Frusciante joined the Chili Peppers at the age of 18 after the death of guitarist Hillel Slovak, and first appeared on their album Mother's Milk (1989). His second album with the band, Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991), was their breakthrough success. Overwhelmed by the band's newfound popularity, he quit in 1992. He became a recluse and entered a period of heroin addiction, during which he released his first solo recordings: Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt (1994) and Smile from the Streets You Hold (1997). In 1998, he completed drug rehabilitation and rejoined the Chili Peppers, taking them to major success with their albums Californication (1999), By the Way (2002) and Stadium Arcadium (2006). He left the Red Hot Chili Peppers again in 2009 to focus on solo work, and rejoined in 2019.
Frusciante's solo work encompasses genres including experimental rock, ambient music and electronica. He released six albums in 2004, each exploring different genres and recording techniques. In 2009, Frusciante released The Empyrean, which features Chili Peppers bassist Flea and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. Frusciante also releases acid house under the alias Trickfinger. With Klinghoffer and Joe Lally, he has released two albums as Ataxia.
Frusciante was named one of the greatest guitarists by Rolling Stone and Gibson, and in a BBC poll. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2012.
Frusciante's musical style has evolved over the course of his career. Although he received moderate recognition for his early guitar work, it was not until later in his career that music critics and guitarists alike began to fully recognize it: in October 2003, he was ranked eighteenth in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Frusciante attributes this recent recognition to his shift in focus, stating that he chose an approach based on rhythmic patterns inspired by the complexity of material Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen produced. On earlier records, however, much of his output was influenced by various underground punk and new wave musicians.
In general, his sound is also defined by an affinity for vintage guitars. All the guitars that he owns, records, and tours with were made before 1970. Frusciante uses the specific guitar that he finds appropriate for a certain song. All of the guitars he owned before quitting the band were destroyed when his house burned down in 1996. The first guitar he bought after rejoining the Chili Peppers was a 1962 red Fender Jaguar. His most-often used guitar, however, is a 1961 Sunburst Fender Stratocaster that was given to him as a gift from Anthony Kiedis after Frusciante rejoined the Chili Peppers in 1998. He has played this guitar on every album since rejoining the Chili Peppers, and their ensuing tours. He also owns a 1955 Fender Stratocaster, his only Strat with a maple fretboard. Frusciante's most highly appraised instrument is a 1955 Gretsch White Falcon, which he used twice per show for the songs Californication and Otherside. Since 2006, he only uses it for the latter song, saying there was "no room for it", preferring multiple Stratocasters for the Stadium Arcadium tour. Virtually all of Frusciante's acoustic work is played with a 1950s Martin 0–15.
After leaving the Red Hot Chili Peppers, he switched to using a Yamaha SG as his primary guitar for his solo work. "With the Yamaha SG, I could play along with guitar players who were playing, say, Les Pauls, and feel like the sound matched what I was hearing on the record. ... People like Robert Fripp, Mick Ronson, Tony Iommi, and particularly John McGeoch from Siouxsie and the Banshees, who played a Yamaha SG, which is why I bought one in the first place". Frusciante has also noted his increased use of the Roland MC-202 for his electronic music, saying that he was at the point "where I thought as much like a 202ist as I did a guitarist ..." The MC-202 has been his primary melodic instrument in his electronic music.
With the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Frusciante provided backing vocals in a falsetto tenor, a style he started on Blood Sugar Sex Magik. He thoroughly enjoyed his role in the Chili Peppers as backing vocalist, and said that backing vocals are a "real art form". Despite his commitment to the Chili Peppers, he felt that his work with the band should remain separate from his solo projects. When he returned to the Chili Peppers in 1998, Kiedis wanted the band to record "Living in Hell", a song Frusciante had written several years before. Frusciante refused, feeling that the creative freedom he needed for his solo projects would have conflicted with his role in the band.
A Firm Kick
John Frusciante Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This last chance to get things right
This was one time I closed an eye
Looked away from you
Look out for yourself tonight
Sometimes I have to get things right
I never meant what I said to you
I'd never guessed that you'd do me wrong
I'll never except that dance and song
A little time to adjust
Would be just what we need
I've meant to tell you what I think that you think
When I cross your mind
Forgone
Stressed at the light
What's wrong with being uptight
I never say what I intend to
But does it mean that much to you
I'd a close call with a glitch in time
Are you really that happy to be mine
No I'm not disguising
All that fighting
And dreams not coming true
I will play some light from the sun
The world by my side
And I will see dawn as a forlorn maiden in the sky
And I will play a song of thunder you may recognize
You make a never
That's forever
Knowing what you deny
When I revisit the past it's a blast
I've just gotta move on
I've just let down someone I relied on
And I don't see why
How'd we pretty up that speech
MC talking through me
I've never done what I set out to do
Don't come to me 'cuz I'll run from you
Left out of life would I really care
Not a whole lot
There's nothing for me there
I'll never forget the limits that we set
Back when it was our moon
I never made a pretense of living with good sense
It's really not my strong suit.
The song "Firm Kick" by John Frusciante talks about regrets, missed opportunities, and self-sabotage. The title of the song "Firm Kick" refers to the need for a sudden jolt to wake up and change the behavior that may lead to self-destruction. The lyrics imply that the person singing the song has hurt someone they loved but didn't mean to, and there's a feeling of remorse and longing for another chance. The lines "This last chance to get things right, A little time to adjust would be just what we need" express regret for the missed opportunities and hint at the desire to make amends.
The lyrics also suggest that the person who is singing the song may have a tendency to self-sabotage; they recognize that they don't always do what they set out to do, and "living with good sense" isn't their strong suit. The lines "Don't come to me 'cuz I'll run from you, Left out of life would I really care, Not a whole lot, There's nothing for me there" suggests that the person doesn't feel worthy of love and may push others away. However, they are aware of their flaws and desire to change, as shown in the lines "Give up all the things that you love to do, Sometimes I have to get things right."
The chorus of the song questions the significance of love and relationships by asking, "Are you really that happy to be mine?" The song ends with the lines "I never made a pretense of living with good sense, It's really not my strong suit," which highlights the theme of accepting oneself, flaws and all, and the need for change to avoid repeating mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
A firm kick in the pants
I need a strong wake-up call to get myself back on track
This last chance to get things right
This is my final opportunity to make things right before it's too late
This was one time I closed an eye
This was the only time I turned a blind eye to something I knew wasn't right
Looked away from you
I didn't want to face the consequences of my actions and ignored you instead
Look out for yourself tonight
Take care of yourself tonight because I won't be there to support you
Sometimes I have to get things right
I'm aware that I often make mistakes and need to work on correcting them
I never meant what I said to you
I didn't intend to hurt you with my words, but they came out wrong
Give up all the things that you love to do
Sacrifice the things you enjoy for the sake of our relationship
I'd never guessed that you'd do me wrong
I didn't anticipate that you would betray me
I'll never accept that dance and song
I refuse to acknowledge or forgive the hurtful things you've done
A little time to adjust
We need some time apart to adapt to the changes in our lives
Would be just what we need
Taking a break would benefit us both
I've meant to tell you what I think that you think
I've been thinking about what I believe you're thinking, but I haven't verbalized it
When I cross your mind
When you think of me
Forgone
It's too late to change the past
Stressed at the light
Feeling anxious or frustrated while waiting for something
What's wrong with being uptight
Why is it bad to be cautious and meticulous?
I never say what I intend to
I struggle to communicate my true thoughts and feelings
But does it mean that much to you
Is it really that important to you?
I'd a close call with a glitch in time
I almost had a disaster that would have affected my future
Are you really that happy to be mine
Do you truly want to be with me or are you just settling?
No I'm not disguising
I'm not hiding anything from you
All that fighting
The arguments we have
And dreams not coming true
Our aspirations that have yet to be fulfilled
I will play some light from the sun
I will offer hope
The world by my side
The support of others
And I will see dawn as a forlorn maiden in the sky
I will observe the beauty of a new day despite its sorrowful implications
And I will play a song of thunder you may recognize
I will create something powerful and familiar to you
You make a never
You are unyielding
That's forever
And it will never change
Knowing what you deny
Being aware of what you refuse to accept
When I revisit the past it's a blast
Reflecting on the past is enjoyable for me
I've just gotta move on
I need to let go of the past and move forward
I've just let down someone I relied on
I disappointed someone I depended on
And I don't see why
I don't understand why I made that mistake
How'd we pretty up that speech
How did we make that speech sound impressive?
MC talking through me
I feel like I'm being used as a mouthpiece for someone else's agenda
I've never done what I set out to do
I've never been able to accomplish what I intended to
Don't come to me 'cuz I'll run from you
I don't want to confront my problems, so I avoid them
Left out of life would I really care
If I wasn't part of your life, would it matter to me?
Not a whole lot
Not really
There's nothing for me there
I have no reason to be there
I'll never forget the limits that we set
I remember the boundaries we established
Back when it was our moon
During the time when things were good between us
I never made a pretense of living with good sense
I don't pretend to be responsible or sensible in my choices
It's really not my strong suit
It's not something I excel at
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOHN FRUSCIANTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind