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From album
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 1991 · Track 2
Details
Duración3:36
ÁlbumBlood Sugar Sex Magik
Año1991
ISRCUSWB19901567
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The story behind
When you dive into *If You Have to Ask*, you notice how the rhythmic base immediately grabs you. The guitar presents a minimalist pattern with that particular funk texture, while the drums mark a pulse with subtle accents that give it a very distinctive feel. The bass, for its part, moves with a more elaborate line that complements the structure. The lyrics in the verses seem like a flow of ideas that follow each other without apparent order, almost like a torrent of thoughts, and it is in the chorus where the key is revealed: "If you have to ask, you'll never know." It's interesting to hear at the end of the song how, after John Frusciante's guitar solo, you can clearly hear those in the room applauding. What's striking is that they didn't try to erase that applause or re-record it, but rather left it as is, adding to other accidental sounds that remained on the album.
This song was recorded in Los Angeles, California, at The Mansion, between February and March of 1991. It was released in Europe and Australia in 1993 as the fifth and final single from the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The music video accompanying *If You Have to Ask* consisted entirely of live footage of the band during a concert in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1992, over which the studio version of the song was superimposed. This video is particular because it features guitarist Arik Marshall, who also participated in the video for Breaking the Girl. Despite his presence, the video for *If You Have to Ask* had little television airplay and, curiously, neither the song nor its video appeared on the band's compilation album Greatest Hits. Along with Aeroplane, from 1995, it was one of two videos from the Warner Bros. era that was not included in the group's official app. Since its release, *If You Have to Ask* has remained a constant presence in Red Hot Chili Peppers concerts, having been performed on 293 occasions.