The Red Hot Chili Peppers were formed in Los Angeles by Kiedis, Flea, guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons. Due to commitments to other bands, Slovak and Irons did not play on the band's 1984 self-titled debut album, which instead featured guitarist Jack Sherman and drummer Cliff Martinez. Slovak rejoined for their second album, Freaky Styley (1985), and Irons for their third, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987). Irons left after Slovak died of a drug overdose in June 1988.
With new recruits Frusciante and Smith, the Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded Mother's Milk (1989) and their first major commercial success, Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991). Frusciante was uncomfortable with their newfound popularity and left abruptly on tour in 1992. After a series of temporary guitarists, he was replaced by Dave Navarro, who appeared on the group's sixth album, One Hot Minute (1995). Although successful, the album failed to match the critical or popular acclaim of Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Frusciante and Kiedis struggled with drug addiction throughout the 1990s.
In 1998, following Navarro's departure, Frusciante rejoined the band. Their seventh album, Californication (1999), became their biggest commercial success, with 16 million copies sold worldwide. By the Way (2002) and Stadium Arcadium (2006) were also successful; Stadium Arcadium was their first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Frusciante left again in 2009 to focus on his solo career; he was replaced by Josh Klinghoffer, who appeared on I'm with You (2011) and The Getaway (2016), before Frusciante rejoined in 2019. They released their 12th album, Unlimited Love, in 2022.
The Chili Peppers' mix of hard rock, funk and hip hop has influenced genres such as funk metal, rap metal, rap rock and nu metal. Kiedis said the band were early to combine "hardcore funk and hip-hop-style vocals", and suggested they had influenced Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, and Linkin Park. Smith said, "Certainly Anthony's singing style and voice lends itself to being unique, and nobody sounds like him. The cool thing about it is we can play any style of music whether it's hard and fast, or loud or quiet, slow or medium, whatever it is; rock or funk, and it still sounds like us. I'm proud of that because sometimes bands don't have that strong personality where you go, 'Oh, that's boom, right away.'"
The Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame In April 2012. The induction lineup was Kiedis, Flea, Smith, Klinghoffer, Frusciante, Slovak (represented by his brother James), Irons and Martinez; Frusciante was invited, but did not attend. Navarro and Sherman were not inducted; Sherman said he felt "dishonored". The band performed "By the Way", "Give It Away" and "Higher Ground", which included Irons and Martinez on drums. It was the first time Kiedis and Flea had performed with Irons in more than 20 years.
In 2003, Rolling Stone released their first list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", with Blood Sugar Sex Magik at 310 and Californication at 399. In 2012, a revised list was released, with Californication at 401. In 2020, Rolling Stone released another version of the list, with Blood Sugar Sex Magik at 186 and Californication at 286.
The band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 31, 2022. George Clinton, Woody Harrelson and Bob Forrest unveiled the star at the ceremony.
Knock Me Down
Red Hot Chili Peppers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Being cool too much too soon
Too much for me, too much for you
You're gonna lose in time
Don't be afraid to show your friends
That you hurt inside, inside
Pain's part of life, don't hide behind your false pride
If you see me getting mighty
If you see me getting high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me getting mighty (ooh)
If you see me getting high
Knock me down (knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life
I'm tired of being untouchable
I'm not above the love
I'm part of you and you're part of me
Why did you go away?
Finding what you're looking for
Can end up being, being such a bore
I pray for you most every day
My love's with you
Now fly away
If you see me getting mighty
If you see me getting high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me getting mighty (ooh)
If you see me getting high
Knock me down (knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me getting mighty
If you see me getting high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me getting mighty (ooh)
If you see me getting high
Knock me down (knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me getting mighty (see me)
If you see me getting high (getting mighty)
Knock me down (knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me getting mighty (see me)
If you see me getting high (getting mighty)
Knock me down (knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me getting mighty
If you see me getting high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me getting mighty
If you see me getting high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
(C'mon, yeah yeah)
(C'mon, yeah yeah)
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself (Oh, so lonely)
It's so lonely (yeah)
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself (oh)
It's so lonely (oh yeah)
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself
It's so lonely
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself
The lyrics of "Knock Me Down" by Red Hot Chili Peppers deal with the pressures of fame and the band's own experience with addiction. The song encourages vulnerability and the importance of showing our pain to others. The line "never too soon to be through, being cool too much too soon" speaks to the band's early success and their struggle to handle the spotlight. The chorus "If you see me getting mighty, if you see me getting high, knock me down, I'm not bigger than life" is a reminder to the listener and the band themselves that fame doesn't make them invincible or above consequences.
The second verse shifts to mourning the loss of a loved one, possibly referring to the band's guitarist Hillel Slovak who died of a drug overdose in 1988. The line "finding what you're looking for can end up being, being such a bore" expresses the idea that the constant search for happiness and fulfillment can lead to a sense of emptiness. The final lines of the song, "It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself," suggest that by reaching out to others in times of struggle and showing our true selves, we can combat this feeling of loneliness and find a sense of belonging.
Line by Line Meaning
Never too soon to be through
It's never too early to quit or give up
Being cool too much too soon
Trying too hard to be cool too early can be overwhelming
Too much for me, too much for you
It's too much for both of us
You're gonna lose in time
Eventually, you're going to lose
Don't be afraid to show your friends
You shouldn't be afraid to be vulnerable with your friends
That you hurt inside, inside
It's okay to let your friends know when you're hurting
Pain's part of life, don't hide behind your false pride
Pain is a normal part of life, don't let fake pride get in the way of expressing it
It's a lie, your lie
The false pride you hold onto is a lie
If you see me getting mighty
If you see me becoming too powerful
If you see me getting high
If you see me getting too confident
Knock me down
Put me in my place
I'm not bigger than life
I'm not invincible or above anyone else
I'm tired of being untouchable
I'm tired of pretending to be untouchable or above anyone else
I'm not above the love
I'm not too good for love
I'm part of you and you're part of me
We are all interconnected and part of the same world
Why did you go away?
Why did you leave?
Finding what you're looking for
The search for what you want
Can end up being, being such a bore
The search can become boring
I pray for you most every day
I pray for you every day
My love's with you
My love is with you
Now fly away
Now leave and start anew
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself (Oh, so lonely)
When you don't know yourself, it can be a very lonely experience
It's so lonely (yeah)
Loneliness is a real feeling
C'mon, yeah yeah
Let's go
Lyrics © MoeBeToBlame, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Anthony Kiedis, Michael Balzary, Chad Smith, John Frusciante
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@martialwharf7724
[Verse 1]
Never too soon to be through
Bein' cool too much, too soon
Too much for me, too much for you
You're gonna lose in time
Don't be afraid to show your friends that you hurt inside, inside
Pain's part of life, don't hide behind your false pride
It's a lie, your lie
[Chorus]
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high (Ooh)
Knock me down (Knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life
[Verse 2]
I'm tired of bein' untouchable
I'm not above the love
I'm part of you, and you're part of me
Why did you go away?
Findin' what you're lookin' for can end up bein', bein' such a bore
I pray for you, most every day
My love's with you, now fly away
[Chorus 2]
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high (Ooh)
Knock me down (Knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life
[Chorus 3]
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high (Ooh)
Knock me down (Knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high (Knock me, knock me, knock me)
Knock me down (Knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high (Knock me, knock me, knock me)
Knock me down (Knock me down)
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
If you see me gettin' mighty, if you see me gettin' high
Knock me down
I'm not bigger than life
[Break]
Aah-aah-aah-aah-aah, hey, aah-aah-aah-aah, yeah, yeah
Aah-aah-aah-aah-aah, hey, aah-aah-aah-aah, yeah, yeah
[Outro]
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself (Aah-aah, oh, oh, oh, hey, yeah)
It's so lonely
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself (Oh, oh, oh-ooh-oh, oh, yeah)
It's so lonely
It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself
It's so lonely
@declandonohoe9612
This is the song that got me into the Peppers. Saw them live in Dublin in 1990. They played to just 800 of us. It was amazing.
@finnrobertson800
First time rhcp played in Dublin was 1992
@prismsedits2320
I will never get over the fact that John was only 18 at this time. Unbelievable.
@lostbetweenthesound2593
was he really?? hahaha!! I did know he was really young, but not that young! Good shit! 😉
@mattwhite4387
Prisms Edits thats really awesome what a fact😊 what a guitarist!
@cjbarton0055
haha, makes me wonder what im doing with my life
@Confident-Village148
He's a legend😍😍
@patrickcole8153
CjBarton 00 same bro.. my 20s are coming to an end so I have the same thought often haha
@aimeekelly9794
I'm reading Scar Tissue, Anthony Kiedis's memoir. Anthony wrote this after Hillel died of an overdose, and he had no melody for it. John had the melody, they found Chad after dumping DH, and the song was made. I'm loving going back to the songs I listened to decades ago and reading the history behind them.
@crestofthewave
Aimee Kelly I bawled my eyes out when he went to Hillel’s grave