Home · Songs · Red Hot Chili Peppers · Give It Away
Chords in progress
We have not analyzed this song audio yet. Once it is ready, you will see the chord player synced with the video.
From album
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 1991 · Track 9
Details
Duración4:42
ÁlbumBlood Sugar Sex Magik
Año1991
ISRCUSWB19901574
If you like this, try
The story behind
When the Red Hot Chili Peppers embarked on the recording of their fifth album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, something special was about to happen. The song Give It Away, released as the first single in October 1991, became a turning point. The core of this sonic piece was born from jam sessions between guitarist John Frusciante and bassist Flea, months before entering the studio. It was during a period in a side project with members of Fishbone that they created the main riff and bassline that would define the song. Upon returning to the Chili Peppers, they felt that energy fit perfectly for the new album. Vocalist Anthony Kiedis, upon hearing it, felt an immediate connection to a phrase he had in mind about generosity and detachment, and sang it over the musical base: "give it away, give it away, give it away now". The lyrics, as it is told, emerged from a personal experience related to the value of selfless giving.
The recording of Give It Away took place between April and June 1991 at The Mansion, in Los Angeles. This process marked the beginning of a songwriting methodology that the band would adopt in their subsequent works. An example of this was how they approached the creation of the musical bridge. Faced with a lack of agreement between Flea and Frusciante on the progressions, each worked separately on their part, and then they joined the best of both worlds. This collaboration, along with the production by Rick Rubin and engineering by Brendan O’Brien, resulted in a distinctive sound that fused funk and rock. The single not only reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks in late 1991, marking their first major chart success, but also became their first top ten in the United Kingdom. The music video, directed by Stéphane Sednaoui, had extensive airplay on music channels, contributing to its global recognition and, in 1992, earned them a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocals.