Red Hot Chili Peppers

Released: July 9, 2002

Songwriter: Chad Smith Flea John Frusciante Anthony Kiedis

Producer: Rick Rubin

[Verse 1]
This is the place where all the junkies go
Where time gets fast but everything gets slow
Can I get some Vaseline? Step into a modern scene
Take a chance on that which seems to be the making of a dream

[Pre-Chorus]
I don't wanna do it like my daddy did
I don't wanna give it to my baby's kid

[Chorus]
This is my calling, I said, my darling
Shocking, appalling all I can do to you
Hammers are falling, I said, my darling
Shocking, appalling all I can do to you

[Verse 2]
This is the place where all the devils plead
Their case to take from you what they need
Can I isolate your gene? Can I kiss your dopamine?
In a way I wonder if she's living in a magazine

[Pre-Chorus]
I don't wanna say it if it isn't so
I don't wanna weigh it but I've got to know

[Chorus]
This is my calling, I said, my darling
Shocking, appalling all I can do to you
Hammers are falling, I said, my darling
Shocking, appalling all I can do to you

[Post-Chorus]
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-woah-woah
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-woah-woah

[Bridge]
I saw you out there yesterday, what did you wanna say?
A perfect piece of DNA caught in a flashing ray
I caught you out there in the fray, what did you wanna say?
A master piece of DNA caught in a flashing ray

[Verse 3]
Can I smell your gasoline?
Can I pet your wolverine?
On the day my best friend died
I could not get my copper clean

[Pre-Chorus]
I don't wanna take it up with little Joe
I don't wanna fake it but I've gotta know

[Chorus]
This is my calling, I said, my darling
Shocking, appalling all I can do to you
Hammers are falling, I said, my darling
Shocking, appalling all I can do to you

[Outro]
I am a misfit, I'm born with all of it
The fucking ultimate of love inside the atom split
I'm in a flash ray, a mash of DNA
Another popping Jay who thinks he's got something to say
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-woah-woah
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-woah-woah

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.

more tracks from the album

By the Way (Deluxe Version)

From the albums

By the Way (2002)
By the Way (Deluxe Version) (2002)

Red Hot Chili Peppers popular songs

This Is the PlaceRed Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers

By the Way (Deluxe Version)