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.
The Real
John Frusciante Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't remember where I went
Where I was
I'm gonna move toward a point in time
Where where you are is a state of mind
And anytime I can read your thoughts
Some of them yours and some I thought up
There's no good reason for heartbreak
It's no good saying you'll always be mine
These jokes life's playing they make me so tired
It's already to much to always see you off
The sense that hours go back is enough
I like to fade when I write this line
There's every reason to paint a decline
And every mile i walk is five
I'll get where I'm going in the next life
And all the while there's a false face
This every killing is left untraced
This kind of falling saved my son
This constant longing for what's gone
John Frusciante's song The Real seems to be a reflection of the artist's inner turmoil and confusion. The opening lines suggest that the singer is grappling with a sense of disorientation and uncertainty in their life - they don't know what is real and what is a figment of their imagination. The repeated phrase "I can't remember where I went, where I was" further suggests a sense of lostness and confusion.
As the song progresses, the musician seems to be searching for meaning and stability in their life. They talk about moving toward a point in time where they can find a sense of peace and clarity. The line "where you are is a state of mind" suggests that the singer is seeking a more internal sense of stability, rather than looking for external validation or affirmation.
The lyrics also touch on themes of heartbreak and loss, with the singer acknowledging that there is no good reason for these painful experiences. They also express a sense of weariness and exhaustion, which could be a reflection of the artist's struggles with drug addiction at the time.
Overall, The Real is an introspective and deeply personal song that grapples with themes of uncertainty, loss and the search for meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know the real from what I thought I saw
I'm not sure what is genuine and what my mind has created.
I can't remember where I went
I can't recall the places I've been to.
Where I was
I don't remember my past.
I'm gonna move toward a point in time
I will try to move on from the present and focus on the future.
Where where you are is a state of mind
Your physical location doesn't matter if we have a connection in our minds.
And anytime I can read your thoughts
I can sense your emotions and understand you without words.
Some of them yours and some I thought up
Your thoughts and my interpretation of them are creating a new reality.
There's no good reason for heartbreak
There is no logical explanation for the feelings of sadness and loss.
Nothing's repeating every Monday
Life is always changing and the same things don't happen over and over again.
It's no good saying you'll always be mine
Promising to stay together forever is not realistic or helpful in the long run.
These jokes life's playing they make me so tired
The ironic twists of fate can be exhausting and frustrating sometimes.
It's already to much to always see you off
Saying goodbye to you over and over again is emotionally draining.
The sense that hours go back is enough
The feeling of time standing still can be overwhelming sometimes.
I like to fade when I write this line
I prefer the feeling of disappearing or blending in when I create something.
There's every reason to paint a decline
It's easy to focus on the negative and expect things to get worse.
And every mile I walk is five
Time seems to pass more slowly when I'm working towards a goal.
I'll get where I'm going in the next life
I might not achieve all my aspirations in this lifetime, but there's always a next one.
And all the while there's a false face
People are hiding their true selves and intentions behind a mask.
This every killing is left untraced
Many horrible things happen in the world without anyone being held accountable.
This kind of falling saved my son
Experiencing a setback or a fall can sometimes lead to positive outcomes in the future.
This constant longing for what's gone
Feeling nostalgic and sad about the past is a common and difficult emotion to deal with.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOHN FRUSCIANTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind