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.
Unchanging
John Frusciante Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That is where all time starts
It's a pleasure to die
A pleasure to be gone
Into the sky we move on
Life is unchanging
It let me go
Life gave me up
I have no control
Everything goes a way that i do not
I clean up the clouds i ride
I've never been up where i see the others climb
Seems like it must be nice
Laughter's an ugly friend of mine
We share the best and worst of times
Everyone goes where they belong
Nobody goes elsewhere
Never much thought goes to being
Right or wrong
Right or wrong
The lyrics of John Frusciante's "Unchanging" reflect on life and its unpredictable nature. The first few lines, "And we will show that wherever you are, That is where all time starts," highlight the idea that life is constantly moving forward, and every individual is responsible for their own time. The next two lines, "It's a pleasure to die, A pleasure to be gone," may seem paradoxical at first glance. However, it suggests that death is also a part of life, and the singer has accepted that fact. The lyrics continue to proclaim that we all move on into the sky, a reference to the afterlife.
The chorus of the song, "Life is unchanging, It let me go, Life gave me up, And I have no control," reflects on how life goes on, and how the singer has no control over it. It's a realization that everything in life is fleeting and nothing is truly permanent. The next few lines, "Everything goes a way that I do not, I clean up the clouds I ride," reflect on the idea that people often have to deal with cleaning up their own messes. The singer has seen people move on, but he remains in the same place. The song ends with the lines "Never much thought goes to being right or wrong," highlighting the idea that life happens, and people just have to accept it.
Line by Line Meaning
And we will show that wherever you are
Regardless of your physical location, you can have an impact on time.
That is where all time starts
Time starts when you are present and experiencing it.
It's a pleasure to die
Death can be a peaceful release from the struggles of life.
A pleasure to be gone
Being free from the trials and tribulations of life can be a source of joy.
Into the sky we move on
When we die, we leave this world and go on to the next.
Life is unchanging
Life remains constant, with no regard for individual experiences or struggles.
It let me go
Life does not hold onto individuals. It moves on, regardless of their situation or presence.
Life gave me up
Life has no obligation to hold onto us. We are not in control of our own existence or outcome.
And i have no control
As individuals, we have no control over the flow of life or the outcomes we experience.
I have no control
This line reiterates the lack of control we have over our experiences in life.
Everything goes a way that i do not
Our experiences will not always go the way we expect them to or want them to.
I clean up the clouds i ride
The artist has control over their own experiences, despite the uncontrollable aspects of life.
I've never been up where i see the others climb
The singer has not experienced the same level of success or prosperity as those around them.
Seems like it must be nice
The singer thinks that success and prosperity must be a pleasant experience.
Laughter's an ugly friend of mine
Despite the joy surrounding laughter, the singer has an unpleasant relationship with it.
We share the best and worst of times
Those closest to us will experience both the good and bad times in life with us.
Everyone goes where they belong
Individuals end up where they are meant to be, according to their situations or choices.
Nobody goes elsewhere
Individuals do not end up in unexpected locations or situations.
Never much thought goes to being
Individuals do not often think about their own existence or purpose in life.
Right or wrong
Individual actions may be judged as right or wrong, but life as a whole remains unchanging and unaffected by these judgments.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOHN FRUSCIANTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jarrett Thomas
Damn this music beats all the bs out there nowadays. So real and makes you genuinely feel something..going thru a breakup right now and his music saves
Dias
@Jarrett Thomas Yeah man, was/am going trough the same road. But I'm alive. Don't forget Frusciante
Jarrett Thomas
@Dias much much better!! never saw this comment but came back to this song and just now saw it! breaking up only opens another door man, Im in a much better place thankfully =) thanks for looking out
Dias
How are you feeling now?
Disørder
It doesn't matter how many times i listen to this or how much time may pass, i keep getting the same feeling over and over. I love you John, wherever you are.
Johnny Brealey
One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.
brooksy54321
Laughter is an ugly friend of mine
We've shared the best and worst of times
Tee Kay
I love this beautiful song & album. John is such a pure artist.
rinse bruinsma
john is so right about lyricsés
graagraes
The best song for when you're down