Analyzing Music

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Californication
Otherside

Chorus:
How long how long will I slide
Separate my side I don’t
I don’t believe it’s bad
Slit my throat
It’s all I ever

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

Centuries are what it meant to me
A cemetery where I marry the sea
Stranger things could never change my mind
I’ve got to take it on the otherside
Take it on the otherside
Take it on
Take it on

Chorus

Pour my life into a paper cup
The ashtray’s full and I’m spillin’ my guts
[ Red Hot Chili Peppers Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com ]
She wants to know am I still a slut
I’ve got to take it on the otherside

Scarlet starlet and she’s in my bed
A candidate for my soul mate bled
Push the trigger and pull the thread
I’ve got to take it on the otherside
Take it on the otherside
Take it on
Take it on

Chorus

Turn me on take me for a hard ride
Burn me out leave me on the otherside
I yell and tell it that
It’s not my friend
I tear it down I tear it down
And then it’s born again

Chorus

How long I don’t believe it’s bad
Slit my throat
It’s all I ever

I believe this song is a great song to analyze and develop a deeper understanding of. Although there are many ways to analyze what is being said in the song, all of them can be considered somewhat valid. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a band that started in California in the early 1980’s. They have made many successful albums and are considered one of the best alternative rock bands ever (a little prejudice coming from me).
The song “Otherside” to me is about the lead singer of the group, Anthony Keidis, who was very deep into drugs, heroine in particular. In this song, he talks about what he can do to get to the “otherside” and get over this awful addiction he has to heroine. The song has many lines in it that require a deeper understanding of the band as a whole. Before this song was written, the former guitarist of the band died to a heroin addiction. The line saying “I heard your voice through a photograph” refers to this person. Keidis is remembering his close friend and is doing this by looking at him through a photograph. Also, when he says “How long will I slide”, I believe this is talking about how long will he keep doing this terrifying habit. He also refers to “slitting his throat” which may also prove this point.
I believe that Keidis is also at a constant struggle in this song. At the beginning he says “I don’t believe its bad” but that is the half of him that can’t fight the addiction. He realizes that his life is a very delicate thing (hence “Pour my life into a paper cup”) but he can’t find a way to get over his addiction to heroin. Also, this might be a little out there, but when he says “she wants to know if I’m still a slut” I think he is talking about the drug itself. He is saying that the heroin is metaphorically asking him if he is a slave to it still. He constantly keeps giving into the drug but afterwards he knows he should stop so he doesn’t end up like his former guitarist and deer friend.
The whole song is one big appeal to ethos. It is constantly appealing to Anthony Keidis’ emotions and is in return, making the listener feel the same way. This can be successfully done because the song is fairly slow and is at a nice and easy listening speed. I think this adds to the intensity of its meaning because it helps clarify the meaning of the song and allows the listener to hear and understand what is being said easier. The song also has a little appeal to ethos as well. Keidis knows what he is doing is wrong but he can’t find a way to fix the problem.
This song is a great song in my opinion. The music itself is good and the words and meaning just add to the songs “awesomeness”. I actually really enjoyed analyzing this song because I learned things about the song that I hadn’t really picked up on before. Just remember: Don’t do drugs!