"Californication" is a song by the American rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers from their seventh album, Californication (1999). Released as a single in June 2000, it reached number 69 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 16 on the UK Singles Chart, and number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts.
| "Californication" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Red Hot Chili Peppers | ||||
| from the album Californication | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | June 2000 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock[1] | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Rick Rubin | |||
| Red Hot Chili Peppers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Californication" on YouTube | ||||
Composition
The song begins in the key of A minor[2] with Frusciante picking the chords of Am and F for twelve measures, before picking the chords of C-G-F-Dm then going back and picking Am and F for 8 more measures before picking C-G-F-Dm again. For the pre-chorus Frusciante then strums a combination of Am and Fmaj7 chords for twelve measures, until the chorus when he strums the chords C-Gmaj7-Dm9-Am, then C-G-Dm9. It is notable for its sparse combination of guitar and bass notes in the main riff; Frusciante drew inspiration from "Carnage Visors" by The Cure.[3]
Music video
The video, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, takes the form of a fictional open world video game that depicts each of the band members on some sort of adventure in a California setting, particularly San Francisco and Los Angeles, which ends when the world is ravaged by an earthquake and the avatars are replaced by the live action band members. The music video for "Californication" is the group's most watched video on YouTube, having officially reached a billion views on December 5, 2022.[4]
Video game
On March 1, 2022, Spanish game developer Miquel Camps Orteza created a video game based on the song's music video. The player plays as one of the four band members. The game has seven different levels, each based on a scene from the music video. Orteza wrote, “I wanted to play that game so bad! It’s 2022 and I haven’t seen anyone made the game so I challenged myself to create it. I have selected some epic moments from the video and turned into 7 levels each one with different game mechanics, I hope you like this game."[5]
Critical reception
"Californication" was named the Red Hot Chili Peppers' best song by both Kerrang and Rolling Stone.[6][7]
Formats and track listings
CD single 1 9362 44907 2
- "Californication" – 5:21
- "I Could Have Lied" (Live) – 4:26
- "End of Show Brisbane" (Live) – 8:11
CD single 2 9362 44908 2
- "Californication" – 5:21
- "I Could Have Lied" (Live) – 4:26
- "End of Show State College" (Live) – 9:27
EP 9362 44872 2
- "Californication" – 5:21
- "End of Show Brisbane" (Live) – 8:11
- "I Could Have Lied" (Live) – 4:26
- "End of Show State College" (Live) – 9:27
Personnel
Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Anthony Kiedis – lead vocals
- John Frusciante – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards
- Flea – bass
- Chad Smith – drums
Charts
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[39] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[40] sales since 2009 | 2× Platinum | 100,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[41] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[42] | 6× Platinum | 6,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | June 2000 | CD | Warner Bros. | [16] |
| United States | June 13, 2000 | [43] | ||
| Japan | July 12, 2000 | CD | [44] | |
| United Kingdom | August 7, 2000 |
| [45] | |
| United States | September 11, 2000 | [46][47] | ||
| September 12, 2000 | Contemporary hit radio |