When the Red Hot Chili Peppers write a song, chances are it’ll be about one of a few things: sex, California or, in the case of the infamous/awesome track “Sir Psycho Sexy,” satanic boners. Okay, so maybe the jury’s still out on their songwriting, but I don’t believe there are many artists who capture California as effortlessly and as beautifully as the Chili Peppers do. I still remember the first time I put on “Under the Bridge” — off their terrific album Blood Sugar Sex Magik — as a 13–year–old, just as I was beginning to get in touch with my hometown of Los Angeles. On that generally funk–tastic album, “Bridge” is a wrenching ode to life, love and death in L.A. Its gentle chords and moving narrative provided the ideal musical context for me to begin my teenage life in that wonderfully complicated city. It can still transport me from the urban jungle of Philly to the hills and palm trees of L.A., and still manages to hit me hard (especially if I’ve had a drink or two). Say what you will about the Peppers’ latest efforts, but I — and many others — will cherish this music for a long, long time.
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