American Ghost Dance by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Album: Freaky Styley (1985)

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Songfacts®:

This is based on a real "Ghost Dance" that North American Indian tribes used to avoid the white settlers and the religion they forced upon the Native Americans. Anthony Kiedis' mother is partly Apache Indian.
The song is only bass, some various horns, and Anthony Kiedis rapping. You can credit George Clinton, who produced the Freaky Styley album, for facilitating the funk on this track. Clinton later appeared with the band at the 1993 Grammy Awards.
The Chili Peppers' song "Hump De Bump" was originally titled "Ghost Dance." The two songs were recorded 21 years apart but have similar bass parts. >>
Suggestion credit:
Bert - Pueblo, NM

Comments: 4

Biscuit from D.c., United StatesThe Ghost Dance wasn't performed thousands of years ago. It originated in the west by another man, I think in Nevada or that area, in the late 1800's, and was adopted by we, the Lakota and is significant when Wounded Knee occured in 1890.
Louise from Durhama beast of a song! fantasic work. xx especially the very start.
Daniel from Victoria, Canadathanks for the facts champ but this song obviously has more then singing bass and horns you can easily hear drums and guitar in the whole thing it just hitting like palm muted strings and random things in the verse and can be quite easily be heard in the corus
Kevin from Canada, CanadaThe ghost dance was banned by the MAericans and participants in it were massacred. In South Dakota hundreds of women and children and dance participants were slayed for danceing. Its was a movement preached by a leader called The prophet. He claimed dancer who wore a special shirt would be impervious to the soldiers bullets. In spite of thebest attempts by the Americans. Native Americans today dance. It was not lost or forgotten. It went underground for years> The past thirty years have seen the dance culture return. Societies of dancers. Its just as real today as when they were performed by our anscestors thousands of years ago.

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