What Hits!

Background

This album was released on EMI/Capitol records through a deal with Warner Bros. Records. The band had left EMI for Warner in 1991 where they would record their biggest album at the time, 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik. EMI, who owned the rights to the band's first four albums decided to cash in on the band's newfound mainstream success. The two labels however agreed that each label would allow the usage to one song recorded during the Peppers career on each label so each company could produce a greatest hits compilation. EMI chose the band's biggest hit single at the time, "Under the Bridge" for What Hits!? and Warner Bros. chose "Higher Ground", the band's most successful single for EMI for the band's 2003 compilation Greatest Hits.

The title of the compilation is a joke alluding to the relative lack of success achieved by the Red Hot Chili Peppers during their tenure with EMI, highlighting the irony that many of the tracks included on what is supposed to be a 'greatest hits' compilation were generally singles that peaked notably low in the charts, arguably too low to be considered 'hits' (and even in some cases, such as "The Brothers Cup," "Backwoods," and "Johnny, Kick a Hole in the Sky", were never released as singles at all with the latter song never even being performed live). Most of the material released on this album were songs taken from Freaky Styley (1985) and Mother's Milk (1989). In 1987, the band pleaded with the label to release "Behind the Sun" as a single however EMI deemed the song not worthy enough however thanks to the band's mainstream success in 1991/1992, the label now felt it was time to cash in and release the more melodic sounding song as a single.

In 2013, after EMI was absorbed by the Universal Music Group, What Hits!? saw a re-release as part of UMG's Icon compilation series.

Track listing

1. "Higher Ground" (Stevie Wonder) – 3:21
2. From the 1989 album Mother's Milk
3. "Fight Like a Brave" – 3:47
4. From the 1987 album The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
5. "Behind the Sun" – 4:45
6. From the 1987 album The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
7. "Me & My Friends" – 3:05
8. From the 1987 album The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
9. "Backwoods" – 3:06
10. From the 1987 album The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
11. "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes" – 3:36
12. From the 1984 album The Red Hot Chili Peppers
13. "Fire" (Jimi Hendrix) – 2:01
14. From the 1987 single "Fight Like a Brave", 1988 EP The Abbey Road E.P. and 1989 album Mother's Milk
15. "Get Up and Jump" – 2:50
16. From the 1984 album The Red Hot Chili Peppers
17. "Knock Me Down" – 3:43
18. From the 1989 album Mother's Milk
19. "Under the Bridge" – 4:24
20. From the 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik
21. "Show Me Your Soul" – 4:22
22. From the 1990 motion picture soundtrack Pretty Woman and the 1990 versions of singles "Taste The Pain" and "Knock Me Down"
23. "If You Want Me to Stay" (Sly and the Family Stone) – 4:06
24. From the 1985 album Freaky Styley
25. "Hollywood (Africa)" (The Meters) – 4:58
26. From the 1985 album Freaky Styley.
27. Listed as simply "Hollywood" on packaging
28. "Jungle Man" – 4:04
29. From the 1985 album Freaky Styley
30. "The Brothers Cup" – 3:24
31. From the 1985 album Freaky Styley
32. "Taste the Pain" – 4:34
33. From the 1989 album Mother's Milk
34. "Catholic School Girls Rule" – 1:55
35. From the 1985 album Freaky Styley
36. "Johnny, Kick a Hole in the Sky" – 5:10
37. From the 1989 album Mother's Milk

Video

A VHS and later, DVD version of What Hits!? was also released. The video collection supersedes the 1990 video collection Positive Mental Octopus. A music video for the single "Behind the Sun" was created for this video collection and received airplay at the time on MTV. The video, which was made without the band's involvement, reuses footage from the band's "Higher Ground" music video along with newly added animation.

What Hits!? contains the following music videos:

1. "Behind the Sun"
2. "Under the Bridge"
3. "Show Me Your Soul"
4. "Taste the Pain"
5. "Higher Ground"
6. "Knock Me Down"
7. "Fight Like a Brave"
8. "Jungle Man"
9. "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes"
10. "Catholic School Girls Rule"
11. "Fire (live)"
12. "Stone Cold Bush" (live)
13. "Special Secret Song Inside" (live)
14. "Subway to Venus" (live)

What Promo Hits!?

Prior to the album's release, EMI released a very rare five-song CD sampler titled What Promo Hits!?. The sampler was released to radio stations and not for public sale.

1. "Higher Ground"
2. "If You Want Me to Stay"
3. "Under the Bridge"
4. "Taste the Pain"
5. "Behind the Sun"

Personnel