By the Way

Background

Following a life-threatening drug addiction that developed after leaving the Chili Peppers in 1992, Frusciante made a full recovery after a month of drug rehabilitation in the early months of 1998. Shortly thereafter he was asked to rejoin the Red Hot Chili Peppers. After several months of writing and recording, the Chili Peppers' next album, Californication was released. The album went on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide, becoming the Chili Peppers' most successful recording to date. Frusciante's return generated much response from critics, who recognized the album as a commercial revitalization from their previous record, One Hot Minute. A two-year-long, international tour followed, which included several festival appearances, including Woodstock 1999 and Rock in Rio.

The writing and formation of By the Way began immediately following the culmination of Californication's world tour, in the spring of 2001. As with Californication, much of the creation took place in the band members' homes, and other locations of practice, such as a recording studio stage. Kiedis recalled of the situation: "We started finding some magic and some music and some riffs and some rhythms and some jams and some grooves, and we added to it and subtracted from it and pushed it around and put melodies to it." Frusciante and Kiedis would collaborate for days straight, discussing guitar progressions and sharing lyrics. For Kiedis, "writing By the Way...was a whole different experience from Californication. John was back to himself and brimming with confidence." Prior to recording By the Way, the Chili Peppers decided that they would again have Rick Rubin produce the album. Rubin had, in the past, granted the Chili Peppers creative freedom on their recording material; this was something they thought essential for the album to be unique, and could only occur with his return.

Writing and composition

According to the 2010 book, The Red Hot Chili Peppers: An Oral/Visual History, Frusciante had originally intended for the album to be very different from how it was eventually completed. Frusciante wanted an album of two different types of songs: songs that were more "English-sounding" and melodic, and songs that were more punk rock sounding. Frusciante's punk inspiration came from listening to music by The Damned and Discharge, among others. Rick Rubin was not familiar with the latter bands and sound and thought that the melodic songs were original and more exciting, causing the band to focus mostly on the melodic material. However, one punk rock influenced song was recorded during these sessions, "Body of Water" but did not make the final cut and was instead included on "The Zephyr Song" single. Many of the more melodic inspired songs came from Frusciante being heavily into music by The Beach Boys and The Beatles along with doo-wop groups and their harmonies. These new styles as well as Frusciante being especially prolific during this era came to alienate Flea, who had wanted the band to return to its earlier funk-influenced sound. Frusciante felt the band had already thoroughly explored funk and was more interested in creating something new for the band. According to Kiedis, Flea felt his voice wasn't being heard, and there was a point where he considered leaving the band. While speaking to Swedish paper Aftonbladet, Frusciante mentioned that he listened to guitarists such as John McGeoch for his work on the Magazine's albums and Siouxsie and the Banshees' Juju, Ron Mael of Sparks for Kimono My House, Johnny Marr of the Smiths, Vini Reilly of The Durutti Column and Keith Levine of PiL. He also credits XTC singer/guitarist Andy Partridge in the 2002 issue of Total Guitar magazine for being an influence on his guitar work for the album.

The album's guitar and bass ensemble was primarily dictated by Frusciante, rather than a collaborative effort between him and bassist Flea. Therefore, the record took different direction than any previous Chili Peppers' album. Frusciante sought to create an emotional and poignant soundscape throughout the recording. Drawing influences from musicians such as Vini Reilly of The Durutti Column and John McGeoch, Frusciante made use of textured and multilayered guitar progressions on By the Way, using tools such as the mellotron and various effects pedals throughout. In 2006, while promoting the band's subsequent studio album, Stadium Arcadium, Flea reflected on the composition of By the Way, stating: "John went to this whole level of artistry. But he made me feel like I had nothing to offer, like I knew shit."

Kiedis was lyrically influenced by love, his girlfriend, and the emotions expressed when one fell in love. Songs written for the album such as "By the Way", "I Could Die for You", "Dosed", "Warm Tape", and the non-album tracks "Someone" and "Body of Water" all digressed into the many sides of love. Drugs also played an integral part in Kiedis' writings, as he had only been sober since December 2000. Tracks like "This Is the Place" and "Don't Forget Me" expressed his intense relationship with narcotics, the harmful physical and emotional effects they caused him and the ever-present danger of relapse (as Kiedis has suffered chronic relapse into drug-dependency). He referenced early Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak in "This Is the Place", and describes how drug use forced him to miss the funeral: "On the day my best friend died/I could not get my copper clean". "Venice Queen" was composed lyrically as an ode to Kiedis' drug rehabilitation therapist, Gloria Scott, who died shortly after he purchased her a home on California's Venice Beach. It mourned her death as a painful loss: "We all want to tell her/Tell her that we love her/Venice gets a queen/Best I've ever seen."

By the Way diverged from the band's previous styles, containing few funk-driven songs. "Can't Stop" and the title track were the only songs which revisited the Chili Peppers' once trademark style of short, rapped verses. "Throw Away Your Television", while not having any rapidly sung lyrics, also contained a funk-oriented bass line, though hinted at experimental rock due to the heavy use of distortion throughout the verse and chorus. Other "experimental" tracks include the melodica-based "On Mercury". "Cabron", the only track to be played entirely on acoustic guitar, has distinctive Latin influences. "Tear" and "Warm Tape" were keyboard based more so than guitar or bass, the latter being completely written on the instrument. Technically, By the Way saw the Chili Peppers employing several devices to distort and alter guitar and vocal sequences. "Don't Forget Me" utilizes a mellotron, wah pedal, and echoing techniques to convey an emotive atmosphere, while Frusciante uses a Big Muff for the solos on "Minor Thing".

Outtakes

Many outtakes from the album have been released or exist. "Time" and a cover version of Dion and the Belmonts' "Teenager in Love" were released on the "By the Way" single. "Body of Water", "Out of Range", "Someone" and "Rivers of Avalon" were all released on "The Zephyr Song" single. "Slowly Deeply", which was featured on the "Universally Speaking" single, is an outtake from the Californication sessions. "Fortune Faded", a song originally recorded during the album sessions was later re-recorded in 2003 and released as a single along with the b-side, "Eskimo", another By the Way outtake. A cover version of the Ramones' "Havana Affair" was also recorded and later released in 2003 on 'We're A Happy Family: A Tribute to The Ramones. The single for "Can't Stop" also features an alternate mix of the song with higher harmonies and a clearer bass line. In 2003, the band re-entered the studio to work on their Greatest Hits album. The sessions produced enough songs for a new album, many which have gone unreleased. Of the songs released, "Bicycle Song" and "Runaway" were released in 2006 as bonus tracks on the iTunes release of By the Way.

In August 2014, unreleased tracks from the album's recording sessions were leaked to the internet. Many of the album's released songs and outtakes are in their earliest forms and feature improvised lyrics by Kiedis. The leak included three songs never heard before including "Goldmine", "Fall Water" and "Rock & Roll" along with the original version of "Fortune Faded". Many of the songs are featured under their working titles (which prior to release were also mentioned in various interviews): Soul Train ("By the Way"), Coltraine ("The Zephyr Song"), I Would Die ("I Could Die For You"), Drone ("This is the Place"), Throw Away ("Throw Away Your Television"), Epic ("Venice Queen") and New Wave ("Rivers of Avalon)" To date, "Strumming on D and J", a song assumed to be an instrumental jam and that Frusciante mentioned during pre-album release interviews, has never been released.

Artwork

All paintings, photography and art direction is credited to Julian Schnabel and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The woman featured on the cover of By the Way is Stella Schnabel, Julian Schnabel's daughter and Frusciante's then-girlfriend. Regarding the artwork, Frusciante noted: "My girlfriend's father offered to do the album art, so we sent him rough mixes of eight songs, and he just got the vibe of the album from that. He said that he wouldn't be offended if we didn't like it, but we loved what he did. He's also given us great covers for all the singles. He's a true artist."

Several pages of the album's booklet, and single for "By the Way" contain paintings of a goat head. A somewhat blurry, black and white photograph of the band in a desolate field, and each band member individually, is also present.

The majority of the booklet's artwork are various scenes of replica grass and plants, stars and indistinguishable objects, which appears to be a miniature pole, placed in dirt. Single covers for "The Zephyr Song" and "Can't Stop" both feature this same background, although angled slightly differently. The lyrics for By the Way are placed on top of the landscape, hand written by Kiedis in pink lettering.

Release

Feeling extremely confident in their album, the Chili Peppers issued the statement, "Greetings from the dimensions of invisible shapes and colors. The music on this record has expanded our space and made us bigger. Thank you for listening and being exactly where and who you are," in a press release. Chad Smith commented that By the Way is "very honest, raw, emotional music. It's a very dynamic, rich and lush album. Probably the best collection of Chili Peppers songs we've ever put out. " Warner Bros. Records promoted the album heavily in the months prior to the record's 2002 release, especially targeting the online market in order to steer customers away from illegal downloads. The record label implemented a campaign they colloquially title "A Song A Day". This program, initiated on June 21, was aimed at leaking one song per day until the album was released. Over 150 radio stations participated in broadcasting the band's new daily material, along with MTV, VH1, and digital music retailers like iTunes, as well as Cell phone companies. AOL featured the Chili Peppers as their "Artist of the Month" in June, streaming interviews and live performances of the band free of charge; they also sold an MP3 of "By the Way", the record's first single, for ninety-nine cents and raffled off tickets that gave fans a chance to see the band in Japan in November.

By the Way was released on CD and LP on July 9, 2002, under the Warner Bros. label, selling 281,948 copies in the United States in its first week and 1.8 million worldwide. It was certified gold just a few months later on October 26, 2002. Five singles were released from it; of these, the title track "By the Way" was the most successful, peaking at No. 2 on the UK charts and No. 1 on the Billboard rock charts. Although the album sold fewer copies than Californication, By the Way managed to peak at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, one spot higher than Californication. Around the world, the album debuted at number one in the UK, Switzerland, New Zealand, Austria, and Sweden; and number two in France. In March 2006, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' albums were made available for download from the iTunes Music Store and other online retailers. By the Way included two previously unreleased tracks ("Runaway", and "Bicycle Song"), recorded during the 2004 Greatest Hits sessions.

Critical reception

The album received a positive reaction from critics, who praised By the Way for its melodic, multilayer and textured styles. AllMusic's Zac Johnson said that the album was "sophisticated...the Peppers have not sacrificed any of their trademark energy or passions for life, universal love, and (of course) lust". Rolling Stone called the album "insanely melodic" and a "near-perfect balance of gutter grime and high-art aspiration", comparing it to other works, such as The Beach Boys' album Pet Sounds. Mojo applauded the recording, and considered it to be "the strongest Chili's album since 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik". Giving the album 5 stars out of 5, Q called By the Way "A fantastic record; full of wonder." Kimberly Mack of PopMatters commented on how the album "...showcases a more sophisticated, lush sound that only today's Peppers could have conceived", and that "Anthony Kiedis' lyrics are more personal than ever." Frusciante was, in his eyes, "a musical talent to be reckoned with and is the undeniable X factor in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' sound."

However, the praise was balanced by certain critics. Blender considered By the Way to be an indistinguishable sequel to Californication, calling it "Californication 2". It further condemned the Chili Peppers for not varying their style and remaining extremely similar in sound. Jaime Lowe of The Village Voice panned Kiedis's lyrics as "absolutely baffling" and commented that "it's as if he picked up a rhyming dictionary and arbitrarily strung some phrases together." The newspaper's Robert Christgau was also critical of his songwriting, writing that "it's not enough for Anthony Kiedis to get all mature—he's supposed to say something interesting about maturity." Entertainment Weekly praised By the Way for being well refined and a superb collaboration, but criticized the Chili Peppers for playing it safe and keeping the album's energy mild; for being "more fascinating for what it symbolizes than what it is."

Allmusic considered the song "By the Way" to combine "fiery Hollywood funk, gentle harmonies, a little bit of singing about girls, [and] a little bit of hanging out in the streets in the summertime." Rolling Stone commented on "how close this band has come to conjuring pure California sunshine" in "The Zephyr Song". "Midnight" was highly regarded by several sources. It was chosen as one of By the Way's "Allmusic Track Picks". Kimberly Mack of Pop Matters considered it to have "hippie-friendly lyrics" and to "evoke images of tie-dyed T-shirts and AM radio." Mack also regarded "Venice Queen" as "a masterpiece...Frusciante's backing vocals are hauntingly beautiful." In 2005, By the Way was ranked number 375 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.

Accolades

The information regarding accolades attributed to By the Way is adapted from AcclaimedMusic.net.

By the Way tour

Flea was still upset over the problems he had with John during the making of the album. Flea felt that John was trying to take over the band and that he could no longer express himself in the context of the band. Flea decided that he would finish the album but quit prior to their tour. According to Chad Smith, Flea and Frusciante eventually had a sit-down meeting with each other to air out their differences. Frusciante had no idea how Flea was feeling and had no intentions of taking over the band. Flea also credited practicing Vipassanā meditation along with Frusciante for helping the two repair their musical relationship. With their problems worked out, the band launched their promo tour to support the album on New York City's Ellis Island. Sponsored by the rock radio station K-Rock, the event was titled the "Pep Rally". The band performed eight songs from By the Way, as well as tracks from Californication and Blood Sugar Sex Magik in front of 900 contest winners. The New York Post declared the show "one of the top concerts of the year." The location was chosen in order to reinvigorate lower Manhattan after the September 11, 2001 attacks and all proceeds were donated to pertinent charity organizations. Immediately following this, the Chili Peppers embarked on a world tour to support the album. Beginning in Europe, they also played at events such as the Fuji Rock Festival and Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in between. The band eventually culminated their Europe leg of the tour in February 2003, and commenced the United States leg on May 1. The Chili Peppers played at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 3, 2003 to a sold-out crowd and an enthusiastic response from critics. Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times reported that "on Tuesday night, the [Red Hot Chili Peppers] came to Madison Square Garden for an extraordinary two-hour performance...On 'Don't Forget Me', [Flea] strummed chords, while Mr. Frusciante contributed a gorgeous guitar line that bubbled and hissed like some sort of chemical reaction." The US leg ended on June 21; the band took a small hiatus before performing at Slane Castle on August 23, to a crowd of over 80,000. Live at Slane Castle, the result of the concert, would become the Chili Peppers' second live DVD, after Off the Map.

Following several Japanese and Australian performances, the Red Hot Chili Peppers planned three nights at London's Hyde Park. Over 240,000 tickets were sold within hours, with roughly 80,000 people attending each show on June 19, 20 and 25, respectively. It became the highest-grossing concert at a single venue in history, accumulating an estimated $17 million gross revenue. Due to the success of the three shows, the band released their first live album Live in Hyde Park in Europe, Australia, Japan and New Zealand, excluding the United States. Later that year, the Chili Peppers played for the 2004 Democratic National Convention in support of their political beliefs, with Kiedis saying "Do what you gotta do" at the end of the band's set. Finally, they played at the Rock am Ring festival as one of the final performances of the By the Way tour.

In 2006, Flea revealed that he once again considered leaving the band whilst touring in support of the album, stating that "throughout the By the Way tour I would play a show and then go and sit on the end of my bed staring into space." He planned to teach full-time at the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, but ultimately decided to remain within the band. Flea later stated that "the most painful part of quitting, and the thing that stopped me, was the idea of telling Anthony."

Track listing

All tracks written by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Personnel

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Production

Design