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.
As Can Be
John Frusciante Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When ya got a clean smile
You can walk with style
You can be naked with no brain
In your pussy I'm coming
And I love you
Thank God I found you
Ahh, as beautiful talk as it was to me
Do you see?
There's no more me
I'm happy as can be
I'm happy as can be
The song "As Can Be" by John Frusciante, a former guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has vivid and thought-provoking lyrics that require interpretation. The opening lines suggest that having a clean smile increases one's self-confidence and charm. One can present themselves, even nude, with grace and respectability. The following lines indicate an act of intimacy, where Frusciante expresses his love to his partner. The singer's gratitude and joy for finding his significant other are evident through the phrase, "Thank God I found you." The poetic line, "as beautiful talk as it was to me, do you see?" signifies the depth of emotions that the singer is experiencing. The final lines, "there's no more me, I'm happy as can be" suggest that the singer's happiness and fulfillment stem from his relationship, and he has become whole through love.
The song has a melancholic and introspective tone, and the lyrics provide an insight into the songwriter's personal emotions and experiences. Frusciante's unique music style and poetic lyrics are evident in this song, making it one of his most acclaimed works. The song is a part of his fourth studio album, "Shadows Collide with People," which was released in 2004. The album comprises sixteen tracks, and "As Can Be" is the seventh track.
Here are ten interesting facts about the song "As Can Be":
Line by Line Meaning
When ya got a clean smile
If you have a sincere and genuine smile, it can take you places
You can walk with style
A confident smile can help you exude a stylish appearance
You can be naked with no brain
Having a good smile can overcome any shortcoming of not having intelligence
In your pussy I'm coming
A sexual reference to being fully committed in a relationship
And I love you
Declaration of the depth of love for the partner
I always have to
Love has always been present and will continue to be
Thank God I found you
Expressing gratitude for finding the perfect partner
Ahh, as beautiful talk as it was to me
The beauty of your words touched me and made me feel special
Do you see?
Asking the partner if they can see the love and happiness they bring
There's no more me
The focus and priority is now solely on the partner
I'm happy as can be
Being completely content and fulfilled in the relationship
Contributed by Emma F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.