The Student Room Group

Anthony Kiedis: Good lyrics/bad lyrics?

I'm personally of the opinion that the frontman of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a bit rubbish when it comes to writing lyrics. It seems that half of his songs contain meaningless phrases all jammed together with one bearing no relation to those which come before or after. Example:

'Three fingers in the honeycomb
You ring just like a xylophone
Devoted to the chromosome
The day that you left home'

The other half are littered with words ending in 'tion', which just isn't clever at all.

'It's my favorite combination
Comin' down with the favored nations
Deep rotation, mutilation
Learn to give and take dictation'

I'm not denying the greatness of their songwriting ability, i'm just commenting on the fact that Kiedis writes like a small child. Am I the only one?

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Reply 1
I agree. I always thought that his lyrics were pretty sh*t.
Reply 2
Everything always seems to be about some crappy American States. ^o)
Reply 3
rhcp ripped off tom petty so much with dani california
Reply 4
They SOUND good when hearing them, but when you read them up after your thinking "wtf how does he come up with this stuff?!"
Lyrically they're far from great, but I do still love the RHCP. As for the Dani Cali / Tom Petty quip - that's just rubbish.
You have to love Around the World:

'All around the world
We could make time
Rompin' and a-stompin'
'cause I'm in my prime'

'I know I know for sure
ning, nang, nong, nong, neng, neng, nong, nong, ning, nang.
I know I know it's you
ning, nang, nong, nong, neng, neng, nong, nong, ning, nang.'

Classic

But yeah he uses names of states way to much, bet he hasn't used Arkansas tho lol.
Reply 7
If they mean something to him, need they mean anything to anyone else?
Reply 8
not brilliant, no, but I'm a massive fan. Dani California sounds nothing like that song, by the way. They're not always poor, anyway, you're choosing some particularly bad examples. The last couple of albums have been better lyrically, i think. An excuse for the early albums is the heroin. Yertle the turtle and funky monks spring to mind :biggrin:
If the words:

"Life is my friend
Rake it up to take it in
Wrap me in your cinnamon
Especially in Michigan"

Mean something special to him. Fair dues, it's meaningful to him. But it doesn't mean I don't think he's a moron for penning such crap.
Bad.

His lyrical ineptitude is exceeded only by the band's general crapiness.
Reply 11
Yep, he does have an amazing talent for penning utter gibberish.

Which can't be good, combined with the fact that his band hasn't released a good album in over a decade.
Reply 12
I'll always love BSSM (album) they have some great lyrics. What's not to like:

Every woman
Has a piece of Aphrodite
Copulate to create
A state of sexual light
Kissing her virginity
My affinity
I mingle with the gods
I mingle with divinity

Blood sugar baby
She's magik
Sex magik sex magik
Blood sugar baby
She's magik
Sex magik sex magik
Blood sugar crazy
She has it
Sex magik sex magik
Blood sugar baby
She's magik
Sex magik sex magik

Glorious euphoria
Is my must
Erotic shock
Is a function of lust
Temporarily blind
Dimensions to discover
In time
Each into the other
Uncontrollable notes
From her snowwhite throat
Fill a space
In which two bodies float
Operatic by voice
A fanatic by choice
Aromatic is the flower
She must be moist
Apparently they are the ones who will make you feel better...
Reply 14
lala_land
They SOUND good when hearing them, but when you read them up after your thinking "wtf how does he come up with this stuff?!"


hahaha yeah i agree
He's a pretty bad singer to boot.
Reply 16
blissy
I'll always love BSSM (album) they have some great lyrics. What's not to like:

Every woman
Has a piece of Aphrodite
Copulate to create
A state of sexual light
Kissing her virginity
My affinity
I mingle with the gods
I mingle with divinity

Blood sugar baby
She's magik
Sex magik sex magik
Blood sugar baby
She's magik
Sex magik sex magik
Blood sugar crazy
She has it
Sex magik sex magik
Blood sugar baby
She's magik
Sex magik sex magik

Glorious euphoria
Is my must
Erotic shock
Is a function of lust
Temporarily blind
Dimensions to discover
In time
Each into the other
Uncontrollable notes
From her snowwhite throat
Fill a space
In which two bodies float
Operatic by voice
A fanatic by choice
Aromatic is the flower
She must be moist



I can't tell if you're being sarcastic here. These lyrics seem to be as good an example of his uselessness as any.

I must say, from the rest of the thread, that i'm relieved to see i'm not the only one with these thoughts though!

Additionally, I think Flea and Chad Smith are both overrated. I've never heard anything particularly daring from Smith on the skins, and Flea with the bass...well who the ***** can't play bass?

Frusciante's not bad though.
Reply 17
But at the end of the day who cares about lyrics as long as it all sounds good?
Reply 18
Caster Troy2
He's a pretty bad singer to boot.

no hes not!
theres worse singers out there


lala_land
But at the end of the day who cares about lyrics as long as it all sounds good?


true
Reply 19
lala_land
But at the end of the day who cares about lyrics as long as it all sounds good?



If I'm listening to music which is ruined with bad lyrics, I immediately assume that I'm intellectually superior to the lyricist and no longer respect him. From this point, everything the band produces becomes annoying as I feel embarrassed listening to the ramblings of stupid people. Music is about entertainment, and it doesn't seem right to allow intellectually inferior people to try to entertain me, this would be lowering myself.

Thus, lyrics matter.