The Getaway

Album: The Getaway (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This disco-inflected song is the title track of The Red Hot Chili Peppers' The Getaway album. Many of Anthony Kiedis' lyrics for the record were inspired by the end of his two-year romantic relationship with supermodel Helena Vestergaard in late 2014. This cryptically written song appears to be about two lovers with a large age difference who realize they need to split up; Kiedis was 50 and Vestergaard only 19 when they began dating.
  • Kiedis told The Sun about The Getaway's lyric content: "It's about the end of a relationship and heartbreak. I was a mess for the last year of my life. To be so in love with somebody and then have it not work out even though you would have done anything to figure it out. I was definitely shaken and saddened. But I got through it and felt even more turned on by life and playing music and so I had something to write about."

    "Those two years of the relationship turned out to be a very valuable experience and material for singing about. One of my best mates said, 'Dude you got a record out of the deal so don't even sweat about it as she was worth all the aggravation."
  • Anna Waronker, best known for being the singer of 1990s rock band That Dog, provided the backing vocals on the song.
  • The synths were played by The Getaway producer Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton). Danger Mouse has also produced the Black Keys, Gorillaz, U2 and Norah Jones, and is a member of Gnarls Barkley (with Cee Lo Green) and Broken Bells (with James Mercer of the Shins).
  • The Getaway was the first album the Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded without longtime collaborator Rick Rubin for over a quarter of a century. The legendary producer had helmed each of the band's records since 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik.
  • Post Malone joined RHCP when they performed this song at the Grammy Awards in 2019.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Daryl Hall

Daryl HallSongwriter Interviews

Daryl Hall's TV show is a hit, and he's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - only one of these developments excites him.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."

Early Days of MTV

Early Days of MTVFact or Fiction

If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Jules Shear - "All Through The Night"

Jules Shear - "All Through The Night"They're Playing My Song

Shears does very little promotion, which has kept him secluded from the spotlight. What changed when Cyndi Lauper had a hit with his song? Not much, really.

Church Lyrics

Church LyricsMusic Quiz

Here is the church, here is the steeple - see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church.