Tuesday, April 4, 2006

Red Hot Chili Peppers “Dani California” released

Dani California

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Writer(s): Flea, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith (see lyrics here)

Released: April 4, 2006

First Charted: April 22, 2006

Peak: 6 BB, 24 RR, 5 A40, 1¹ AA, 1¹² AR, 1¹⁴ MR, 2 UK, 1² CN, 8 AU, 11 DF (Click for codes to charts.)

Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 1.2 UK, 7.34 world (includes US + UK)

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.40 radio, 423.01 video, 964.50 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

The Red Hot Chili Peppers formed in 1982 in Los Angeles. Only singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea have been consistent members since the beginning. They had a similar trajectory as contemporaries like U2, R.E.M., INXS, The Cure, and Depeche Mode in that they built an audience at college radio initially and graduated to monstrous mainsteam success by the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The Peppers had their greatest success in 1991 with their top-five, multi-platinum album Blood Sugar Sex Magik and its #2 hit “Under the Bridge.”

The group’s next four albums followed suit, all reaching the top five on the album chart and selling at least two million copies. 2006’s Stadium Arcadium found the group topping the album chart for the first time. The album’s lead single, “Dani California,” gave the group their third trip inside the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was their ninth chart topper on the alternative rock chart. It was only the second song (after R.E.M.’s “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?”) to debut at #1 on that chart. ^WK

The song relays the story of Dani, a poor girl born in Mississippi who moved to California, “became a mother and lived a hard, fast, unsettled life,” ^WK killed in the badlands by a North Dakota policeman. Kiedis said the character was “a composite of all the women with whom he has had relationships.” ^WK While unnamed at the time, the character of Dani firs appeared in the group’s 1999 song “Californication.” She was mentioned as “Dani the girl” in 2002’s “By the Way.” ^WK

Dan Gaffney and Jared Morris, radio talk show hosts in Delaware, asserted that “Dani California” plagiarized the 1993 hit “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. While there was some similarity, Petty himself said, “I seriously doubt that there is any negative intent there. And a lot of rock & roll songs sound alike.” ^WK

“Dani California” won two Grammys – for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.