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.
Song to Sing When I'm Lonely
John Frusciante Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Win and never play a game again
No one to face when I'm falling
Holding tight to dreams that never end
I'll be you, I do
I'll be you
No one's afraid to be called by another name
Nowhere's anyone's reason
Everything dying and leaving
Out with these faults and you make me a baby
Faking a movement by no one seeing it
No one always finds peace flung
No one chooses to beat my pride down
Symbols pierce right through me
People fail to be drawn up
Somewhat to fate accumulates
Loving pain to be clung to
By luminous bodies
Only waiting for long signs to be wrong and true to us
Out of place in my own time
Drowning thinking that I'm dry
Holding on to facts that will never be proven
Faking an action cause no one is looking
Hello when I'm crashing
Feel nothing when my life flashes before my eyes
You should've threw me down is the content so much
You should've threw me down is the content so much
(I'll be you, I do) ayy, yeah
(I'll be you) should've threw me down is the content so much
(I'll be you, I do) ayy, yeah
(I'll be you) should've threw me down is the content so much
The lyrics to Song To Sing When I'm Lonely by John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer are a deep reflection of someone experiencing profound loneliness, desperation, and faltering self-esteem. The first verse describes how the person has lost interest in playing any game because they no longer have anyone to compete against. They are holding onto their dreams, but these feel like they are slipping away. In the chorus, the person reflects on how they wish they could be someone else, as nobody seems to appreciate them for who they are. They feel displaced and misunderstood, with nobody to support them.
The second verse is particularly poignant, with the person describing how symbols and people fail to connect with them; how they feel isolated and estranged from everything around them. The lines "Out of place in my own time, drowning thinking that I'm dry" are particularly evocative of someone struggling to find a place in the world, despite feeling invisible and ignored. The final lines of the song "You should've threw me down is the content so much" express a certain level of defeat, as if the person feels unworthy of happiness or love.
Line by Line Meaning
A song to play when I'm lonely
I need a specific song to listen to when I feel lonely.
Win and never play a game again
I wish I could win at life and not have to struggle anymore.
No one to face when I'm falling
I feel like I have no one to turn to when I'm struggling or failing.
Holding tight to dreams that never end
I am holding onto my dreams, even though they may never come true.
I'll be you, I do
I wish I could be someone else and escape my problems.
No one's afraid to be called by another name
No one is ashamed or scared to be their true selves, even if it means being called something different.
No one dares to be put down where they don't belong
People are afraid of being judged or criticized for not fitting in or belonging somewhere.
Nowhere's anyone's reason
There is no clear purpose or reason for anyone's existence.
Everything dying and leaving
Everything in life is temporary and will eventually come to an end.
Out with these faults and you make me a baby
If I could get rid of all my flaws, I would feel innocent and pure again like a baby.
Faking a movement by no one seeing it
I am pretending to be something or do something, but no one is noticing or acknowledging it.
No one always finds peace flung
It is rare for anyone to find true inner peace and harmony in life without any struggle.
No one chooses to beat my pride down
No one wants to intentionally hurt or embarrass me and make me feel ashamed.
Symbols pierce right through me
Words or visual images can have a powerful and painful impact on me emotionally.
People fail to be drawn up
Others are not inspired or motivated by my actions or words.
Somewhat to fate accumulates
My life is shaped by fate and destiny, to some extent.
Loving pain to be clung to
I am holding onto my pain and sadness because it is familiar and comforting to me.
By luminous bodies
I am drawn to and fascinated by bright, shining things or people.
Only waiting for long signs to be wrong and true to us
I am searching for proof or validation that I am right or wrong about something, even if it takes a long time.
Out of place in my own time
I feel like I don't fit in or belong in this particular era or generation.
Drowning thinking that I'm dry
I am overwhelmed and suffocated by my thoughts and emotions, even though I appear calm on the outside.
Holding on to facts that will never be proven
I am stubbornly clinging to beliefs or truths that may never be fully validated or confirmed.
Faking an action cause no one is looking
I am pretending to do something or be someone different, even though no one is observing me or paying attention.
Hello when I'm crashing
I reach out or cry for help when I am at my lowest point.
Feel nothing when my life flashes before my eyes
I am so numb or disconnected from reality that even when I am facing death or a life-changing event, I feel nothing.
You should've threw me down is the content so much
The singer is repeating a nonsensical phrase, perhaps to illustrate their mental state or confusion.
(I'll be you, I do) ayy, yeah
The singer is repeating the same wish as before, to be someone else and escape their problems.
(I'll be you) should've threw me down is the content so much
The artist repeats another nonsensical phrase, indicating a state of distress or disorientation.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: John Frusciante
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind