Many fans and critics of the Red Hot Chili Peppers did not think that By The Way was a success for RHCP. Most of the songs are kind of slow and don’t have that funk buzz like some of their earlier work, especially like bloodsugersexmagik. Personally this is one of my favorite albums by RHCP. Though it doesn’t that kind of funk rock that I was talking before, the songs are somehow better in a different kind of way. Many of the songs sound similar, though many of them don’t sound like anything the band has done before. I think this new sound is a step forward for the band and they should keep at it. Every album they make seem to be getting better, even to their most recent album (Stadium Arcadium). Most of the songs on this album were written about lead singer Anthony Kiedis’s ex-girlfriend, Yohanna Logan.
1. By The Way. The cover song. The song starts out slow, with a smooth well balanced guitar riff by John Frusciante. After that first riff Anthony Kiedis starts singing “Standing in line to see the show tonight and there’s a light on, heavy glow,” and after some more singing he breaks into the chorus; the drumming also comes in at this point. After the chorus they break down into a funk which I thought personally ruined the song but still has an excellent bass line by Flea. A good start to the album.
2. Universally Speaking. This song is fast and starts out with solid loud chords by John Frusciante and lyrics most likely referring to Anthony’s ex-girlfriend. Overall this is a very good song and ends with an excellent solo.
3. This Is The Place. The song starts out with a catchy bass riff by Flea and soon leads to Anthony Kiedis singing “This is the place where all the junkies go, where time gets fast and everything gets slow,” It just sounds really cool. The song gets better and better right to the end.
4. Dosed. One of the many great songs of the album it starts out with three different guitars all at once playing different riffs, though they all fit together with each other perfectly. After playing that once and then repeating it Chad Smith’s rhythmic drumming comes in and so does Anthony Kiedis’s voice, singing near falsetto lyrics. Another great song.
5. Don’t Forget Me. One of my all-time favorite RHCP songs. The song starts out with very catchy but very simple power chords by John Frusciante and then drumming and singing comes in. Anthony sings about himself being a drug addict telling his girlfriend never to forget him. The chorus of the song sounds incendiary with many backup singers singing “Son is born and all will be revealed my friends,” The song ends with Anthony kiedis singing quietly “And all will be revealed my friends,” this song is very good and I suggest you get the album for the sake of listening to it.
6. The Zephyr Song. This song tells about somebody skateboarding in perfect weather, flying away on their Zephyr, the legendary skateboard which revolutionized skateboarding of today. The song has a positive feel to it. The energy is high and the song is just a generally good song.
7. Can’t Stop. Another great song. The song is fast starting with yet another Frusciante riff. The Chorus comes in fairly quickly but in a good way. The lyrics are very well rhymed with one “Music the great communicator use two sticks to make in the nature,” The song has a very California feel to it.
8. I Could Die For You. This song is slow and has kind of corny lyrics but is still good songwriting. The chorus is good with Anthony Kiedis’s vocals and John Frusciante’s guitar chords in sync with each other. A generally good song but I don’t think it really shows RHCP’s infinite potential.
9. Midnight. An interesting song, it starts with an orchestra of what sounds like cellos. Then there’s a pause and then band comes in playing something entirely different. The chorus for this song is very good and tells a story like many of the songs the Red Hot Chili Peppers sing. The Lyrics make sense for a good deal of the song which is good because some of their songs seem extremely random. This isn’t my favorite song but its worth listening to.
10. Throw Away Your Television. The songs starts out with a funk bass line by Flea and drumming by Chad Smith and then Anthony Kiedis starts singing without any guitar accompaniment which is strange for them because usually they go together, though the guitar comes in later. The song gets better three fourths of the way through with an amazing guitar riff by John Frusciante. A weird song.
11. Cabron. I have no idea what this song is about but it starts out with a fast acoustic sounding guitar riff by John Frusciante. The song definitely has a Spanish sound to it. The song doesn’t make that much sense but is definitely different and worth listening to. It shows RHCP’s wide variety of songwriting.
12. Tear. This song has a keyboard in it which sounds really cool with a guitar playing the same chords. The song is worth listening to just because it has a keyboard in it but is anyway a good song. The song doesn’t have any distortion or funk rock in it but is still pretty good. It shows the bands talent, and towards the end has an excellent trumpet solo by Flea.
13. On Mercury. This is another very good song; it starts out fast with a very reggae sounding guitar. This songs lyrics don’t make much sense with “Memories of everything of lemon trees on Mercury,” Still it sounds really cool and I guess that’s what counts.
14. Minor Thing. A good song but not that memorable in the vast arsenal of RHCP’s songs and could be confused for many other of their songs. It does have a couple of good solos that go well with the song. Not a great song but not a bad one either.
15. Warm Tape. The song starts out with a weird background chorus thing that sounds kind of creepy. The lyrics feature such things as “The two of us were made of angel dust,” This is another really weird song. I didn’t really think it was a highlight compared to some of the other great songs on this album.
16. Venice Queen. Another really good song and a really great conclusion for the album. The guitar is fast but not exactly upbeat and has a dark feel to it. This song really builds up and picks up toward the middle. This song also happens to be the longest song on the album (6:07). The song is simple but sounds good especially after Warm Tape. A good way to end a great album which if you haven’t listened to you should by right away, fan or not of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
