The Story Behind the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Dani California”
“Black bandana sweet Louisiana
Robbing on a bank in the state of Indiana
She a runner, rebel and a stunner
Coming every way saying baby what cha gonna
Looking down the barrel of a hop and a forty five
Just another way to survive
California rest in peace
Simultaneous release
California show your teeth
She’s my priestess, I’m your priest
She’s a lover baby and a fighter
Shoulda seen her coming when it got a little brighter
With a name like Dani California
Devils gonna come when I was gonna moan yeah
A little lonely she was stealing another breath
I love my baby to death”
– Excerpt from the song “Dani California,” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
The song “Dani California” was the first single from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ ninth studio album, Stadium Arcadium, released on Warner Brothers Records in May of 2006. The lyrics mention Dani California, a character who has appeared previously in RHCP singles “Californication” and “By The Way”. Several theories exist regarding the story behind the name. The first story proposes that “Dani” was a girlfriend of Peppers’ front man Anthony Kiedis’ named Danielle, with whom he had a Bonnie & Clyde sort of relationship, where they would do drug runs as well as robberies together. Anthony’s father also took part in and was practically responsible for the drugs being sold. Danielle is said to have died in California before she could make it to Minnesota, which was to be their biggest heist. Thus Kiedis dubbed her Dani California. The song may in someway and in some parts represent a typical rebellious southern girl or girls that he’s been with, but specifically, he’s talking about this Danielle.
Publicly, however, Kiedis has supposedly stated that Dani California was a collage of past real-life lovers that have influenced him on the rocky road to superstardom.
The video filmed to accompany the song has spawned a great deal of discussion. Some fans theorize that the video contains an homage to bands that have influenced the band’s music, and the era’s to which they belonged. Base player Flea was quoted in the June, 2006 issue of “UK Classic Rock Magazine” as saying, “We mainly did eras, not actual people: rockabilly, British Invasion, psychedelia, glam, funk, punk, goth, hair metal, grunge, and ourselves being the sum of all those parts.
Starting out in black and white, the scenes begin with singer Anthony Kiedis performing as Elvis Presley, the band pays homage to, in order of appearance: The Beatles (recreating their legendary performance on Ed Sullivan’s show), Jimi Hendrix/Cream , Parliament-Funkadelic with Flea dressed like Bootsy Collins, a composite glam band with Marc Bolan and David Bowie, The Sex Pistols, The Misfits, a generic 80’s glam-metal band (most likely either Poison or Twisted Sister or Aerosmith), and, finally, Nirvana (parodying their famous MTV Unplugged performance). The video enters the final stretch with the Chili Peppers as themselves playing beneath a huge RHCP logo.
Controversy follows the song as well. The band have been accused of lifting key aspects of their latest single “Dani California” from Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.” One commentator said, “The chord progression, the melody, the tempo, the key, the lyrical theme, they’re identical.” Both songs have the same producer, Rick Rubin. Neither artists’ representatives have gone on record about the similarities, nor have any suits been initiated. Self-proclaimed “super fan” Lawrence M. told me, “You can’t call using a similar chord progression stealing.”
All arguments about origin aside, fan reaction to the song, and the album, has been mixed. On the popular fan forum StadiumArcadium.com, ratings spanned from 1 out of 10 to 10 out of 10. A small percentage of posters voted the album 3 or 4 out of 10, while the most gave it a 10. The ones who rated it higher often made comments praising the Peppers’ willingness to change their sound, to experiment. Fans in the middle say it’s not a bad album, but falls short of popular discs such as 1991’s “Blood Sugar Sex Magik,” 1995’s “One Hot Minute” and 1999’s “Californication.” Those who gave the lowest ratings complain that the album is “too commercial,” “too pop,” and “it just doesn’t do anything for me,” among others.
Critical reviews also cover a broad spectrum of opinions of the album. The BBC’s Rock & Alt Review (http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/rockandalt/reviews/rhcp_stadiumarcadium.shtml) called it “a multi-faceted must.” Alex Lai of ContactMusic.com said of the single, “The verses strut with funky confidence (and also resemble Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”), while the chorus bursts with fantastic energy.” Though Billboard dismissed the album as “indulgent and lacking cohesion,” the song drew a rave as “the one thing that truly grabs attention.”
“Stadium Arcadium” and “Dani California” are available on iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=152722084&s;=143441
grungeand Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path;=ASIN/B000EMGAOY&tag;=slavetotheword&camp;=1789&creative;=9325
