Red Hot Chili Peppers

Released: August 16, 1985

Songwriter: Cliff Martinez Hillel Slovak Flea Anthony Kiedis

Producer: George Clinton

[Verse 1]
Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam
And the death of a race is a game
Where seldom is heard a peaceable word
From the white trash who killed as they came
Though these words dig deep, they offer no relief
God save the queen, I am an Indian chief
There is a secret I keep, it's called the talking leaf
And you better believe that he speaks his beliefs
Like a rock that bleeds a sea of grief
My talking leaf speaks of a wounded knee creek

[Chorus]
American ghost dance
American ghost dance
American ghost dance
American ghost dance

[Verse 2]
A new man who is with old ways
He walks the streets of life, but he's in chains
I'm alive he cried, I can feel the flame
Burning red inside, I am an Indian brave
There is a memory, uh huh, that lives in my blood
Of the brand you laid on all you touched
But the burning flame, it turns to burning pain
Genuine genocide and that's truly insane
So like a wild hurricane, I will dance on the grave
Of my race that died when it should have been saved

[Chorus]
American ghost dance
American ghost dance
American ghost dance
American ghost dance

[Verse 1 again]
Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam
And the death of a race is a game
Where seldom is heard a peaceable word
From the white trash who killed as they came
Though these words dig deep, they offer no relief
God save the queen, I am an Indian chief
There is a secret I keep, it's called the talking leaf
And you better believe that he speaks his beliefs
Like a rock that bleeds a sea of grief
My talking leaf speaks of a wounded knee creek

[Chorus]
American ghost dance
American ghost dance
American ghost dance
American ghost dance
American ghost dance
American ghost dance
American ghost dance
American ghost dance
American ghost dance

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.

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Freaky Styley

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Freaky Styley (1985)

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Freaky Styley