By the Way - WikiHQ

By the Way is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released July 9, 2002, on Warner Bros. Records. It sold more than 286,000 copies in its first week, and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. Singles included "By the Way", "The Zephyr Song", "Can't Stop" and "Universally Speaking". Additionally, "Dosed" was released as a promotional single in the US and Canada. The lyrical subject matter vocalist Anthony Kiedis addresses in By the Way is a divergence from previous Red Hot Chili Peppers albums, with Kiedis taking a more candid and reflective approach to his lyrics.

By the Way was lauded by critics as a departure from the band's previous styles, and is recognized for the melodic and subdued emotions given by the Chili Peppers. Guitarist John Frusciante is credited with writing most of the album's melodies, backing vocal arrangements, bass lines, and guitar progressions, therefore changing the direction of the recording dramatically: "his warm, understated guitar work and his doo-wop style vocal harmonies are king this time around." By the Way contained very little of the signature funk-rock fusion the band had become known for playing. Frusciante has stated that writing "By the Way [was] one of the happiest times in my life." The album went on to sell more than eight million copies worldwide. The album has come to be regarded by many as one of the band's finest works.

Background

The writing and formation of By the Way began immediately following the culmination of Californication's world tour, in the spring of 2001. As with Californication, much of the creation took place in the band members' homes and other practice locations, such as a recording studio stage. Kiedis recalled of the situation: "We started finding some magic and some music and some riffs and some rhythms and some jams and some grooves, and we added to it and subtracted from it and pushed it around and put melodies to it." For Kiedis, "writing By the Way... was a whole different experience from Californication. John was back to himself and brimming with confidence." Rubin had, in the past, granted the band creative freedom on their recording material; this was something they thought essential for the album to be unique, and could only occur with his return.

Writing and composition

According to the 2010 book, An Oral/Visual History by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Frusciante had originally intended for the album to be very different from how it was eventually completed. He wanted an album of two different types of songs: songs that were more "English-sounding" and melodic, and songs that were more influenced by punk rock. Frusciante's punk inspiration came from listening to music by the Damned and Discharge, among others. Rick Rubin was not familiar with the latter bands and sound and thought that the melodic songs were original and more exciting, causing the band to focus mostly on the melodic material.

These new styles as well as Frusciante being especially prolific during this era came to alienate bassist Flea, who had wanted the band to return to its earlier funk-influenced sound. Frusciante felt the band had already thoroughly explored funk and was more interested in creating something new for the band. According to Kiedis, Flea felt his voice was not being heard, and there was a point where he considered leaving the band. He also credits XTC singer/guitarist Andy Partridge in the 2002 issue of Total Guitar for being an influence on his guitar work for the album. Therefore, the record took a different direction than any previous Chili Peppers' album. Frusciante sought to create an emotional and poignant soundscape throughout the recording.

Kiedis was lyrically influenced by love, his girlfriend, and the emotions expressed when one fell in love. Songs written for the album such as "By the Way", "I Could Die for You", "Dosed", "Warm Tape" and non-album tracks "Someone" and "Body of Water" all digressed into the many sides of love. Drugs also played an integral part in Kiedis' writings, as he had only been sober since December 2000. Tracks like "This Is the Place" and "Don't Forget Me" expressed his intense relationship with narcotics, the harmful physical and emotional effects they caused him, and the ever-present danger of relapse (as Kiedis has suffered chronic relapse into drug addiction). He referenced the late Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died of a heroin overdose in 1988, in "This Is the Place", and describes how he was so intoxicated at the time that he missed Slovak's funeral: "On the day my best friend died/I could not get my copper clean." "Venice Queen" was written as an ode to Kiedis' drug rehabilitation therapist, Gloria Scott, who died shortly after he purchased her a home on California's Venice Beach. "Throw Away Your Television", while not having any rapidly sung lyrics, also contained a funk-oriented bass line, though hinted at experimental rock due to the heavy use of distortion throughout the verse and chorus. Other "experimental" tracks include the melodica-based "On Mercury". "Cabron", the only track to be played mostly acoustic, has distinctive Latin influences. Frusciante has stated that the guitar parts for Cabron were influenced by Martin Barre's playing on Jethro Tull's album Aqualung, with Anthony and Chad's parts contributing to the Latin, or Mexican, influence. "Tear" and "Warm Tape" were keyboard based more so than guitar or bass, the latter being completely written on the instrument. Technically, By the Way saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers employing several devices to distort and alter guitar and vocal sequences. "Don't Forget Me" utilizes a mellotron, wah pedal, and echoing techniques to convey an emotive atmosphere, while Frusciante uses a Big Muff for the solos on "Minor Thing".

{|class="wikitable"

|+By the Way outtakes

! Title

! Source

| "Time"

| rowspan="2" |"By the Way"

| "A Teenager in Love"

| "Body of Water"

| rowspan="2" |"The Zephyr Song"

| "Someone"

| "Out of Range"

| rowspan="2" | "The Zephyr Song"

| "Rivers of Avalon"

| "Eskimo"

| "Fortune Faded"

Artwork

All paintings, photography and art direction is credited to Julian Schnabel and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The woman featured on the cover of By the Way is Stella Schnabel, Julian Schnabel's daughter and Frusciante's then-girlfriend. Regarding the artwork, Frusciante noted: "My girlfriend's father offered to do the album art, so we sent him rough mixes of eight songs, and he just got the vibe of the album from that. He said that he wouldn't be offended if we didn't like it, but we loved what he did. He's also given us great covers for all the singles. He's a true artist."

Several pages of the album's booklet, and single for "By the Way", contain paintings of a goat head. A somewhat blurry, black and white photograph of the band in a desolate field, and each band member individually, is also present.

The majority of the booklet's artwork are various scenes of replica grass and plants, stars and indistinguishable objects, which appears to be a miniature pole, placed in dirt. Single covers for "The Zephyr Song" and "Can't Stop" both feature this same background, although angled slightly differently. The lyrics for By the Way are placed on top of the landscape, hand written by Kiedis in pink lettering. Drummer Chad Smith commented that By the Way is "very honest, raw, emotional music. It's a very dynamic, rich and lush album. Probably the best collection of Chili Peppers songs we've ever put out." Warner Bros. Records promoted the album heavily in the months prior to the record's 2002 release, especially targeting the online market in order to steer customers away from illegal downloads. It was certified gold just a few months later on October 26, 2002. Five singles were released from the album; of these, the title track was the most successful, peaking at No.2 on the UK charts and No.1 on the Billboard rock charts. Although the album sold fewer copies than Californication, By the Way managed to peak at No.2 on the Billboard 200, one spot higher than Californication. Around the world, the album debuted at number one in the UK, Switzerland, New Zealand, Austria, and Sweden; and number two in France.

Critical reception

The album received a positive reaction from critics, who praised By the Way for its melodic, multilayer and textured styles. AllMusic's Zac Johnson said that the album was "sophisticated... the Peppers have not sacrificed any of their trademark energy or passions for life, universal love, and (of course) lust". Giving the album 5stars out of 5, Q called By the Way "A fantastic record; full of wonder." Kimberly Mack of PopMatters commented on how the album "...showcases a more sophisticated, lush sound that only today's Peppers could have conceived", and that "Anthony Kiedis' lyrics are more personal than ever." The newspaper's Robert Christgau was also critical of Kiedis' songwriting, writing that "it's not enough for Anthony Kiedis to get all mature—he's supposed to say something interesting about maturity." Rolling Stone commented on "how close this band has come to conjuring pure California sunshine" in "The Zephyr Song".

Accolades

{|class="wikitable"

|+Accolades for By the Way

! Publication

! Country

! Accolade

! Year

! Rank

| rowspan="2" | Q magazine

| rowspan="2" | United Kingdom

| Top 20 Albums from the Lifetime of Q (1986–2006)

| 2006

| 16

| The Ultimate Music Collection

| 2005

| *

| rowspan="2" | Rolling Stone

| rowspan="2" | Germany

| The 100 Best Albums Since Autumn 1994

| 2003

| 71

| The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

| 2004

| 304

| colspan="5" style="text-align:center; font-size:10pt;"|* denotes an unranked list

Other accolades

{|class="wikitable"

|+Other accolades for By the Way

! Publication

! Country

! Accolade

! Year

! Rank

| Consequence of Sound

| United States

| Top 100 Albums of the 2000s

| 2009

| 63

Tour

thumb|250px|right|Red Hot Chili Peppers performing "By the Way" at Slane Castle on August 23, 2003

Flea decided that he would finish the album and then quit the band. He was still upset over disputes with Frusciante, who he thought was trying to take over the band. According to Smith, Flea and Frusciante eventually had a sit-down meeting with each other to air out their differences. Frusciante had no idea how Flea was feeling and had no intentions of taking over. The Red Hot Chili Peppers played at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 20, 2003, to a sold-out crowd and an enthusiastic response from critics. Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times reported that "on Tuesday night, the [Red Hot Chili Peppers] came to Madison Square Garden for an extraordinary two-hour performance... On 'Don't Forget Me', [Flea] strummed chords, while Mr. Frusciante contributed a gorgeous guitar line that bubbled and hissed like some sort of chemical reaction." The US leg ended on June 21; the band took a small hiatus before performing at Slane Castle in Ireland on August 23, to a crowd of over 80,000. Live at Slane Castle, the result of the concert, would become the Chili Peppers' second live DVD, after Off the Map.

Following several Japanese and Australian performances, the Red Hot Chili Peppers planned three nights at London's Hyde Park. Over 240,000 tickets were sold within hours, with roughly 80,000 people attending each show on June 19, 20, and 25, respectively. It became the highest-grossing concert at a single venue in history, accumulating an estimated $17 million gross revenue.

In 2006, Flea revealed that he once again considered leaving the band while touring in support of the album, stating that "throughout the By the Way tour I would play a show and then go and sit on the end of my bed staring into space." He planned to teach full-time at the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, but ultimately decided to remain with the band. Flea later stated that "the most painful part of quitting, and the thing that stopped me, was the idea of telling Anthony."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Anthony Kiedis – lead vocals
John Frusciante – guitar, backing vocals, piano, keyboards, modular synthesizer, Mellotron
Flea – bass, guitar on "Dosed", trumpet on "Tear", melodica on "On Mercury"
Chad Smith – drums, percussion, tambourine

Production

Lindsay Chase – production coordination
David Campbell – string arrangement
Suzie Katayama – contractor and cello
Joel Derouin – concertmaster
Evan Wilson – viola
Larry Corbett – cello
Charlie Bisharat, Gerry Hilera, Peter Kent – violins
Matt Funes – viola
Ryan Hewitt – engineer
Marc Mann – arranger
Ethan Mates – recording engineer
Vlado Meller – mastering
Rick Rubin – production and engineering
Jim Scott – mix engineer, recording engineer
Jason Wormer – recording engineer

Design

Julian Schnabel – art direction
Red Hot Chili Peppers – art direction

Charts

Weekly charts

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

|+Weekly chart performance for By the Way

! Charts (2002)

! Peak<br />position

!scope="row"|Argentine Albums (CAPIF)

| style="text-align:center;"|2

!scope="row"|European Albums (Billboard)

| style="text-align:center;"|1

!scope="row"|Greek Albums (IFPI)

| style="text-align:center;"|1

!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

!scope="row"|Portuguese Albums (AFP)

| style="text-align:center;"|2

!scope="row"| Spanish Albums (AFYVE)

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

! scope="col"| Chart (2026)

! scope="col"| Peak<br />position

! scope="row"| Portuguese Streaming Albums (AFP)

| 172

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+2002 year-end chart performance for By the Way

! scope="col"| Chart (2002)

! scope="col"| Position

!scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA)

!scope="row"|Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)

!scope="row"|Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)

!scope="row"|Belgian Alternative Albums (Ultratop Flanders)

!scope="row"|Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)

|22

! scope="row"|Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)

| 33

!scope="row"|Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)

| 8

!scope="row"|Canadian Metal Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)

| 5

!scope="row"|Danish Albums (Hitlisten)

|23

!scope="row"|Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)

|12

! scope="row"| European Albums (Music & Media)

| 8

!scope="row"|Finnish Albums (Suomen viralinen lista)

|10

!scope="row"|French Albums (SNEP)

|34

!scope="row"|German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)

!scope="row"|Irish Albums (IRMA)

!scope="row"|Italian Albums (FIMI)

!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)

|86

!scope="row"|New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)

|15

!scope="row"|Spanish International Albums (AFYPE)

!scope="row"|Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)

|12

!scope="row"|Swedish Albums & Compilations (Sverigetopplistan)

|15

!scope="row"|Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)

!scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC)

!scope="row"|US Billboard 200

|59

!scope="row"|Worldwide Albums (IFPI)

|10

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+2003 year-end chart performance for By the Way

! scope="col"| Chart (2003)

! scope="col"| Position

!scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA)

|21

!scope="row"|Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)

|100

!scope="row"|Belgian Alternative Albums (Ultratop Flanders)

|39

!scope="row"|French Albums (SNEP)

|125

!scope="row"|German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)

|58

!scope="row"|Irish Albums (IRMA)

|19

! scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC)

|18

!scope="row"|US Billboard 200

|89

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+2004 year-end chart performance for By the Way

! scope="col"| Chart (2004)

! scope="col"| Position

!scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC)

|197

Decade-end charts

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+Decade-end chart performance for By the Way

!scope="col"|Chart (2000–09)

!scope="col"|Position

!scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)

|align="center"|53

!scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC)

| style="text-align:center;"|28

Certifications

References

Bibliography

External links

By the Way at Google Music