The track is a popular and energetic number when played in concert. It is always included in live acts, even during circumstances in which only a small number of songs are played (such as special performances).
The frenetic video was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, a couple who has collaborated with the band to create music videos on numerous other occasions. It is not a visual verbatim demonstration of the lyrical denotations, but rather a story all its own.
The video starts off with Anthony calling for a taxi. He gets in the taxi and a cabbie (played by Dave Sheridan) realizes he has Anthony as his passenger and puts a copy of the "By the Way" single into the CD player to please him, making Anthony smile mildly. Suddenly, the cabbie begins to be out of control as he lip-synchs the song loud and clear and begins to accelerate the taxi faster and faster and drive rambunctiously throughout the streets of L.A. after locking the car door, which makes Anthony uncomfortable and apprehensive. Anthony attempts to call on his cell phone, but the cabbie brakes so hard Anthony loses grip of his cell phone and the cabbie snatches it and throws it out of the window. The cabbie drives Anthony even more crazy as he drives the car in a cloud of dust and backs up under a bridge. Fans might think that it is the bridge that Anthony talked about in the song, "Under the Bridge". While under the bridge, the cabbie pulls out flare sticks and begins to torture him through awkward dancing while Anthony finally pages Flea and John, who are having lunch in a cafe, which says "Help! I've been kidnapped." At first John and Flea thinks it a hoax so they ignore the first message, then when Anthony pages them for the second time, Flea and John set out on Flea's Ford Bronco to find Anthony once again with the crazy cabbie in the taxi and begin a wild chase and even having some road rage. Anthony soon sees them, and breaks out of the taxi window and jumps in Flea's truck with a sigh of relief as the Chilis drive on another road to escape the cabbie. At the end of the video, we see Chad flag down the taxi, the cabbie realizes that he is a also member of the Chilis, so he lets Chad in and drives off the window that was broken was not shown intact with him.
* If you look closely, you can see the word "Jammin'!" on the cabbie's shirt.
* Rumours exist that the bridge that Anthony gets driven under is the one he sang about in the song, "Under the Bridge" where he struggled with drugs and almost ended his life.
* The book that Anthony holds in his hand at the beginning is Lexicon Devil which is a biography of his earlier influence, The Germs.
“ It’s kidnapping… A cab driver kidnaps me and just goes haywire through the town; he’s a fan, but he’s kind of a (pause) obsessive, compulsive, psychologically misarranged fan, and he sees me and starts enjoying himself a little too much and my friends have to come and rescue me. ”
Anthony Kiedis – The Making of: By the Way; Greatest Hits.
The fast and often jerky camera angles used in the high speed chase sequences are based on the 2000 Mexican film Amores Perros in which all the characters are linked by a car crash at the beginning of the film; before the crash is an almost identical high speed car chase sequence.
Contrary to the music video, the song's lyrics tell an ambiguous story of a girl named Dani. The story had been gradually developing throughout a 7 year time period, starting with "Californication", in which the lyrics refer to an unnamed "Teenage bride with a baby inside". This story was continued in "By the Way", and concluded in "Dani California".
An electro house remix of "By the Way" by Rene Amesz and Peter Gelderblom was released on 5 July 2007, and became a popular track in clubs worldwide. The remix is also known as "Waiting 4", which is a prominently featured lyric. It reached #29 for one week in late November/early December 2007 in the United Kingdom. It is included on the UK edition of Now 68 and Wild Weekends 04 (2007).
By the Way
Red Hot Chili Peppers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there, waiting for
Dani the girl is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee, overload
Steak knife, card shark
Skin that flick, she's such a little DJ
Get there quick by street but not the freeway
Turn that trick to make a little leeway
Beat that nic, but not the way that we play
Dogtown, blood bath
Rib cage, soft tail
Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there, waiting for
Black jack, dope dick
Pawn shop, quick pick
Kiss that dyke, I know you want to hold one
Not on strike but I'm about to bowl one
Bite that mic, I know you never stole one
Girls that like a story, so I told one
Song bird, main line
Cash back, hard top
Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani, the girl, is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee, oversold
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah
Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani, the girl, is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee, oversold
By the way, I tried to say
I know you from before
Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
The song 'By the Way' by Red Hot Chili Peppers is an upbeat, fast-paced track that describes the excitement and anticipation of standing in line to see a show. The opening lines suggest a crowd waiting eagerly for the concert to start. The 'light on', a reference to the stage lights, creates a 'heavy glow' that builds the anticipation of the performance.
The song then goes on to mention 'Dani the girl,' who is singing songs beneath the marquee. This could either be a reference to the lead singer Anthony Kiedis's former girlfriend or a fictional character. Kiedis has mentioned that the song is about a friend who passed away.
The lyrics of the song are full of witty wordplay that gives the song its character. For example, 'steak knife card shark, con job boot cut' is just one example of the clever wordplay that peppers the song. The song is a high-energy celebration of life, love, and music.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing in line
Waiting in a queue to get into the show
To see the show tonight
To watch the performance that is happening tonight
And there's a light on
The stage lights are on
Heavy glow
Bright and intense light
By the way I tried to say
Incidentally, I tried to communicate
I'd be there, waiting for
I would be present, waiting for someone
Dani the girl
Referring to a girl named Dani
Is singing songs to me
Dani is performing and singing for me
Beneath the marquee, overload
Under the sign, which is full of lights and information
Steak knife card shark
A person who is good at playing and winning card games with a sharp knife
Con job boot cut
Scamming someone with a particular style of boot-cut pants
Skin that flick
Covering or removing the movie reel
She's such a little DJ
She is a great DJ
Get there quick
Hurry up and get there
By street but not the freeway
Reaching the destination through the smaller streets, not the highway
Turn that trick
Do something smart or clever to achieve a goal
To make a little leeway
To create some space or opportunity by using a tactic
Beat that nic
Overcome an obstacle in a clever way
But not the way that we play
Not using any unfair means
Dog town blood bath
A place where conflict and violence is common
Rib cage soft tail
A style of motorcycle
Black jack dope dick
Referring to someone who is addicted to gambling and drugs
Pawn shop quick pick
Buying something from a pawnshop very quickly
Kiss that dyke
To kiss a lesbian woman
I know you want to hold one
I am aware of your desires
Not on strike
Not doing any job actions that affect work
But I'm about to bowl one
But I am about to do something significant
Bite that mic
To use the microphone effectively
I know you never stole one
I'm sure you have never stolen a microphone
Girls that like
Referring to the girls who prefer
A story, so I told one
A narrative that I have conveyed
Song bird, main line
A singer who has a prominent place of representation
Cash back, hard top
Referring to a car which has an excellent fuel efficiency and a rigid roof
Of her soul
About her essence or spirit
Oversold
Sold more tickets than the space can handle
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
A phrase used to suggest that someone did not do something they said they would
I know you from before
I am already familiar with you
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Michael Peter Balzary, John Anthony Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis, Chad Gaylord Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ceeessy
LETRA/LYRIC
Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani, the girl, is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee, overload
Steak knife, card shark
Con job, boot cut
Skin that flick, she's such a little DJ
Get there quick by street, but not the freeway
Turn that trick to make a little leeway
Beat that nic, but not the way that we play
Dogtown, blood bath
Rib cage, soft tail
Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Black Jack, dope dick
Pawn shop, quick pick
Kiss that dyke, I know you want to hold one
Not on strike, but I'm about to bowl one
Bite that mic, I know you never stole one
Girls that like a story, so I told one
Song bird, main line
Cash back, hard top
Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani, the girl, is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee, oversold
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah, guess you never meant it
Oh, ah
Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani, the girl, is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee, oversold
By the way, I tried to say
I know you from before
Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
@burdenthrive3204
Standing in line
To see the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there, waiting for
Dani the girl
Is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee, overload
Steak knife card shark
Con job boot cut
Skin that flick
She's such a little DJ
Get there quick
By street but not the freeway
Turn that trick
To make a little leeway
Beat that nic
But not the way that we play
Dog town blood bath
Rib cage soft tail
Standing in line
To see the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there, waiting for
Black jack dope dick
Pawn shop quick pick
Kiss that dyke
I know you want to hold one
Not on strike
But I'm about to bowl one
Bite that mic
I know you never stole one
Girls that like
A story, so I told one
Song bird, main line
Cash back, hard top
Standing in line to
See the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani the girl is
Singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee
Oversold
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it
Ooh, ah
Standing in line to
See the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
Dani the girl
Is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee
Of her soul
By the way I tried to say
I know you
From before
Standing in line to
See the show tonight
And there's a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I'd be there waiting for
@RedHotChiliPeppers
It has been confirmed that the Red Hot Chili Peppers will embark on a world tour in 2022! Sign up on https://redhotchilipeppers.com for more information.
@Myrrsito
It has been confirmed that i'll be there no mather what.
@albertmontero8729
yes
@tamandua9271
FINALLY
@damianrodriguez2866
Yuhhh
@JB-eg9jc
WOOO
@RedHotChiliPeppers
On this day in 2002, the music video for “By The Way” was released. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.
@miriamvazquezxD
<3
@autumwilliams7949
This is one of my favorite RHCP'S songs none stop head banging!! I'm talking
major brain DAMAGE!! [?]
@Liquidmax1
again cant wacth, supouse to be my favorite band and they block my country