Californication

I asked Sean this morning if he'd like to pick a song in honor of his birthday. I suggested Bob Marley. He countered with "Freebird," primarily because of its Guitar Hero II status. Then he thought about it for a moment and came up with Red Hot Chili Peppers. That seemed appropriate seeing as the two things I remember most from the first year of our relationship are Soul Caliber (does your soul still burn?) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

We met in 1999, the same year that Californication came out. I'd been a huge fan of Blood Sugar Sex Magik and was disappointed in their 1995 release One Hot Minute (who wasn't). Californication was a piece of college nostalgia dressed in new clothes. Sean would get up most Saturday mornings and put the CD on -- if you weren't awake yet, "Around the World" would do it for you. (Around the world / I feel dutiful / Take a wife / cause life is beautiful.)

The album moves through a wide variety of musical styles, which is probably why I enjoy it so much as a full album. The first four tracks are a wonderful ride, growing progressively mellower as we move from "Around the World" to "Parallel Universe" to "Scar Tissue" to "Otherside," my favorite from the album. You can see the video here. (I heard your voice through a photograph / I thought it up it brought up the past / Once you know you can never go back / I’ve got to take it on the otherside.) "Californication" and "Road Trippin'" are also good ones to call attention to, and by now we've singled out half the album.

While I think the Red Hot Chili Peppers now are ghosts of their 90's selves, it's always a good reminder that they were living large there for a while, and such a pleasure to ride along with.

Road trippin' with my two favorite allies
Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies
Its time to leave this town
Its time to steal away
Lets go get lost
Anywhere in the U.S.A.

Lets go get lost
Lets go get lost...

RHCP website: http://www.redhotchilipeppers.com/
More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_hot_chili_peppers