The creative baggage of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers is rich in compositions, the lyrics of which raise many questions from listeners. Fans are scratching their heads trying to figure out what the authors had in mind, and they are not always in a hurry to explain what meaning they put into the songs. Such works of the group include Otherside, the fourth track from the seventh studio album RHCP.
The story of creation and the meaning of the song Otherside – RHCP
The song is interesting for its title. There is no word “otherside” in English, and the phrase “other side” can be translated as “other side”, “other edge”, “other shore” or something else. It would be possible to choose the most successful equivalent taking into account the context, but in this case it does not really help. It is possible that the phrase is written together solely for the sake of form, and not content.
Most Red Hot Chili Peppers fans believe that Otherside is about trying to quit drugs and the difficulties that come with it. This version seems the most likely, given that the members of the group know firsthand about such problems.
Some associate Otherside with the afterlife and Hillel Slovak, a former RHCP member who died of a heroin overdose. Others believe that this is a song about suicide. There are other interpretations of the text, but they seem too far-fetched and fantastic.
If you think you know what the Otherside song is about, share your interpretations of the meaning in the comments.
Release and achievements
The song Otherside was included on the band’s 2000 album Californication.
It was also released as a single that topped the US Modern Rock chart for thirteen weeks and peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Video of Otherside by Red Hot Chili Peppers
The music video for “Otherside” was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. This well-known marital directorial tandem collaborated with many rock bands.
The gothic style of the roller was inspired by the feature film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) by Robert Wiene.
Interesting Facts
- On the cover of the Otherside single, the title of the song is written backwards, so it is sometimes read that way.
Lyrics of Otherside by Red Hot Chili Peppers
chorus:
How long how long will I slide
Separate my side I don’t
I don’t believe it’s bad
Slit my throat
It’s all I ever
I heard your voice through a photograph
I thought it up and brought up the past
Once you’ve gone you can never go back
I’ve got to take it on the other side
Centuries are what it meant to me
A cemetery where I marry the sea
Stranger things could never change my mind
I’ve got to take it on the other side
Take it on
Take it on
Pour my life into a paper cup
The ashtray’s full and I’m spillin’ my guts
She wanna know am I still a girl?
I’ve got to take it on the other side
Scarlet starlet and she’s in my bed
A candidate for a soul mate
Push the trigger and pull the thread
I’ve got to take it on the other side
Take it on the other side
Take it on
Take it on
Turn me on take me for a hard ride
Burn me out leave me on the other side
I yell and tell it that
It’s not a friend
I tear it down I tear it down
And then it’s born again
How long I don’t believe it’s bad
Slit my throat
It’s all I ever
Otherside Lyrics by Red Hot Chili Peppers Alternate
Chorus:
How much, how much more will I slide
Leave me, I don’t…
I don’t think it’s bad
cut my throat
It’s all for me
I heard your voice through the photo
I thought it over and turned to the past
Once you’re gone you’ll never come back
I have to take it to the other side
Centuries is what it meant to me
The cemetery where I became engaged to the sea
And stranger things couldn’t make me change my mind
I have to take it to the other side
Take…
Take…
Pour my life into a paper cup
The ashtray is full and I’m telling you everything I know
She wants to know if I’m still so corrupt
I have to take it to the other side
she in my bed..
Bleeding contender for the role of a soulmate
Pull the trigger and break the thread
I have to take it to the other side
Take it to the other side
Take…
Take…
Turn me on, take me on a crazy ride
Burn me down, leave me on the other side
I yell and tell that
This is not a friend
I tear it to shreds, I tear it to shreds
And he reappears
How much more … I don’t think it’s bad
cut my throat
It’s all for me
