its catchy chorus of, "California, rest in peace, Simultaneous release, California, show your teeth, She's my priestess, I'm your priest," the song acts as a warning for California to be careful once Dani gets to town.
"Can't Stop" By The Way (2002)
"Can't Stop" is a sonic masterpiece. It begins as an energetic punk song that metamorphoses into reggae-rock but eventually circles back to its punk roots. Off of their 8th studio album By The Way, it's one of the only true punk songs on the record due to Frusciante musically guiding the band towards more melodic rock rhythms. Lyrically it revolves around the journey of life and how we're all "part of the wave," that won't stop. Kiedis sings, "All on a spaceship, persevering, Use my hands for everything but steering," placing his belief in fate and having no fear, accepting that he cannot control his own destiny.
"Dark Necessities" The Getaway (2016)
As the lead single off of the band's 2016 album The Getaway, this is the only song on our list that does not feature Frusciante. Having left the band for a second time in 2009, Frusciante was replaced by his friend Josh Klinghoffer, who lent his guitar-talents to The Getaway along with the band's 2011 album I'm With You. Led by a funky-bass line from Flea, this lively song speaks to how periods of darkness can contribute to spurts of internal greatness and growth.
"Snow (Hey Oh)" Stadium Arcadium (2006)
This song is a beautiful marriage between Frusciante's entrancing guitar riff and Kiedis' introspective lyrics. The soft melody guides Kiedis through a reflection of his drug addiction issues, where he asks himself "When it's killing me, When will I really see, All that I need to look inside?" Kiedis uses the snow in the song's title as a metaphor for a clean slate, giving himself the opportunity to start over.
"Scar Tissue" Californication (1999)
With a more laid-back melody, "Scar Tissue" finds Kiedis in a vulnerable state. Singing, "Scar tissue that I wish you saw, Sarcastic mister know-it-all," Kiedis considers himself a victim of "Californication," seeing as though most of his misdemeanors are viewed and judged by the public due to his stardom. Everyone makes mistakes, but Kiedis feels especially lonely dealing with his drug addictions in the spotlight, beautifully repeating in the chorus, "With the birds, I'll share this lonely view." This rock ballad is one for the ages and rightfully won the GRAMMY for Best Rock Song in 2000.
"By the Way" By the Way (2002)
As the leading song on By The Way, this song reverses the melodic path of "Can't Stop," instead beginning as a soft melodic rock song that eventually picks up a punk beat. It also features the recurring character of "Dani," from "Dani California" with Kiedis singing the chorus, "By the way, I tried to say, I'd be there waiting for Dani, the girl, is singing songs to me, Beneath the marquee, overload." This song is a more passionate plea to Dani, with Kiedis saying he will always be waiting for her. It's rumored that the character of Dani California represents all of the women that Kiedis has ever had relationships with, making sense as to why she keeps popping up in so many of his songs.
"Higher Ground" Mother's Milk (1989)
"Higher Ground" stands out as one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' essential songs for many reasons, but mainly because it's one of the few existing punk-metal covers of a Stevie Wonder song. Originally written for Wonder's 1973 album Innervisions, The RHCPs sped the tempo up of this soul classic for their fourth studio album, Mother's Milk, and transformed it into a head-banging rock anthem. At the time, the band had favored a more heavy-metal sound in their music which they eventually strayed away from. Mother's Milk became the band's first gold album and was also the first to feature Frusciante and longtime drummer for the band, Chad Smith.
Overall, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have had quite an expansive career. From metal to punk to alternative rock, the band knows no sonic limits and continues to push musical boundaries on Unlimited Love. Stream new songs from the innovative album on Audacy's Red Hot Chili Peppers Radio.
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