Red Hot Chili Peppers: Dani California
Music Video of DANI CALIFORNIA By RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS from the album STADIUM ARCADIUM (2006)
According to lead singer Anthony Kiedis, "Dani" is a representation of every girl that he's come across in his life. "Dani" also appears in the 2002 Red Hot Chili Peppers song "By The Way" and is the "Teenage bride with the baby inside" on their 1999 song "Californication."
Bassist Flea, on the music video: "We mainly did eras, not actual people: rockabilly, British Invasion, Psychedelia, Funk, Glam, Punk, Goth, Hair Metal, Grunge, and ourselves being the sum of all those parts." The bands that the Peppers dress up in during the video caused internet debate about who the actual bands were. Though nothing is official, it starts out in a '50s early Rock setting, with Anthony Kiedis dressed as Elvis Presley. It then moves on to a stereotypical British Rock band that you would see on The Ed Sullivan Show in the '60s. They move on to a stereotypical Psychadelic Rock band, then the Funk era. The band is dressed as Parliamant/Funkadelic, complete with Flea dressed as one of his idols, Bootsy Collins, and the P-Funk Mothership stage prop. It moves on to a stereotypical Glam Rock band, then Gothic band, most likely The Misfits based on the way Kiedis is dressed. Then it moves on to the Punk movement, Hair Metal, and Grunge. The Grunge band is one of the more clear bands to identify, as Kiedis is dressed like his friend Kurt Cobain, of Nirvana. It ends with the Peppers as a sum up of all of these bands.
The guitar part sounds a lot like Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance," prompting speculation that Petty would sue the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In Rolling Stone magazine, Petty said: "I seriously doubt that there is any negative intent there. And a lot of Rock And Roll songs sound alike. Ask Chuck Berry. The Strokes to American Girl (for their song "Last Nite"), and I saw an interview with them where they actually admitted it. That made me laugh out loud. I was like, 'OK, good for you.' It doesn't bother me. If someone took my song note for note and stole it maliciously, then maybe. But I don't believe in lawsuits much. I think there are enough frivolous lawsuits in this country without people fighting over Pop songs."
The video was directed by Tony Kaye, who also directed the controversial movie American History X starring Edward Norton.
Lyrics
- Getting born in the state of Mississippi
- Papa was a copper and mama was a hippie
- In Alabama she would swing a hammer
- Price you gotta pay when you break the panorama
- She never knew that there was anything more than poor
- What in the world does your company take me for
- Black bandanna, sweet Louisiana
- robbin' all a bank in the state of Indiana
- She's a runner, rebel and a stunner
- On her merry way sayin; baby whatcha gonna
- Lookin' down the barrel of a hot metal 45
- Just another way to survive
- California rest in peace
- Simultaneous release
- California show your teeth
- She's my priestess, I'm your priest
- YEAH, YEAH
- She's a lover baby and a fighter
- Shoulda seen it coming when it got a little brighter
- With a name like Dani California
- The day was gonna come whe I was gonna mourn ya
- A little loaded, she was stealing another breath
- I love my baby to death
- California rest in peace
- Simultaneous release
- California show your teeth
- She's my priestess, I'm your priest
- YEAH, YEAH
- Who knew the other side of you?
- Who knew that others died to prove
- Too true to say good bye to you
- Too true to say say say..
- Push the fader gifted animator
- One for the now and eleven for the later
- Never made it up to Minnesota
- North Dakota man was a gunning for the quota
- Down in the badlands she was savin' the best for last
- It only hurts when I laugh
- Gone too fast..
- California rest in peace
- Simultaneous release,
- California show your teeth,
- She's my priestess, I'm your priest
- YEAH, YEAH
- California rest in peace
- Simultaneous release,
- California show your teeth,
- She's my priestess, I'm your priest
- YEAH, YEAH
