Released: March 4, 2022

Songwriter: Chad Smith John Frusciante Flea Anthony Kiedis

Producer: Rick Rubin

[Verse 1]
Melle Mel and Richard Hell were dancing at the Taco Bell
When someone heard a rebel yell, I think it was an infidel
Adam Ant and Robert Plant were center of a sycophant
Used to buy Ulysses Grant to record at the Record Plant
Islamabad is on the nod, Havana at the riot squad
And if you want to be a Mod, you'll have to meet me at the quad

[Refrain]
You got the best of my loco
I'll take the rest of your showboat
You got the best of my Yoko
I'll take the rest of your low notе

[Verse 2]
Parliament's Atomic Dog that hats were filling up a fog
Wе talk about the life and death of everything in analog
The seventies were such a win, singing the Led Zeppelin
Lizzy lookin' mighty thin, the Thompsons had another twin
I thought I won the lottery, the numbers never thought of me
Ramones had a lobotomy, so spin me like a pottery

[Chorus]
I will be your poster child
You know the world is ours for a little while
And then I will be your poster child tonight, ow
La-da-da-da, bum-bum-budum

[Verse 3]
A funky piece, the Sandinista, me and minor Mona Lisa
Judas Priest has whipped the beast, the mother love was named Teresa
Bubble gum, a cup of soup, dirty dandy nanda loop
A small banana in your hoop, and now I know the band is group
Bernie Mac and Caddyshack were dusty as the bric-a-brac
And if you ask me for the time, I tell you that the preacher's back

[Refrain]
You got the best of my loco
I'll take the rest of your showboat
You got the best of my Yoko
I'll take the rest of your low note

[Verse 4]
Steve Miller and Duran Duran, the Joker dancing in the sand
Van Morrison, the Astral man, the festival of hurricanes
Speak of Chico and the Man, the silence of a certain lamb
MC5 kick out the jam, a poncho full of contraband
Dairy Queen was on the scene on every preteen magazine
The Motörhead and mystic queen, I must've needed Valvoline

[Chorus]
I will be your poster child
You know the world is ours for a little while
And then I will be your poster child tonight
La-da-da-da, bum-bum-budum

[Bridge]
You got me on this
But then I can't get off
With no one else but you
You turn me on too
Well, then I can't get up, ooh
For no one else but you

[Verse 5]
Creem magazine, A Love Supreme, the ballad of a Billie Jean
And now we know the Status Quo, but God would never save the Queen
Dave Mushegain, Copenhagen, copper goose of Ronald Reagan
Dollar savers, Flavor Flav, the cosmic moves are power saving
And my fist a double kissed unlisted number purplemist and
Chubby Checker do the twist, and everyone's a narcissist

[Refrain]
You got the best of my loco
I'll take the rest of your showboat
You got the best of my Yoko
I'll take the rest of your low note

[Verse 6]
The waterbed was takin' meds, a beaver with the house of red
A fatty for the natty dreads, a pocket full of talking heads
M.I.A.'s making paper planes, addiction to the days of Janes
My stuff is made of purple rain, ten fingers in the lion's mane
Giant squid, Karate Kid, Sid Vicious in the Katie-did
The planet that we must forbid, the English speakers in Madrid

[Chorus]
I will be your poster child
You know the world is ours for a little while
And then I will be your poster child tonight
La-da-da-da, bum-bum-budum
I will be your poster child
You know the world is ours for a little while
And then I will be your poster child tonight
La-da-da-da, bum-bum-budum

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.