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.
Slow Down
John Frusciante Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
tears of the men and stolen
all tried to pass their children
all tried to kiss them somehow
whats here to feel this morning
formed into a worn of gun
wondered how it liked the days if
whoooooooaaaaahhhhhhhh
oooooooooooo
No one go on home
in down
reach out
in front of
an a medalion
when I beat the world
some........
In John Frusciante's song Slow Down, the lyrics can be interpreted as a reflection on the tragedy and loss caused by war. The first verse paints a vivid image of severed hands and tears, implying a violent and devastating conflict. The line "all tried to pass their children, all tried to kiss them somehow" suggests that even in the midst of war, people are still holding onto familial love and affection. The second verse switches to a more introspective tone, with the singer contemplating their own mortality in the face of violence. The line "formed into a worn of gun" is particularly striking, as it seems to suggest that violence and conflict have become so ingrained in our society that they have transformed into a physical object.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of desperation and futility, as if the singer is resigned to the fact that violence and war will always be a part of the human experience. The repeated "whoooooooaaaaahhhhhhhh oooooooooooo" serves as a haunting chorus, underscoring the sense of loss and emptiness. The final lines of the song are somewhat cryptic, with the phrase "some" trailing off into nothingness, almost as if the singer has given up trying to communicate their feelings.
Overall, Slow Down is a powerful and thought-provoking song that encourages listeners to confront the realities of war and violence. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but they offer a glimpse into the emotional toll that conflict can take on individuals and communities.
Line by Line Meaning
Severed hands of tragedy
Refers to the devastating and traumatic events that have taken place
tears of the men and stolen
Refers to how the men have lost and had things taken away from them, causing them to be emotional
all tried to pass their children
Refers to parents attempting to protect their children from the tragedies and hardships they faced
all tried to kiss them somehow
Describes the desire of parents to show their love and affection for their children despite the difficulties they faced in life
whats here to feel this morning
Asks what there is to feel in the present moment, indicating a sense of confusion and uncertainty
formed into a worn of gun
Describes how feelings of pain and suffering have accumulated and hardened over time, becoming like a weapon
wondered how it liked the days if
Reflects on a time before the tragedy, wondering what life was like and how different it would be compared to now
they're inside and now you're dead though
Suggests that the past is now gone and nothing can change the present, no matter how desirable it may be
whoooooooaaaaahhhhhhhh
A vocalization of pain, woefulness, or distress
oooooooooooo
A continuation of the vocalization, emphasizing the previous line
No one go on home
Suggests that there is no one left to return home, perhaps due to the tragedy or the loss of loved ones
in down
Unclear, may suggest feeling low or depressed
reach out
Encourages the listener to connect with others and seek support when going through difficult times
in front of
Unclear, may be referring to placing oneself in a vulnerable position or standing up to adversity
an a medalion
A medal or necklace worn as a symbol of protection or good luck
when I beat the world
Suggests that the singer has overcome the world and its hardships, or is determined to do so
some........
Unclear, may be suggesting that there is more to the story or that it is difficult to articulate what is being felt
Contributed by Connor P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Quinn Forskitt
beauty in its greatest form
Francisco Castillo
Genio y figura hasta la eternidad
Jarrett Thomas
Fucking awesome
Luca Barton
this album and Empyrean- top notch
TheDanielJake
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Reminds me of driving home 3pm humid ass hot day.... from damn community college
Ray Ponton
make me think to A Fall Thru The Ground the start