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.
Stone Cold Bush
Red Hot Chili Peppers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And baby that's alright
She's stone cold bush yea
And that's alright with me
Get up off your knees, come on walk with me
Tell me what you need to get along
A statue come to life
Bleeding to the tune of dolly dagger
She's stone cold bush
Haight Street got nothing to show
Except the skirt on your ass
When you're livin' on the streets
You've got to let it roll
Get on with what you've got
Awe everybody knows that it's alright
You've got no secrets to tell
But when you smoke that rock and suck that cock
You do it oh so well
She's stone cold bush
She's got marble eyes
Sweet china doll her thighs
And animal in pain she starts to cry
Her pipes are open wide
She blows more than my mind
Echo sounds of soul
Time after time
She's stone cold bush
The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Stone Cold Bush" is a song about a woman who is unyielding, elegant, and tough. The song's title is a play on the phrase "stone cold bitch." Despite her toughness, the singer finds her attractive and compelling, and is content to let her be who she is. The song's chorus, "She's stone cold bush yea/And baby that's alright/She's stone cold bush yea/And that's alright with me," encapsulates this sentiment.
The verses of the song paint a picture of a woman who is both alluring and dangerous. The lyric, "A statue come to life/I cut you with my knife/Bleeding to the tune of dolly dagger," suggests that the woman is both beautiful and deadly, akin to a statue that has come to life. The reference to the song "Dolly Dagger" by Jimi Hendrix, which contains the lyric "she drinks the blood from a jagged edge," furthers the idea that the woman is willing to harm others. Yet despite this, the singer is drawn to her, finding her "animal in pain" crying to be compelling.
The song is a gritty, urban portrayal of life, with references to San Francisco's Haight Street, living on the streets, and drug use. The line "When you're livin' on the streets/You've got to let it roll" suggests a philosophy of accepting life on its own terms, despite its difficulties. The singer's infatuation with the woman is similarly accepting; despite her flaws, he is content to let her be who she is. Overall, "Stone Cold Bush" is a raw and vivid portrait of a tough, alluring woman and the world around her.
Line by Line Meaning
She's stone cold bush yea
She is like a statue, cold and emotionless, but it's okay with me.
And baby that's alright
I accept her for who she is.
Get up off your knees, come on walk with me
I want her to come with me, to walk beside me and be my partner.
Tell me what you need to get along
I want to know what she needs to be happy and comfortable.
A statue come to life
She is so still and unmoving, like a statue, and now she's alive in front of me.
I cut you with my knife
I hurt her with my words or actions.
Bleeding to the tune of dolly dagger
The pain she feels is like a song playing in her head.
Haight Street got nothing to show
The area where we are doesn't have much to offer.
Except the skirt on your ass
The only thing of interest here is the way she looks in a short skirt.
When you're livin' on the streets
If you're homeless and struggling to survive,
You've got to let it roll
You have to take things as they come and not worry too much.
Get on with what you've got
Make the best of what you have instead of complaining.
Awe everybody knows that it's alright
Everyone understands that life isn't perfect, but it's okay.
You've got no secrets to tell
You have nothing to hide or keep from me.
But when you smoke that rock and suck that cock
But when you do drugs and engage in dangerous activities,
You do it oh so well
You're good at it, even though it's harmful.
She's got marble eyes
Her eyes are cold and unfeeling like marble.
Sweet china doll her thighs
Her legs are delicate and beautiful like a Chinese doll.
And animal in pain she starts to cry
She cries like an animal in agony.
Her pipes are open wide
She is singing or screaming at the top of her lungs.
She blows more than my mind
She exceeds my wildest expectations.
Echo sounds of soul
Her voice resonates with a soulful quality.
Time after time
Over and over again.
She's stone cold bush
She is still and emotionless like a stone, and I accept her for who she is.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ANTHONY KIEDIS, MICHAEL BALZARY, CHAD SMITH, JOHN FRUSCIANTE, DARREN HENLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bryan Craig
When younger RHCP fans wonder why some of us love the Mothers Milk era the most, I present to them the chaotic energy in this performance.
Josh Gardner
Gotta agree. My fav era is the mothers milk, bssm era. Although I think my fav song is the other side.
Doszhan Kadyrzhan
Man. I'm young fan of RHCP. But i like Mother's milk. For this energy.Stone cold bush a Knock me down, my favorites!
Morkz DeLorean
This is a cool era, sure, but Mothers Milk was inferior to the two albums that surrounded it. Uplift Mofo is Hillels breakthrough record & BSSM remains the masterpiece. But for live performance this was indeed a good era.
João P. B. Figueiredo
Man, Frusciante was a different type of beast at this point. Simply amazing.
Philip Reed Wallace
Agree
Jonathan Hughes
He never seems to have regained this level of ability since rejoining in 98
F1 do Tonhão
@Jonathan Hughes red hot chili peppers live La cigale 2006,Chorzow 2007, Reading Led 2007, Grammy 2007,Fuji 2006...
Jonathan Hughes
@F1 do Tonhão do you play guitar? As a guitarist I can confidently say that after leaving the band and succumbing to drug addiction and burns JF just wasn't the same technically. He seemed to lose a lot of the attack and power in his playing
JrnmoSanB
@Jonathan Hughes yes, he actually changed his style due to that. I think he could've gotten to that lvl again, but he took a different approach to music