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Under the Bridge
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
RaitingSR
Supervision Recommended
Information
Released 1991
Genre Alternative
Language English
Source Downloadable song
also in Unplugged
Playable in
Rock Band
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 3
Rock Band Blitz
Difficulty
Band 0UFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlce
Basic Pro
Guitar 1FcircleUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlce 5FcircleFcircleFcircleFcircleFcircle
Bass 1FcircleUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlce 3FcircleFcircleFcircleUFCirlceUFCirlce
Drums 0UFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlce 0UFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlce
Keys NoNo Part NoNo Part
Vocals 3FcircleFcircleFcircleUFCirlceUFCirlce 3FcircleFcircleFcircleUFCirlceUFCirlce
Details
Male singer
Guitar Solo
3-part Harmonies



"Under the Bridge" is a song by Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was released as a Rock Band downloadable single and as part of the Blood Sugar Sex Magik album pack on September 30, 2008. A Pro Guitar upgrade for use in Rock Band 3 was released on November 22, 2011. As of September 30, 2013, this track and its Pro upgrade have been removed and are currently not available for purchase.

Lead singer Anthony Kiedis wrote this about his days as a heroin addict and the loneliness that went with it. The bridge mentioned in the song is a place where he sometimes went to buy drugs and get high. (Thanks, Laura - Newport, Wales)

This was the biggest hit for The Red Hot Chili Peppers, but it was not typical of their sound. This was a ballad, but most of their songs to that point were hard Rock or Funk. This was particularly challenging for Kiedis to sing during the Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour, but the Chili Peppers became comfortable with the sound and followed this up with more slower singles like "Soul to Squeeze" and "Breaking the Girl." (Thanks, Hillary - Seattle, WA)

Blood Sugar Sex Magik was the first album the band released for Warners Records. They were previously with EMI.

The band got a headlining slot on the 1992 Lollapalooza Tour when this became a hit. The gig greatly expanded their fan base and showcased their skills as a very energetic live band.

In 1990, after the death of his best friend and Hillel Slovak, Kiedis suddenly became afraid. He was sitting behind the wheel of his car and just began singing "sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner..." Slovak, who played guitar in the band, died of a drug overdose in 1988. (Thanks, Jenni - Bilbao, Spain)

This song was originally just a poem that Kiedis wrote. He didn't write it for the Chili Peppers - it was a very personal poem that he thought he might use somewhere else. Producer Rick Rubin found it in one of his notebooks and told Anthony that it could be a great song. At first, he didn't want to sing it or share it with anyone, but he eventually came around. (Thanks, Derek - Raleigh, NC)

Guitarist John Frusciante's mother sang backup on this along with 2 of her friends from church.

In his book Scar Tissue, Kiedis explained that he thought up the lyrics while he was driving from a session with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He was kind of sad because John Frusciante and Flea were getting closer as friends and Anthony was set apart from that, due to the fact that he was deeply involved with drugs. That's why he wrote, "Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner."

Kiedis also wrote of the song: "Under the Bridge... I started freestyling some poetry in my car and putting the words to a melody and sang all the way down the freeway. When I got home, I got out my notebook and wrote the whole thing down in a song structure, even though it was meant to be a poem to deal with my own anguish." (Thanks, Tiago - Santos, Brazil)

This song was partly inspired by "Desperado" by the Eagles. (Thanks, Ben - Menomonie, WI)

The music video was directed by Gus Van Sant, who went on to direct the movies Good Will Hunting and Finding Forester. The bridge in the video also appears in the "By The Way" video. (Thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

The song was covered in 1998 by UK girl band All Saints, where it was arguably changed to a run-of-the-mill love song. Notable changes were the line "City of Angels" to "City of cities," "I walk through her hills" to "I walk through his field" and a complete deletion of the last verse due to the drug references. It was released as a double A side with another cover, "Lady Marmalade," and reached #1 on the UK singles charts. The Yorkshire singer-songwriter Richard Hawley played guitar on the All-Saints version. (Thanks, Nicky - London, England)

In Weird Al Yankovic's "Bedrock Anthem" this song and music video is parodied in the beginning. It then switches to a parody of "Give It Away." (Thanks, Matthew - Concord, NH)

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Under_The_Bridge_by_Red_Hot_Chilli_Peppers_FBFC_-434 Under_the_Bridge_by_Red_Hot_Chili_Peppers_-_PRO_Full_Band_FC_-1485+ 12_-_98_Under_the_bridge_-_Rock_Band_Unplugged_-_Experto_100% Red_Hot_Chilli_Pepper_-_Under_the_Bridge_-_Rock_Band_Blitz_Playthrough_(5_Gold_Stars)
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