Released: September 24, 1991

Songwriter: John Frusciante Chad Smith Flea Anthony Kiedis

Producer: Rick Rubin

[Verse 1]
Sittin' on a sack of beans
Sittin' down in New Orleans
You wouldn't believe what I've seen
Sitting on that sack of beans
Lunatics on pogo sticks
Another southern fried freak on a crucifix
Hicks don't mix with politics
People on the street just kickin' to the licks

[Chorus 1]
Yes, my favorite place to be
Is not a land called Honalee
Oh, mentally or physically
I wanna be in New Orleans

[Verse 2]
Oh good brother, just when I thought
That I had seen it all
My eyes popped out, my dick got hard
And I dropped my jaw
I saw a bird walkin' down the block
Name Apache Rose Peacock
I could not speak I was in shock
I told my knees to please not knock

[Chorus 1]
Yes, my favorite place to be
Is not a land called Honalee
Oh, mentally or physically
I wanna be in New Orleans

[Post-Chorus]
Doo-ru, doo-ru, doo
Doo-ru, doo-ru, doo, doo
Doo-ru, doo-ru, doo
Doo-ru, doo-ru, doo, doo

[Verse 3]
A little boy came along
Name of Louis Armstrong
Said that girl who left me silly
She liked the looks of me and my willy
So I found her in the quarter
Good God, how I adored her
Oh she made me feel so cozy
When she told me I could call her Rosey

[Chorus 2]
I kiss your hair your skin so bare
I'll take you with me, girl, anywhere
You fare well in stormy weather
I never met a girl that I liked better

[Verse 4]
Twinkle twinkle little star
Shining down on my blue car
Drivin' down the boulevard
She was soft and I was hard
Apache Rose gotta rockin' Peacock
Hottest ass on the goddamn block
Rockin' to the beat of the funky ass Meters
She has one of those built-in heaters

[Chorus 2]
I kiss your hair your skin so bare
I'll take you with me, girl, anywhere
You fare well in stormy weather
I never met a girl that I liked better

[Post-Chorus]
Doo-ru, doo-ru, doo
Doo-ru, doo-ru, doo, doo
Doo-ru, doo-ru, doo
Doo-ru, doo-ru, doo, doo

[Verse 5]
Voodoo gurus casting their spells
Cockatoo drag queens shakin' their bells
Silver sound escapes the trumpet
Watch your leg someone might hump it
Chicken strut your butt let's rock
Gettin' it on under your frock
Flowing like a flame all through the night
My girl's insane but it's all right

[Chorus 1]
Yes, my favorite place to be
Is not a land called Honalee
Oh, mentally or physically
I wanna be in New Orleans

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a rock band based in Los Angeles, CA that incorporates elements of rap, funk, punk, and rock into their work, mainly classified as an alternative rock band. They made it mainstream off the success of their 1991’s fifth studio album Blood Sugar Sex Magik, led by singles “Give it Away” and “Under the Bridge.” After losing guitarist John Frusciante and losing popularity following the release of the less successful One Hot Minute, the band reunited for 1999’s Californication. The title track and hit singles “Around the World,” “Scar Tissue” and “Otherside” propelled them back to the fame. After 2002’s solid release By the Way and 2006’s double-disc Stadium Arcadium, Frusciante once again left the band to further pursue his solo career. The band added Josh Klinghoffer to help fill his void, and released I’m With You in 2011.

In December 2019, the band announced via Instagram that Klinghoffer had left after 10 years, and Frusciante would be rejoining.

Their lyrical content was mostly centered around sex, drugs, and the Los Angeles lifestyle, and lead singer Anthony Kiedis mostly rapped them as he wasn’t confident as vocalist. Most members of the band also suffered from drug addiction, as Kiedis and Frusciante had to check themselves into rehab for heroin addiction at various points in their lives. But Californication marked a change in the band’s content matter and lifestyle. The band was sober for the most part, and the lyrics had shifted to songs about love and the pains of addiction, the title even criticized the city they loved so much. In addition, Kiedis had started to sing his lyrics much more often as he finally felt comfortable with his voice. That change has allowed the band to stick around for over 20 years despite multiple changes to their lineup and is part of why they remain relevant.