By The Way

Album: By The Way (2002)
Charted: 2 34
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Songfacts®:

  • Much of the lyrics are simply fun wordplay by lead singer Anthony Kiedis, but it does talk about a girl named "Dani," who was the "Teenage bride with the baby inside" on the Red Hot Chili Peppers 1999 song "Californication," and also appears in their 2006 song "Dani California." Kiedis says that "Dani" is a representation of every girl that he's come across in his life.
  • "Waiting 4," an electro-house track by Peter Gelderblom, became one of the most popular songs in clubs worldwide during 2007 and peaked at #29 in the UK singles chart. It was based heavily around a sample from "By The Way," and The Red Hot Chili Peppers enthusiastically approved its release despite their usual hardline stance on the use of their music in samples.
  • This song did very well in the UK, where the group's funkier fare is embraced. Along with "Dani California," it's one of their two song to reach #2 on the UK chart, the highest they've gotten. In America, their biggest hit is the ballad "Under the Bridge."
  • The music video has nothing to do with the lyrics, telling a different story instead. In it, Anthony Kiedis climbs into a taxi, and when the driver realizes who he is, he starts to drive out of control and goes under a bridge. Anthony calls Flea and John for help, and they come and rescue him. At the end, Chad climbs into that same taxi, much to the delight of the driver.

    The team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris directed the clip. They've done several other RHCP videos, including "The Zephyr Song" and "Tell Me Baby."
  • The taxi driver in the video is played by comic actor Dave Sheridan, reprising his character of Doug Wilson from Ghost World. "We got to do our own stunts and hang out with comic genius David Sheridan," Kiedis recalled to Louder. "He never broke character for the four days that we were shooting, and he never ran out of dialogue that wasn't side-splitting."

    Kiedis wanted Jim Carrey to be in the video, but Valerie Faris told him she knew someone better. "I was like, 'Better than Jim Carrey?'" Kiedis recalled. "Are you sure? But he ended up being the best choice we could have made."

    Sheridan repeated his cabbie role in the Chili Peppers video for "Universally Speaking."

Comments: 8

  • Andy Burton from Leeds, EnglandThere's a whole bunch of "mondegreens" (misheard lyrics) in this song: "Dani the girl"/"Canada girl", "Beneath the marquee, overload"/"Beneath the marquee, over-sold", "Song bird, main line"/"Salford, England" (that's a whole urban myth on its own!), "I'm about to bowl one"/"I'm about to blow one", "Ooh ahh, guess you never meant it"/"Ooh ahh, kiss ya then I miss ya"...
  • Lydia Mcgowan from Monkstown Co. Dublin IrelandOne of my first Red Hot Chili Peppers songs.
  • Debbie from Saddle Brook, NjCan you believe I actually sung this in Karaoke a couple of times. Needed a few drinks but I pulled it off with a friend. Even went deep voiced Kiss that Dyke line where he does it...lol
  • Megan from Stevenson, AlI love this song! His voice is so good!
  • Ret from Bristol, United KingdomA good memory song from Summer 2002. Hope you're happy now
  • Austin from Smallsville,new England, --The music video shows Anthony getting into a cab where he is then kidnapped. Later Flea and John save him. At the end of the video their drummer chad gets into the same cab.
  • Mark from Worcester, MiI also heard this song described as the old Chili Peppers bumping into the new Chili Peppers, which made sense.
  • Mark from Worcester, Miwhat a fun song! I'm one of those who thinks the band lyrics are frequently just gibberish...goob goob type stuff. Some people get offended at the very thought. This is a great song to debate the issue. I'll toss out a couple of lines to get started. Everybody ready? Lets go: "Kiss that dyke, I know you want to hold one.
    Not on strike, but I'm about to bowl one." What are they expressing here? Something to move funky too? Maybe. No wait. It's a drug reference for sure. He was doing drugs and trying to kiss the dyke and the feeling was great...like bowling a strike. It's not something I know. It's something I feel deep. heh
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