Single number two from the By The Way
album, following the success of the title track, itself a Record of the Week in August.
It's a timeless Peppers song, at once hard rocking and restrained. All the usual RHCP motifs are there: the chugging guitar, the speed-rapped verses, the softly-sung choruses. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Yet this is slightly different. Whether it's deliberate or not, the group has gone for a more psychadelic sound, reminiscent of the worst excesses of the early 70s counterculture. Suspicions that it is deliberate centre on the video clip, all tie-die effects and shimmering silhouettes of feminine forms. So far, so tedious.
The lyrics are nothing to write home about, either. If you look at the words, the verse is the usual free-form mumbo-jumbo. Listen to the sound, though, and the percussive nature of the plosives and sibilances stands out. This is an aural tapestry, and it does make some vague form of sense in the English language. Sort of.
The chorus just about draws the lyrics together, with its motions of leaving everything behind on a warm wind, and finding a better place somewhere over the rainbow.
The sum total? It's a very pretty work, and if one can get past the complete lack of lyrical content and appreciate it for its sound, this is a pretty pretty single.
This is a Zeitgeist Record because... it's a break from autumn.
Key moment: When the rap stops, and the chorus begins. Three times
Predominent colours: Green and brown
The album By The Way
is still out.