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.
Tiny Dancer
Red Hot Chili Peppers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile
You married the music man
Ballerina, you must've seen her
dancing in the sand
And now she's in me, always with me
Tiny dancer in my hand
Jesus freaks out in the street
Handing tickets out for God
Turning back she just laughs
The boulevard ain't that bad
Piano man he makes his stand
In the auditorium
Looking on she sings the songs
The words she knows
The tunes she hums
But oh how real it feels
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly
Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
(repeat)
Blue jean baby, L.A lady
Seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile
You married the music man
Ballerina, you must've seen her dancing in the sand
And now she's in me, always with me
Tiny dancer in my hand
But oh how real it feels
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly
repeat chorus
The song "Tiny Dancer" by Red Hot Chili Peppers is a cover of Elton John's hit song. The lyrics describe a woman who married a musician and worked as a seamstress for the band. She is described as having a "pirate smile" and "pretty eyes" with a talent for dancing. The singer suggests that she may have been a ballerina who was seen dancing in the sand. The woman is now inside the singer and is always with him, as if she were a tiny dancer in his hand.
The second verse shifts focus to a group of religious people known as "Jesus freaks" who hand out tickets for God in the streets. The woman is seen laughing at them as she turns away from the boulevard, which suggests that she is comfortable in her lifestyle as a musician's wife. The piano man mentioned in the third verse represents the beauty of music and the woman's connection to it. This connection is exemplified through her singing and humming tunes she knows. The singer describes the emotions he feels when he is lying alone in bed and speaks to the tiny dancer in his hand, asking her to hold him closer while counting the headlights on the highway. The final repetition of the chorus adds an emotional climax to the song.
Overall, the song portrays a woman's love for music and the impact it has on her life. The lyrics also suggest that the woman's presence is always with the singer, even when she is not physically present. The song incorporates themes of love, music, and connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue jean baby, L.A lady
A woman who's dressed in cool and comfortable blue jeans and lives in Los Angeles
Seamstress for the band
She's responsible for repairing and sewing the costumes of the musical group
Pretty eyed, pirate smile
Her appearance is captivating, with beautiful eyes and an alluring smile
You married the music man
She's romantically involved with a man who's dedicated to the world of music
Ballerina, you must've seen her
dancing in the sand
She's a skilled dancer and may have been observed performing ballet on the shore
And now she's in me, always with me
Tiny dancer in my hand
He's feeling the impact of her artistic spirit on his life, and the image of her as an exquisite performer is etched in his mind
Jesus freaks out in the street
Handing tickets out for God
Turning back she just laughs
The boulevard ain't that bad
He encounters zealous street preachers trying to save people's souls in the city, but she finds their approach amusing and reassuring that she's fine
Piano man he makes his stand
In the auditorium
Looking on she sings the songs
The words she knows
The tunes she hums
Sitting in the concert hall, she's watching a dedicated pianist perform while singing along to the songs she knows and humming along with the melodies
But oh how real it feels
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly
He's experiencing a visceral connection to her, with the sensation of her presence even though she's not physically with him, and he's speaking tenderly and deliberately to her
Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
(repeat)
He longs for her to comfort him and settle him physically, as they share a moment together, wrapped in soft linens, and recount the events of her very active day
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bernie Taupin, Elton John
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Makotna
Blue jean baby, L.A lady
Seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile
You married the music man
Ballerina, you must've seen her
dancing in the sand
And now she's in me, always with me
Tiny dancer in my hand
Jesus freaks out in the street
Handing tickets out for God
Turning back she just laughs
The boulevard ain't that bad
Piano man he makes his stand
In the auditorium
Looking on she sings the songs
The words she knows
The tunes she hums
But oh how real it feels
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly
Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
(repeat)
Blue jean baby, L.A lady
Seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile
You married the music man
Ballerina, you must've seen her dancing in the sand
And now she's in me, always with me
Tiny dancer in my hand
But oh how real it feels
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly
Juan Sandoval
@Silvia garcia Flea está diciendo que la siguiente canción será un tema punk, y empiezan a discutir con Anthony sobre qué banda de punk la compuso:
Here's a little punk rock song for you
A little punk rock called
I think it was written by the Ramones
In the early 70's
Maybe before they started
You know, when it was really hard core back in the old days
Remember?
Flea
I could have sworn this was the Dead Kennedy's
Jonas Jørgensen
wish John would do a cover of the whole entire song
Tartan Gloria
Hey Jonas
William Kelly
Me too man. Its killing me. His voice on a cover album of his vfav songs would be very most epic
Bob Pike
Oh God, no.
Nick Dominguez
@Bob Pike oh hell yes
Rubbed
he was only 20 when he sung this live. what a voice! love frusciante
8bigfoot8
I love the intro of Flea and Anthony
akimi_528
Can u describe what did they said? Im bad in english
Nick Dominguez
Was it Anthony?
Che1seabluesdrogba11
The flea is such a legend