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.
Scratches
John Frusciante Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The scratches of a dark night
The rashes of foresight
And I wanted you, oh
The weight of my freezing
I had come to you
The face I was given
I have no similarities to
Like the faces in a word book
I get by
I get by
The matches of opportunities
The last thing I've never seen
And I scream to you, oh
The pain I was needing
Was sort of true
The one aim I was clearing
Was the walls that grew
The crazes I overlooked
The leans into the cook
And I did
And I did
And I was screaming bloody murder
I was one with pain
And I stopped by the road side
this is from where I came
My God but it's so far away
It would seem accidents have gone straight to you
And you've changed your point of view
And the places you're going to
I get crowded
I got crowded
And I'm so glad that you're mine
It twists up the fabric of time
And I'm useless yes I'm useless
And your faces are bodies
And your hands are feet
Let me roll around
In things I can't believe
But I tried
Yes I tried
And I tried
You know I tried
The lyrics of John Frusciante's song Scratches present a complex and intimate reflection on the singer's relationship with someone else, who is addressed in the song as "you." The first stanza introduces the image of the "scratches of a dark night," which reflects the pain and discomfort that can arise from emotional situations. The "rashes of foresight" indicate that the singer had some idea of what was to come, but was unable to prevent or change it. The second stanza speaks of the "weight of my freezing," suggesting a sense of being stuck or trapped, while "the face I was given / I have no similarities to" reinforces a sense of existential confusion and disconnection.
The third stanza presents more concrete images, such as "the matches of opportunities / the last thing I've never seen," which hints at missed chances and regrets. The singer "screams to you" and seeks "the pain I was needing" in order to feel alive and connect with something real. The fourth stanza begins with "the one aim I was clearing / was the walls that grew," which conveys the sense of a struggle to break free or find clarity. The "crazes I overlooked / the leans into the cook" may represent distractions and false paths taken. Finally, the fifth stanza speaks of the singer screaming "bloody murder" and feeling "one with pain," while also acknowledging a sense of spiritual distance and longing for something beyond the mundane world.
Overall, the lyrics of Scratches suggest a search for meaning and connection in a confusing and often painful world. The emotional and existential struggles depicted in the song resonate with many listeners and reflect the complex internal experiences that can accompany interpersonal relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three, four
The beginning of a count or a rhythm, setting the tone for the rest of the song
The scratches of a dark night
Remnants of a tough time, lingering and having an impact
The rashes of foresight
The painful effects of knowing what's coming, but not knowing how to stop it
And I wanted you, oh
A yearning for someone or something that may not necessarily be good for you
The weight of my freezing
The burden of feeling stuck in a difficult situation, unable to move or change
I had come to you
Seeking help or company, hoping for a better outcome
The face I was given
The features and characteristics that make up one's identity
I have no similarities to
Feeling different or out of place in comparison to others
The spaces in the law look
The gaps or loopholes in rules and regulations
Like the faces in a word book
Similar to the different images or meanings that can be associated with words
I get by
Managing to cope or survive despite challenges
The matches of opportunities
The potential chances or possibilities that can be pursued
The last thing I've never seen
The final opportunity or experience that has yet to be encountered
And I scream to you, oh
Expressing strong emotion or desperation towards someone or something
The pain I was needing
The craving for suffering or hardship, possibly as a form of self-punishment or catharsis
Was sort of true
The realization that the pain sought after may not have been necessary or beneficial
The one aim I was clearing
The singular goal or purpose that was becoming clearer
Was the walls that grew
The obstacles or barriers that were expanding and becoming harder to overcome
The crazes I overlooked
The sudden fascinations or obsessions that were missed or ignored
The leans into the cook
The act of focusing or tuning into the process of creation or cooking
And I did
Taking action or following through with decisions
And I was screaming bloody murder
Letting out an intense and terrifying scream, possibly as a result of overwhelming emotion or pain
I was one with pain
Feeling and embodying the physical and emotional discomfort
And I stopped by the road side
Pausing or taking a break from the journey or struggle
this is from where I came
Acknowledging and reflecting upon one's origins and roots
My God but it's so far away
The feeling of distant memories or experiences that may seem unattainable or unreachable
It would seem accidents have gone straight to you
Implying that misfortunes or mishaps seem to happen frequently or exclusively to someone else
And you've changed your point of view
Adapting or altering one's perspective or outlook on life
And the places you're going to
The destinations or goals that are being pursued
I get crowded
Feeling overwhelmed or cramped, possibly due to external pressures or expectations
I got crowded
Continuing to feel the effects of being overcrowded, possibly leading to anxiety or distress
And I'm so glad that you're mine
Expressing gratitude or joy towards someone or something that belongs to the artist
It twists up the fabric of time
Referring to a force or influence that disrupts or alters the course of events
And I'm useless yes I'm useless
Admitting to a feeling of uselessness or inferiority in relation to others
And your faces are bodies
Perceiving others as one-dimensional or lacking depth
And your hands are feet
Disorienting or confusing one's senses or perceptions
Let me roll around
Craving the freedom or carefree nature of rolling around or playing
In things I can't believe
Seeking out experiences or situations that seem unbelievable or miraculous
But I tried
Acknowledging effort or attempts made towards a goal or outcome
Yes I tried
Repeating the sentiment of attempting or making an effort
And I tried
Continuing to reflect on past attempts or actions towards a particular outcome
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOHN FRUSCIANTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind