Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Encyclopedia
Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the fifth studio album by American rock
band Red Hot Chili Peppers
, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Rick Rubin
, it was the band's first record released on Warner Bros. Records
. The musical styles of Blood Sugar Sex Magik differed notably from the techniques employed on the Chili Peppers' preceding album, Mother's Milk
, and featured little use of heavy metal
guitar riffs. The album's subject matter incorporated sexual innuendos and references to drugs and death as well as themes of lust and exuberance.
Peaking at number three on the Billboard 200
, the album has sold over 15 million copies worldwide and was the Red Hot Chili Peppers' introduction into worldwide popularity and critical acclaim. Blood Sugar Sex Magik produced an array of hit singles including the hugely successful "Under the Bridge
", "Give It Away", "Suck My Kiss
", "Breaking the Girl
" and "If You Have to Ask
". Guitarist John Frusciante
quit the band mid-tour in 1992 (until returning in 1998) due to his inability to cope with the album's popularity. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is recognized as an influential and seminal component of the alternative rock explosion in the early 1990s.
died of a heroin overdose. Drummer Jack Irons
subsequently quit, leaving vocalist Anthony Kiedis
and bassist Flea
to search for a new guitarist and drummer. As an avid fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Frusciante
expressed interest in joining the band, but former P-Funk
guitarist DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight had already been chosen to fill Slovak's place. When the chemistry between McKnight and the rest of the band was determined to be nonexistent, he was fired. During that time, Frusciante was about to become a part of Thelonious Monster
, a punk rock
band formed by Bob Forrest
; however, he was asked by Flea to join the Chili Peppers and accepted instantly. Drummer Chad Smith
joined the band two weeks prior to pre-production of Mother's Milk, following successful open-auditions. Mother's Milk would become the band's second album to enter in the Billboard 200
, peaking at number 52. Although the record was mildly successful, production was weighed down by producer Michael Beinhorn
. He convinced Frusciante to play with an overall heavier tone, and instructed Kiedis to write lyrics that would be more radio viable, thus causing the band to feel restricted creatively.
As the Chili Peppers' contract with EMI
came to an end, they began looking for a new record company to release their next album. The group reached a consensus to go with Sony BMG/Epic, with the proviso that they buy out their last album from EMI. Even though the label promised it would take only a few days, the process stretched out into several months. Although a deal had been made with Sony/Epic, Mo Ostin
of Warner Bros. Records
called Kiedis to congratulate him on the successful deal, and complimented the rival record label. Kiedis recalled of the situation: "The coolest, most real person we had met during all these negotiations had just personally called to encourage me to make a great record for a rival company. That was the kind of guy I'd want to be working for." Kiedis pursued the idea, and eventually dropped the contract with Sony in favor of a deal with Warner Bros. Ostin called an old friend at EMI, who immediately allowed for the label transfer.
, stood out, as he was more broadminded in contrast to individuals they had worked with in the past. Eventually, the band decided that he would be the best choice as a producer, and therefore hired him to produce what would become Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Unlike the Peppers' previous producers, Rubin was someone that they felt confident to ask for guidance and input during times of difficulty. He would often help arrange drum beats, guitar melodies and lyrics.
The band sought to record the album in an unconventional setting, believing it would enhance their creative output. Rubin suggested the mansion magician Harry Houdini
once lived in, to which they agreed. A crew was hired to set up a recording studio and other equipment required for production in the house. The band decided that they would remain inside the mansion for the duration of recording, though Smith, convinced the location was haunted, refused to stay. He would, instead, come each day by motorcycle
. Frusciante agreed with Smith, and said "There are definitely ghosts in the house," but unlike Smith, Frusciante felt they were "very friendly. We [the band] have nothing but warm vibes and happiness everywhere we go in this house."
Frusciante, Kiedis, and Flea each had their own separate rooms at each end of the house. When not recording with the band, Frusciante would spend his time painting, listening to music, reading and recording songs he'd written. Due to the seclusion, Kiedis ended up recording all his vocals in his room, as it was large enough to accommodate the recording equipment. For over thirty days, the Chili Peppers worked inside the house; Kiedis felt it was an accommodating and resourceful environment which allowed him to complete the rest of the lyrics. During production, the band agreed to let Flea's brother-in-law document the creative process on film. When the album's recording was complete, the Chili Peppers released the film, titled Funky Monks
.
Kiedis focused lyrically on sexual references and innuendos as they were frequently on his mind. Songs such as "Suck My Kiss," "If You Have to Ask," "Sir Psycho Sexy," "Give It Away" and "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" all contained various sexual links, with lyrics like "A state of sexual light / Kissing her virginity / My affinity" and "Glorious euphoria / Is my must / Erotic shock / Is a function of lust."
The concept behind "The Greeting Song" was a request by Rubin, who asked Kiedis to write a song solely about girls and cars. Although Kiedis disliked the concept, he wrote the song as Rubin requested and ended up hating nearly every aspect of the lyrics. Kiedis also began to write about anguish, and the self mutilating thoughts he would experience as a result of his heroin and cocaine
addiction; he believed his life had come to its lowest point under a bridge in downtown Los Angeles
. Over a month later, Rubin stumbled upon a poem that would become the lyrics to "Under the Bridge", and suggested Kiedis show it to the rest of the band. Kiedis was, however, apprehensive because he believed the lyrics to be "too soft" and unlike the band's style. After singing the verse to Frusciante, they began structuring the song the next day. The two worked for several hours arranging chords and melodies until they both agreed it was complete. Frusciante ultimately chose the chords he played in the intro to balance out the depressing atmosphere of the song: "my brain interpreted it as being a really sad song so I thought if the lyrics are really sad like that I should write some chords that are happier."
Blood Sugar Sex Magik integrated the band's typical punk and funk style, but moved away from this with more melodically driven songs. Tracks like "The Righteous and the Wicked," "Suck My Kiss," "Blood Sugar Sex Magik," "Give it Away" and "Funky Monks" still incorporated use of heavy metal guitar riffs, but differed from Mother's Milk in that they contained less distortion
. Flea, who had centered his bass playing around the slapping
technique, downplayed on this in favor of more traditional and melodic bass lines. He also adopted a minimalist, "less is more" philosophy: "I was trying to play simply on Blood Sugar Sex Magik because I had been playing too much prior to that, so I thought, 'I've really got to chill out and play half as many notes'. When you play less, it's more exciting—there's more room for everything. If I do play something busy, it stands out, instead of the bass being a constant onslaught of notes. Space is good." Kiedis felt that the album would expand the Chili Peppers' musical horizons, and that it was a departure from their previous material. One of Blood Sugar Sex Magik' s more melodic tracks, "Breaking the Girl," was written about Kiedis' constantly shifting relationships. He feared that he was following in his father's footsteps and simply becoming a womanizer, rather than establishing stable and long-term relationships: "...As exciting and temporarily fulfilling as this constant influx of interesting and beautiful girls can be, at the end of the day, that shit is lonely and you're left with nothing." The track also featured a bridge in the middle, consisting of percussion instruments salvaged from a garbage dump.
Although jams
had always been an integral aspect of song creation for the Chili Peppers, Blood Sugar Sex Magik saw songs being created with more structure. One specific jam would lead to the breakout song on the album: Frusciante, Flea and Smith were all playing together—with Kiedis at another part of the room watching—when "...Flea started playing this insane bass line, and Chad cracked up and played along...I always had fragments of song ideas or even specific isolated phrases in my mind. I (Kiedis) took the mic and belted out 'Give it away, give it away, give it away, give it away now." The philosophy behind the lyrics originated from a conversation Kiedis had with Nina Hagen
, regarding selflessness and how insignificant material possessions were in his life. It, thus, gave birth to the song "Give It Away." He'd also been reminiscing about late Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak, composing "My Lovely Man" in his tribute. Kiedis wrote "Sir Psycho Sexy" to be an over-zealous and overly exaggerated version of himself; a figure that could get any woman, and do anything he pleased to them. "The Power of Equality" confronted topics concerning racial equality
, prejudice
and sexism
. Kiedis wrote "I Could Have Lied" to document the brief relationship he had with Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor
.
All photography, paintings and art direction for Blood Sugar Sex Magik were credited to filmmaker Gus Van Sant
. The cover of the album features the four band members' faces positioned around a rose
. The lyrics are printed in white lettering across a black background, hand written by Kiedis. The booklet also contains a collage of photos assembled to showcase the band members' various tattoos, which feature faces of Native American tribal leaders, animals and sea creatures, as well as various symbols and phrases. Photographs of each band member alone, and two photographs of the band as a whole are also included.
Singles released to coincide with the album share little with Blood Sugar' s artwork. The cover of "Give It Away" was a painting of a Chinese infant, surrounded by fish, vegetables, fruits and sushi
; "Under the Bridge" is a photograph of a bridge in the city of Los Angeles
; "Suck My Kiss" had a black and white photograph of the band, with Kiedis and Flea holding a large fish; and "Breaking the Girl" featured a painting of a human being covered in magma.
just over two months later on November 26, 1991, and certified platinum on April 1, 1992; since then it has gone seven times multi-platinum in the United States. The album peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200
. Originally, "Give it Away" did not fare well in the mainstream; several of Warner Bros.' target radio stations refused to air it, telling the band to "come back to us when you have a melody in your song." KROQ
(of Los Angeles
), however, began to play the single several times daily, and that, according to Kiedis, "was the beginning of the infusion of 'Give It Away' into mass consciousness." The single ultimately peaked at number 9 on the UK Top 40 and number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100
. Blood Sugar Sex Magik has sold thirteen million copies worldwide.
Due to the success of "Give it Away," the band did not foresee "Under the Bridge" as being equally viable. Warner Bros. sent representatives to a Chili Peppers' concert in order to figure out what would ultimately be the next single. When Frusciante began playing "Under the Bridge", Kiedis missed his cue; the entire audience began singing the song, instead. Kiedis was initially "mortified that I had fucked up in front of Warner's people...I apologized for fucking up but they said 'Fucking up? Are you kidding me? When every single kid at the show sings a song, that's our next single.'" "Under the Bridge" was, therefore, selected as Blood Sugar Sex Magik' s second single. By January 1992, "Under the Bridge" had exploded, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
To promote the album in Europe, Kiedis and Frusciante both agreed they would make the trip. However, it proved difficult for Frusciante to adapt to life outside of the mansion, after being in near-seclusion for almost 30 days. Kiedis recalled of the situation: "He had such an outpouring of creativity while we were making that album that I think he really didn't know how to live life in tandem with that creativity." It was also during this period when Frusciante began to experiment with heroin, which further compromised his mental stability. The European promotional trek took its toll on Frusciante, and he decided to return home when he and Kiedis reached London
.
guitar riffs as their previous album had. Rolling Stone
s Tom Moon credited Rick Rubin for the change in style; Rubin "[gave] the Chilis' dynamic." He went on to praise the overall sound, which "displayed a growing curiosity about studio texture and nuance." Steve Huey of Allmusic said the album was "The Red Hot Chili Peppers' best album...John Frusciante's guitar is less overpoweringly noisy, leaving room for differing textures and clearer lines, while the band overall is more focused and less indulgent." He considered Blood Sugar to be "varying... it expands the group's musical and emotional range." Guitar Player
magazine credited Frusciante with the Chili Peppers' drastic change in style: "by blending acid-rock, soul-funk, early art-rock, and blues style with a raw, unprocessed Strat-and-Marshall tone, [Frusciante] hit on an explosive formula that has yet to be duplicated." Devon Powters of PopMatters
said that "in one funked-out, fucked up, diabolical swoop, Blood Sugar Sex Magik reconfigured my relationship to music, to myself, to my culture and identity, to my race and class." In an article published in The Tampa Tribune
, editor Philip Booth praised the record as "an ambitious effort that amounts to a culmination and blossoming of the musical forces that have been brewing in the band's sound since Kiedis and Flea birthed the band in 1983." Music critic Robert Christgau
gave the album a two star honorable mention. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is considered to be an influential album, throughout the nineties, by establishing itself as a fundamental foundation for alternative rock.
"Under the Bridge," which became a breakout song for the band, was considered to be a highlight of the album by several critics. Allmusic reviewed the song individually and called it a "...poignant sentiment...it is self evident among the simple guitar which cradles the introductory verse, and the sense of fragility that is only doubled by the still down-tempo choral crescendo", and ultimately "has become an integral part of the 1990s alterna-landscape, and remains one of the purest diamonds that sparkle amongst the rough-hewn and rich funk chasms that dominate the Peppers' own oeuvre." However, Entertainment Weekly
criticized the seriousness that the Red Hot Chili Peppers explored as being "disapproving of the band's usual Red Hot antics", and "Under the Bridge" had "fancy-shmancy touches". The song ended up peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100
in April 1992. "Give It Away" was also praised, though as "...a free-associative mixture of positive vibes, tributes to musical heroes, and free love", with Frusciante "...adding the song's two most unpredictable change-ups: a sudden contrast to Kiedis' hyperactivity in the form of a languid solo pre-recorded and dubbed backwards over the rhythm track, and a hard-rocking riff which is not introduced until the song's outro..." Tracks such as "Sir Psycho Sexy", however, were criticized for being overly explicit. Devon Powters of Pop Matters said that "Eight minutes of 'Sir Psycho Sexy' will turn RHCP's young listeners into quivering masses of hormonal jello. Oversexed lines sneak their way into 'Apache Rose Peacock'; 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik', simply, sounds like fucking. Even the purest virgin comes away from Blood Sugar Sex Magik with a degree of sexual maturity; even the slickest playa can learn a couple of new moves." In contrast, "Suck My Kiss", according to Amy Hanson of Allmusic, "completely flew in the face of the established pecking order of alternative rock." With the song, the Chili Peppers "fully allied themselves with the very few genre-bending bands that were able to make a radical impact on the sonic landscape that was dominated, it seemed, from every minute angle by grunge."
Years later, Blood Sugar was placed atop many "Best Of" lists, especially those pertaining to the '90s. Spin
magazine charted the album at number 58 on their "Top 90 Albums of the 90s", and number 11 on a similar list compiled by Pause & Play. The record was placed in slapnpop Magazine "101 Essential Guitar Albums"; and included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
. Blood Sugar Sex Magik also ranked number 310 on Rolling Stone
' s the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" and number 14 on the "100 Best Albums of the Nineties".
Twenty years later, many of the songs remain constant staples in the band's setlists. "Give it Away" and Under the Bridge" have been performed at almost every show making them two of the band's most performed songs. On the band's 2006 Stadium Arcadium tour
, the band decided to give the two hits a break. This decision was often met with mixed reaction from the auidence due to the two songs popularity. To date, "Mellowship Slinky in B Major", "The Righteous & the Wicked" have never been performed live while "Apache Rose Peacock", and "The Greeting Song" have been partially performed. "Naked in the Rain" has only been peformed once in 1990 prior to the album's recording. "Soul to Squeeze", an outtake and eventual b'side and single remains one of the band's most popular songs and has been performed often since it's 1999 live debut.
Positions on the DigitalDreamDoor.com lists
Before the Blood Sugar Sex Magik Tour
began, Kiedis saw the music video for The Smashing Pumpkins
' "Rhinoceros
" on MTV. He then called the band's manager and asked him to accommodate The Smashing Pumpkins for the tour. Several days after the Pumpkins confirmed they would accompany the Chili Peppers, former Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons called and asked the band to allow his friend's new group, Pearl Jam
, to open for them on the forthcoming tour. The first show following the release of Blood Sugar Sex Magik was at the Oscar Meyer Theater in Madison, Wisconsin, which was met with positive reactions from the Milwaukee Journal: "the audience was a swirling mass of airborne cups, ice cubes, shoes, shirts, pogo dancers, body-passers and stage divers. And it wasn't purely a boy's club in the moshpit—many females bought into the mayhem, stripping down to their bras and flinging themselves about madly as the band tore through 'Higher Ground', 'Suck My Kiss', and 'Give it Away', which was Goth-ed up by Frusciante when he added a riff from Black Sabbath
's 'Sweet Leaf
'."
Blood Sugar Sex Magik began receiving heavy radio play and massive sales in the middle of their U.S. tour. Frusciante, who preferred the Chili Peppers to remain in the underground music scene, entered a state of denial and depression because of this. According to Kiedis, "He began to lose all of the manic, happy-go-lucky, fun aspects of his personality. Even onstage, there was a much more serious energy around him." Frusciante was slowly slipping away from the band altogether, and began to form grudges against his fellow band mates. He saw the band's newfound popularity as shameful.
Onstage tension began to grow between Kiedis and Frusciante. Kiedis recalled an argument after a show in New Orleans: "We had a sold-out house and John just stood in the corner, barely playing his guitar. We came offstage and John and I got into it." With the Peppers now playing shows at arenas rather than theaters, the promoters of the tour decided that Pearl Jam should be replaced with a more successful act. Kiedis contacted Nirvana
drummer Dave Grohl
, and asked him if Nirvana would replace Pearl Jam on the tour—an offer Grohl accepted. The Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan
, however, refused to play with Nirvana as he once dated frontman Kurt Cobain
's wife Courtney Love
. The Pumpkins were, therefore, taken off the concert bill and replaced with Pearl Jam. Their first show with Nirvana was at the L.A Sports Arena. Kiedis considered their act to be "raw energy; their musicality, their song selection, they were like a chain saw cutting through the night." When the Red Hot Chili Peppers finished touring with Nirvana, they traveled to Europe, where Frusciante, in need of someone to connect to, brought along his girlfriend Toni Oswald. Kiedis said that "John had broken our unwritten rule of no spouses or girlfriends on the road." Briefly interrupting the European-tour, the Chili Peppers flew to New York City
and performed on an episode of Saturday Night Live
. The band played "Under the Bridge" as the second number; a performance that Kiedis felt was sabotaged by Frusciante:
The band took a two-week hiatus between the European and Japanese legs of the tour, which began in May 1992. Minutes before the Chili Peppers were scheduled to perform in Tokyo, Frusciante refused to go on stage, claiming he quit the band. After half an hour of coaxing, Frusciante agreed to play the show, though he asserted it would be his last. Kiedis recalled of the situation: "It was the most horrible show ever. Every single note, every single word, hurt, knowing that we were no longer a band. I kept looking over at John and seeing this dead statue of disdain...And that night, John disappeared from the topsy-turvy world of the Red Hot Chili Peppers." The band hired guitarist Arik Marshall
to complete the rest of the tour, which included Lollapolooza and several European festivals. Marshall, however, was fired at the end of the tour.
Additional musicians
Recording personnel
Additional personnel
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
, it was the band's first record released on Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. The musical styles of Blood Sugar Sex Magik differed notably from the techniques employed on the Chili Peppers' preceding album, Mother's Milk
Mother's Milk
Mother's Milk is the fourth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on August 16, 1989, on EMI America Records. It was the first album to feature the band's most well-known lineup...
, and featured little use of heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
guitar riffs. The album's subject matter incorporated sexual innuendos and references to drugs and death as well as themes of lust and exuberance.
Peaking at number three on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, the album has sold over 15 million copies worldwide and was the Red Hot Chili Peppers' introduction into worldwide popularity and critical acclaim. Blood Sugar Sex Magik produced an array of hit singles including the hugely successful "Under the Bridge
Under the Bridge
"Under the Bridge" is a song by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on March 10, 1992 as the second single from the group's fifth studio album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Vocalist Anthony Kiedis wrote the lyrics to express a feeling of loneliness and despondency, and to reflect on...
", "Give It Away", "Suck My Kiss
Suck My Kiss
"Suck My Kiss" is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was released as the third single from their fifth studio album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The "Suck My Kiss" single was released in 1992 in Australia only; a music video was made for the song using footage from the Funky Monks documentary...
", "Breaking the Girl
Breaking the Girl
"Breaking the Girl" is a song by the American funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers that was released in 1992 as the fourth single from their studio album Blood Sugar Sex Magik. It is a melodic ballad that refers to a turbulent relationship between frontman Anthony Kiedis and his former girlfriend,...
" and "If You Have to Ask
If You Have to Ask
"If You Have to Ask" is a song by the American funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released as the fifth and final single from their fifth studio album Blood Sugar Sex Magik in 1993. A music video was made, but merely consists of live footage of the band from their 1992/1993 tour overdubbed with...
". Guitarist John Frusciante
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
quit the band mid-tour in 1992 (until returning in 1998) due to his inability to cope with the album's popularity. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is recognized as an influential and seminal component of the alternative rock explosion in the early 1990s.
Background
In 1988, the band's guitarist Hillel SlovakHillel Slovak
Hillel Slovak was an Israeli-American musician best known as the original guitarist and founding member of the Los Angeles rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
died of a heroin overdose. Drummer Jack Irons
Jack Irons
Jack Steven Irons is an American musician who is best known as the original drummer of the American rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as the former drummer for Eleven and Pearl Jam. He has also worked with Joe Strummer and The Latino Rockabilly War, Redd Kross, Raging Slab, Spinnerette...
subsequently quit, leaving vocalist Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...
and bassist Flea
Flea (musician)
Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
to search for a new guitarist and drummer. As an avid fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Frusciante
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
expressed interest in joining the band, but former P-Funk
P-Funk
P-Funk is a shorthand term for the repertoire and performers associated with George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective and the distinctive style of funk music they performed...
guitarist DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight had already been chosen to fill Slovak's place. When the chemistry between McKnight and the rest of the band was determined to be nonexistent, he was fired. During that time, Frusciante was about to become a part of Thelonious Monster
Thelonious Monster
Thelonious Monster is a post-punk rock band from Los Angeles, led by singer-songwriter Bob Forrest. Active from 1983 to 1994, and again since 2004, the band has released five original studio albums...
, a punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band formed by Bob Forrest
Bob Forrest
Bob Forrest is the lead vocalist and lyricist for Los Angeles bands Thelonious Monster and The Bicycle Thief. In September 2006 he released his first solo album, Modern Folk And Blues Wednesday. He is also a drug counselor, appearing alongside Dr...
; however, he was asked by Flea to join the Chili Peppers and accepted instantly. Drummer Chad Smith
Chad Smith
Chad Smith is an American musician, best known as the longtime and current drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith is also the drummer of the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot which includes Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Michael Anthony, former Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes' backing band and...
joined the band two weeks prior to pre-production of Mother's Milk, following successful open-auditions. Mother's Milk would become the band's second album to enter in the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, peaking at number 52. Although the record was mildly successful, production was weighed down by producer Michael Beinhorn
Michael Beinhorn
Michael Beinhorn is an American musician and record producer.Beinhorn started his professional career as a musician, playing keyboards in Bill Laswell's Material during the 1980s...
. He convinced Frusciante to play with an overall heavier tone, and instructed Kiedis to write lyrics that would be more radio viable, thus causing the band to feel restricted creatively.
As the Chili Peppers' contract with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
came to an end, they began looking for a new record company to release their next album. The group reached a consensus to go with Sony BMG/Epic, with the proviso that they buy out their last album from EMI. Even though the label promised it would take only a few days, the process stretched out into several months. Although a deal had been made with Sony/Epic, Mo Ostin
Mo Ostin
Mo Ostin is a record executive who has worked for several companies, including Verve, Reprise Records, Warner Bros. Records, and DreamWorks. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 by Paul Simon, Neil Young, and Lorne Michaels...
of Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
called Kiedis to congratulate him on the successful deal, and complimented the rival record label. Kiedis recalled of the situation: "The coolest, most real person we had met during all these negotiations had just personally called to encourage me to make a great record for a rival company. That was the kind of guy I'd want to be working for." Kiedis pursued the idea, and eventually dropped the contract with Sony in favor of a deal with Warner Bros. Ostin called an old friend at EMI, who immediately allowed for the label transfer.
Recording and production
Now settled into Warner Bros. Records, the Chili Peppers began looking for a suitable producer. One person in particular, Rick RubinRick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
, stood out, as he was more broadminded in contrast to individuals they had worked with in the past. Eventually, the band decided that he would be the best choice as a producer, and therefore hired him to produce what would become Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Unlike the Peppers' previous producers, Rubin was someone that they felt confident to ask for guidance and input during times of difficulty. He would often help arrange drum beats, guitar melodies and lyrics.
The band sought to record the album in an unconventional setting, believing it would enhance their creative output. Rubin suggested the mansion magician Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...
once lived in, to which they agreed. A crew was hired to set up a recording studio and other equipment required for production in the house. The band decided that they would remain inside the mansion for the duration of recording, though Smith, convinced the location was haunted, refused to stay. He would, instead, come each day by motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
. Frusciante agreed with Smith, and said "There are definitely ghosts in the house," but unlike Smith, Frusciante felt they were "very friendly. We [the band] have nothing but warm vibes and happiness everywhere we go in this house."
Frusciante, Kiedis, and Flea each had their own separate rooms at each end of the house. When not recording with the band, Frusciante would spend his time painting, listening to music, reading and recording songs he'd written. Due to the seclusion, Kiedis ended up recording all his vocals in his room, as it was large enough to accommodate the recording equipment. For over thirty days, the Chili Peppers worked inside the house; Kiedis felt it was an accommodating and resourceful environment which allowed him to complete the rest of the lyrics. During production, the band agreed to let Flea's brother-in-law document the creative process on film. When the album's recording was complete, the Chili Peppers released the film, titled Funky Monks
Funky Monks
Funky Monks is the title of a 1992 documentary about the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and the recording of their highly successful 1991 Warner Bros. debut Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The album was produced by Rick Rubin and recorded in The Mansion, a supposedly haunted house which Rubin now owns...
.
Music
Blood Sugar Sex Magik was written at a more rapid pace than the band's previous album. Prior to the Chili Peppers relocation into the mansion, Frusciante and Kiedis collaborated together at each other's homes, in order to arrange song structures and guitar riffs. They would then present ideas to Flea and Smith, and the band would, as a whole, decide what they would use for the bass, guitar, vocal and percussion ensembles.Kiedis focused lyrically on sexual references and innuendos as they were frequently on his mind. Songs such as "Suck My Kiss," "If You Have to Ask," "Sir Psycho Sexy," "Give It Away" and "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" all contained various sexual links, with lyrics like "A state of sexual light / Kissing her virginity / My affinity" and "Glorious euphoria / Is my must / Erotic shock / Is a function of lust."
The concept behind "The Greeting Song" was a request by Rubin, who asked Kiedis to write a song solely about girls and cars. Although Kiedis disliked the concept, he wrote the song as Rubin requested and ended up hating nearly every aspect of the lyrics. Kiedis also began to write about anguish, and the self mutilating thoughts he would experience as a result of his heroin and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
addiction; he believed his life had come to its lowest point under a bridge in downtown Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Over a month later, Rubin stumbled upon a poem that would become the lyrics to "Under the Bridge", and suggested Kiedis show it to the rest of the band. Kiedis was, however, apprehensive because he believed the lyrics to be "too soft" and unlike the band's style. After singing the verse to Frusciante, they began structuring the song the next day. The two worked for several hours arranging chords and melodies until they both agreed it was complete. Frusciante ultimately chose the chords he played in the intro to balance out the depressing atmosphere of the song: "my brain interpreted it as being a really sad song so I thought if the lyrics are really sad like that I should write some chords that are happier."
Blood Sugar Sex Magik integrated the band's typical punk and funk style, but moved away from this with more melodically driven songs. Tracks like "The Righteous and the Wicked," "Suck My Kiss," "Blood Sugar Sex Magik," "Give it Away" and "Funky Monks" still incorporated use of heavy metal guitar riffs, but differed from Mother's Milk in that they contained less distortion
Distortion
A distortion is the alteration of the original shape of an object, image, sound, waveform or other form of information or representation. Distortion is usually unwanted, and often many methods are employed to minimize it in practice...
. Flea, who had centered his bass playing around the slapping
Slapping
In music, the term slapping is often used to refer to two different playing techniques used on the double bass and on the bass guitar.-Double bass:...
technique, downplayed on this in favor of more traditional and melodic bass lines. He also adopted a minimalist, "less is more" philosophy: "I was trying to play simply on Blood Sugar Sex Magik because I had been playing too much prior to that, so I thought, 'I've really got to chill out and play half as many notes'. When you play less, it's more exciting—there's more room for everything. If I do play something busy, it stands out, instead of the bass being a constant onslaught of notes. Space is good." Kiedis felt that the album would expand the Chili Peppers' musical horizons, and that it was a departure from their previous material. One of Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Although jams
Jam Sessions
Jam Sessions is a guitar simulation software title and music game for the Nintendo DS based on the Japan-only title Sing & Play DS Guitar M-06 originally developed by Plato. It was brought to North America and Europe, courtesy of Ubisoft...
had always been an integral aspect of song creation for the Chili Peppers, Blood Sugar Sex Magik saw songs being created with more structure. One specific jam would lead to the breakout song on the album: Frusciante, Flea and Smith were all playing together—with Kiedis at another part of the room watching—when "...Flea started playing this insane bass line, and Chad cracked up and played along...I always had fragments of song ideas or even specific isolated phrases in my mind. I (Kiedis) took the mic and belted out 'Give it away, give it away, give it away, give it away now." The philosophy behind the lyrics originated from a conversation Kiedis had with Nina Hagen
Nina Hagen
Nina Hagen is a German singer and actress.-Early years:Hagen was born as Catharina Hagen in the former East Berlin, East Germany, the daughter of Hans Hagen , a scriptwriter, and Eva-Maria Hagen, an actress and singer...
, regarding selflessness and how insignificant material possessions were in his life. It, thus, gave birth to the song "Give It Away." He'd also been reminiscing about late Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak, composing "My Lovely Man" in his tribute. Kiedis wrote "Sir Psycho Sexy" to be an over-zealous and overly exaggerated version of himself; a figure that could get any woman, and do anything he pleased to them. "The Power of Equality" confronted topics concerning racial equality
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
, prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
and sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
. Kiedis wrote "I Could Have Lied" to document the brief relationship he had with Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
.
Artwork
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
. The cover of the album features the four band members' faces positioned around a rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
. The lyrics are printed in white lettering across a black background, hand written by Kiedis. The booklet also contains a collage of photos assembled to showcase the band members' various tattoos, which feature faces of Native American tribal leaders, animals and sea creatures, as well as various symbols and phrases. Photographs of each band member alone, and two photographs of the band as a whole are also included.
Singles released to coincide with the album share little with Blood Sugar
Sushi
is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
; "Under the Bridge" is a photograph of a bridge in the city of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
; "Suck My Kiss" had a black and white photograph of the band, with Kiedis and Flea holding a large fish; and "Breaking the Girl" featured a painting of a human being covered in magma.
Promotion and release
Blood Sugar Sex Magik was released on September 24, 1991. It was certified goldRIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
just over two months later on November 26, 1991, and certified platinum on April 1, 1992; since then it has gone seven times multi-platinum in the United States. The album peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Originally, "Give it Away" did not fare well in the mainstream; several of Warner Bros.' target radio stations refused to air it, telling the band to "come back to us when you have a melody in your song." KROQ
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
(of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
), however, began to play the single several times daily, and that, according to Kiedis, "was the beginning of the infusion of 'Give It Away' into mass consciousness." The single ultimately peaked at number 9 on the UK Top 40 and number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Blood Sugar Sex Magik has sold thirteen million copies worldwide.
Due to the success of "Give it Away," the band did not foresee "Under the Bridge" as being equally viable. Warner Bros. sent representatives to a Chili Peppers' concert in order to figure out what would ultimately be the next single. When Frusciante began playing "Under the Bridge", Kiedis missed his cue; the entire audience began singing the song, instead. Kiedis was initially "mortified that I had fucked up in front of Warner's people...I apologized for fucking up but they said 'Fucking up? Are you kidding me? When every single kid at the show sings a song, that's our next single.'" "Under the Bridge" was, therefore, selected as Blood Sugar Sex Magik
To promote the album in Europe, Kiedis and Frusciante both agreed they would make the trip. However, it proved difficult for Frusciante to adapt to life outside of the mansion, after being in near-seclusion for almost 30 days. Kiedis recalled of the situation: "He had such an outpouring of creativity while we were making that album that I think he really didn't know how to live life in tandem with that creativity." It was also during this period when Frusciante began to experiment with heroin, which further compromised his mental stability. The European promotional trek took its toll on Frusciante, and he decided to return home when he and Kiedis reached London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Critical reception and legacy
Blood Sugar Sex Magik was well received by critics, who praised the Chili Peppers for not overpowering the listener with heavy metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
guitar riffs as their previous album had. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s Tom Moon credited Rick Rubin for the change in style; Rubin "[gave] the Chilis' dynamic." He went on to praise the overall sound, which "displayed a growing curiosity about studio texture and nuance." Steve Huey of Allmusic said the album was "The Red Hot Chili Peppers' best album...John Frusciante's guitar is less overpoweringly noisy, leaving room for differing textures and clearer lines, while the band overall is more focused and less indulgent." He considered Blood Sugar to be "varying... it expands the group's musical and emotional range." Guitar Player
Guitar Player
Guitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
magazine credited Frusciante with the Chili Peppers' drastic change in style: "by blending acid-rock, soul-funk, early art-rock, and blues style with a raw, unprocessed Strat-and-Marshall tone, [Frusciante] hit on an explosive formula that has yet to be duplicated." Devon Powters of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
said that "in one funked-out, fucked up, diabolical swoop, Blood Sugar Sex Magik reconfigured my relationship to music, to myself, to my culture and identity, to my race and class." In an article published in The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune, published in Tampa, Florida, is one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area, second in circulation and readership to the St. Petersburg Times. The paper's tagline is "Life...
, editor Philip Booth praised the record as "an ambitious effort that amounts to a culmination and blossoming of the musical forces that have been brewing in the band's sound since Kiedis and Flea birthed the band in 1983." Music critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave the album a two star honorable mention. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is considered to be an influential album, throughout the nineties, by establishing itself as a fundamental foundation for alternative rock.
"Under the Bridge," which became a breakout song for the band, was considered to be a highlight of the album by several critics. Allmusic reviewed the song individually and called it a "...poignant sentiment...it is self evident among the simple guitar which cradles the introductory verse, and the sense of fragility that is only doubled by the still down-tempo choral crescendo", and ultimately "has become an integral part of the 1990s alterna-landscape, and remains one of the purest diamonds that sparkle amongst the rough-hewn and rich funk chasms that dominate the Peppers' own oeuvre." However, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
criticized the seriousness that the Red Hot Chili Peppers explored as being "disapproving of the band's usual Red Hot antics", and "Under the Bridge" had "fancy-shmancy touches". The song ended up peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in April 1992. "Give It Away" was also praised, though as "...a free-associative mixture of positive vibes, tributes to musical heroes, and free love", with Frusciante "...adding the song's two most unpredictable change-ups: a sudden contrast to Kiedis' hyperactivity in the form of a languid solo pre-recorded and dubbed backwards over the rhythm track, and a hard-rocking riff which is not introduced until the song's outro..." Tracks such as "Sir Psycho Sexy", however, were criticized for being overly explicit. Devon Powters of Pop Matters said that "Eight minutes of 'Sir Psycho Sexy' will turn RHCP's young listeners into quivering masses of hormonal jello. Oversexed lines sneak their way into 'Apache Rose Peacock'; 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik', simply, sounds like fucking. Even the purest virgin comes away from Blood Sugar Sex Magik with a degree of sexual maturity; even the slickest playa can learn a couple of new moves." In contrast, "Suck My Kiss", according to Amy Hanson of Allmusic, "completely flew in the face of the established pecking order of alternative rock." With the song, the Chili Peppers "fully allied themselves with the very few genre-bending bands that were able to make a radical impact on the sonic landscape that was dominated, it seemed, from every minute angle by grunge."
Years later, Blood Sugar was placed atop many "Best Of" lists, especially those pertaining to the '90s. Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine charted the album at number 58 on their "Top 90 Albums of the 90s", and number 11 on a similar list compiled by Pause & Play. The record was placed in slapnpop Magazine "101 Essential Guitar Albums"; and included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
. Blood Sugar Sex Magik also ranked number 310 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
Twenty years later, many of the songs remain constant staples in the band's setlists. "Give it Away" and Under the Bridge" have been performed at almost every show making them two of the band's most performed songs. On the band's 2006 Stadium Arcadium tour
Stadium Arcadium Tour
The Stadium Arcadium tour was a 2006-2007 concert tour by the band Red Hot Chili Peppers in support of their album Stadium Arcadium. It was composed of seven legs, one for promotional shows around the world, three in Europe, one in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, and the other two in the US and...
, the band decided to give the two hits a break. This decision was often met with mixed reaction from the auidence due to the two songs popularity. To date, "Mellowship Slinky in B Major", "The Righteous & the Wicked" have never been performed live while "Apache Rose Peacock", and "The Greeting Song" have been partially performed. "Naked in the Rain" has only been peformed once in 1990 prior to the album's recording. "Soul to Squeeze", an outtake and eventual b'side and single remains one of the band's most popular songs and has been performed often since it's 1999 live debut.
Accolades
The information regarding accolades attributed to Blood Sugar Sex Magik is adapted in part from AcclaimedMusic.net.| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visions | Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
"The Most Important Albums of the 90s" | 1999 | 1 |
| Pause & Play | United States | "The 90s Top 100 Essential Albums" | 1999 | N/A |
| Rolling Stone Rolling Stone Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J... |
United States | The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | 2003 | 310 |
| Rolling Stone Rolling Stone Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J... |
United States | The 100 Greatest Albums of the Nineties | 2003 | 19 |
| Spin Spin (magazine) Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard... |
United States | "Top 90 Albums of the 90s" | 1999 | 58 |
| Q Q (magazine) Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology... |
United Kingdom | "90 Albums of the 90s" | 1999 | 58 |
| Guitarist Magazine | United Kingdom | "101 Essential Guitar Albums" | 2000 | N/A |
| Guitar World | United States | "The 100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time" | 2006 | 18 |
| My Favourite Album My Favourite Album My Favourite Album was a nation-wide poll conducted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to discover Australia's most popular album. Voting was by phone, SMS or over the ABC's website between 20 September 2006 to midnight on 18 October 2006. Much of the poll's promotion was through the ABC's... |
Australia | "Australia's Favourite Albums of All Time" | 2006 | 8 |
| Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,... |
United States | "The Definitive 200: Top 200 Albums of All-Time" | 2007 | 88 |
Positions on the DigitalDreamDoor.com lists
| Accolade | Rank |
|---|---|
| The 100 Greatest Rock Albums | 147 |
| The 100 Greatest Rock Drumming Albums | 74 |
| The 100 Greatest Double Albums | 23 |
| The 100 Greatest Rock Albums of the 1990s | 11 |
| The 100 Greatest Rock Guitar Albums | 146 |
| The Top 5 Albums by Red Hot Chili Peppers | 1 |
Blood Sugar Sex Magik Tour and John Frusciante's departure
Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour
The Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour was a concert tour by the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers in support of their highly successful 1991 breakthrough album Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The tour was forced to be rescheduled when in May 1992, guitarist John Frusciante quit the band due to issues with...
began, Kiedis saw the music video for The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
' "Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros (song)
"Rhinoceros" is a song by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins from their debut album, Gish. It was written by Billy Corgan and is one of the few songs from Gish that has been performed consistently throughout the band's career....
" on MTV. He then called the band's manager and asked him to accommodate The Smashing Pumpkins for the tour. Several days after the Pumpkins confirmed they would accompany the Chili Peppers, former Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons called and asked the band to allow his friend's new group, Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, to open for them on the forthcoming tour. The first show following the release of Blood Sugar Sex Magik was at the Oscar Meyer Theater in Madison, Wisconsin, which was met with positive reactions from the Milwaukee Journal: "the audience was a swirling mass of airborne cups, ice cubes, shoes, shirts, pogo dancers, body-passers and stage divers. And it wasn't purely a boy's club in the moshpit—many females bought into the mayhem, stripping down to their bras and flinging themselves about madly as the band tore through 'Higher Ground', 'Suck My Kiss', and 'Give it Away', which was Goth-ed up by Frusciante when he added a riff from Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
's 'Sweet Leaf
Sweet Leaf
"Sweet Leaf" is a song by Black Sabbath from their 1971 album Master of Reality. The song, a hymn to recreational cannabis use, got its title from a packet of cigarettes bassist Geezer Butler bought in Dublin that claimed the tobacco was "the sweet leaf." The song begins with a tape loop of...
'."
Blood Sugar Sex Magik began receiving heavy radio play and massive sales in the middle of their U.S. tour. Frusciante, who preferred the Chili Peppers to remain in the underground music scene, entered a state of denial and depression because of this. According to Kiedis, "He began to lose all of the manic, happy-go-lucky, fun aspects of his personality. Even onstage, there was a much more serious energy around him." Frusciante was slowly slipping away from the band altogether, and began to form grudges against his fellow band mates. He saw the band's newfound popularity as shameful.
Onstage tension began to grow between Kiedis and Frusciante. Kiedis recalled an argument after a show in New Orleans: "We had a sold-out house and John just stood in the corner, barely playing his guitar. We came offstage and John and I got into it." With the Peppers now playing shows at arenas rather than theaters, the promoters of the tour decided that Pearl Jam should be replaced with a more successful act. Kiedis contacted Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
drummer Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
, and asked him if Nirvana would replace Pearl Jam on the tour—an offer Grohl accepted. The Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
, however, refused to play with Nirvana as he once dated frontman Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
's wife Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
. The Pumpkins were, therefore, taken off the concert bill and replaced with Pearl Jam. Their first show with Nirvana was at the L.A Sports Arena. Kiedis considered their act to be "raw energy; their musicality, their song selection, they were like a chain saw cutting through the night." When the Red Hot Chili Peppers finished touring with Nirvana, they traveled to Europe, where Frusciante, in need of someone to connect to, brought along his girlfriend Toni Oswald. Kiedis said that "John had broken our unwritten rule of no spouses or girlfriends on the road." Briefly interrupting the European-tour, the Chili Peppers flew to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and performed on an episode of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. The band played "Under the Bridge" as the second number; a performance that Kiedis felt was sabotaged by Frusciante:
The band took a two-week hiatus between the European and Japanese legs of the tour, which began in May 1992. Minutes before the Chili Peppers were scheduled to perform in Tokyo, Frusciante refused to go on stage, claiming he quit the band. After half an hour of coaxing, Frusciante agreed to play the show, though he asserted it would be his last. Kiedis recalled of the situation: "It was the most horrible show ever. Every single note, every single word, hurt, knowing that we were no longer a band. I kept looking over at John and seeing this dead statue of disdain...And that night, John disappeared from the topsy-turvy world of the Red Hot Chili Peppers." The band hired guitarist Arik Marshall
Arik Marshall
Arik Marshall is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, poet, and author, best known as a one-time member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He has earned the respect and praise of artists as diverse as Joe Strummer, Prince, Gwen Stefani, Gavin Rossdale, Annabella Lwin of Bow Wow Wow, and Carlos...
to complete the rest of the tour, which included Lollapolooza and several European festivals. Marshall, however, was fired at the end of the tour.
Track listing
The following two tracks were included as bonus tracks when the album is purchased from iTunes Music:- Little Miss Lover (originally performed by Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
) – 2:40 - Castles Made of SandCastles Made of Sand (song)"Castles Made of Sand" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and released by The Jimi Hendrix Experience on their second studio album, Axis: Bold as Love, in 1967 in the UK and 1968 in the U.S. It was available in two different stereo mixes and a mono mix....
(originally performed by Jimi Hendrix) – 3:21
B-sides, out-takes and non-album tracks
| Song | Length | Release(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Search and Destroy (The Stooges The Stooges The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003... )" |
3:34 | B-side of "Give It Away" |
| "Soul to Squeeze Soul to Squeeze "Soul to Squeeze" is a song by the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers that was originally recorded during the production of their fifth studio album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik... " |
4:50 | |
| "Sikamikanico" | 3:23 | B-side of "Under the Bridge Under the Bridge "Under the Bridge" is a song by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on March 10, 1992 as the second single from the group's fifth studio album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Vocalist Anthony Kiedis wrote the lyrics to express a feeling of loneliness and despondency, and to reflect on... " |
| "Fela's Cock" | 5:10 |
Personnel
Red Hot Chili Peppers- FleaFlea (musician)Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals, trumpet, percussion, keyboard - John FruscianteJohn FruscianteJohn Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, backing vocals, percussion - Anthony KiedisAnthony KiedisAnthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, percussion - Chad SmithChad SmithChad Smith is an American musician, best known as the longtime and current drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith is also the drummer of the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot which includes Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Michael Anthony, former Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes' backing band and...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion
Additional musicians
- Brendan O'BrienBrendan O'Brien (music producer)Brendan O’Brien is a record producer, mixer, engineer, and musician.At age 14, O'Brien played guitar for the Atlanta-based cover band Pranks. In the late 1970s, he moved on to writing, performing and recording with the Samurai Catfish band...
– mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
on "Breaking the Girl" and "Sir Psycho Sexy" - Gail Frusciante and her friends – choir on "Under the Bridge"
- Pete Weiss – jew's harpJew's harpThe Jew's harp, jaw harp, mouth harp, Ozark harp, trump or juice harp, is thought to be one of the oldest musical instruments in the world; a musician apparently playing it can be seen in a Chinese drawing from the 4th century BC...
on "Give It Away"
Recording personnel
- Brendan O'BrienBrendan O'Brien (music producer)Brendan O’Brien is a record producer, mixer, engineer, and musician.At age 14, O'Brien played guitar for the Atlanta-based cover band Pranks. In the late 1970s, he moved on to writing, performing and recording with the Samurai Catfish band...
– engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - Chris Holmes – Mix engineer
- Rick RubinRick RubinFrederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
– productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Howie WeinbergHowie WeinbergHowie Weinberg is a music mastering engineer who has worked with numerous bands.- Career :He has worked at Masterdisk, New York City, since 1977...
– mastering engineeringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
Additional personnel
- Gus Van SantGus Van SantGus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
– art direction
Album
| Chart | Peak position |
Certifications |
|---|---|---|
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
3 | 7x Platinum |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
5 | Platinum |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
1 | 4x Platinum |
| Swedish Top 60 | 26 | |
| Austria | 17 | |
| France | 71 | |
| Finland | 16 | |
| Germany | 12 | Platinum |
| Norway | 5 | |
| Switzerland | 10 | |
| Australia | 1 | 6x Platinum |
| New Zealand | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Give It Away" | Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
| 1991 | "Give It Away" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 73 |
| 1992 | "Under the Bridge Under the Bridge "Under the Bridge" is a song by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on March 10, 1992 as the second single from the group's fifth studio album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Vocalist Anthony Kiedis wrote the lyrics to express a feeling of loneliness and despondency, and to reflect on... " |
The Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| 1992 | "Under the Bridge" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 2 |
| 1992 | "Under the Bridge" | Modern Rock Tracks | 6 |
| 1992 | "Breaking the Girl Breaking the Girl "Breaking the Girl" is a song by the American funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers that was released in 1992 as the fourth single from their studio album Blood Sugar Sex Magik. It is a melodic ballad that refers to a turbulent relationship between frontman Anthony Kiedis and his former girlfriend,... " |
Mainstream Rock Tracks | 15 |
| 1992 | "Breaking the Girl" | Modern Rock Tracks | 19 |
| 1992 | "Suck My Kiss Suck My Kiss "Suck My Kiss" is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was released as the third single from their fifth studio album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The "Suck My Kiss" single was released in 1992 in Australia only; a music video was made for the song using footage from the Funky Monks documentary... " |
Modern Rock Tracks | 15 |