Soul to Squeeze

To be honest, I wasn't intending on making my next blog about this band, I had another one in mind, but I got caught up in one of my late night Youtube excursions and here I am now. I love this song, and I love this band (the Chili Peppers), much to the dismay of most of my musician friends. I can't really think of another band that is so controversial amongst me and my musician friends. I don't know if it's because they're so mainstream and that makes them uncool or whatever, but I don't care, they're still one of my favorites.



So, anyway, Soul to Squeeze is one of those songs I must have heard sometime in my youth and it always stuck in my brain, because when I first started getting into the Chili Peppers (which I remember being a very conscious decision before a high school jazz band performance at a basketball game... "I really want to find a new band to get into. Hmm, I like most of what I've heard from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Let's try this Blood Sugar Sex Magik!") that one didn't spring to mind. But very early on in my fandom, when I was still gathering their discography, Soul to Squeeze was always mentioned as a favorite amongst fans, so I listened to it and it instantly got to me, as if I'd heard it before (which I most likely had) and it brought me back to being a little kid.

This was recorded for the aformentioned Blood Sugar, but it ended up being rejected for the album because they didn't want it to be dragged down by too many soft songs (considering their previous four albums had NO soft songs) so it was demoted to B-side status, then John Frusciante left the band, then it was on the Coneheads soundtrack and became a hit, so they made a video (which is why John isn't in said video), etc.

Anyway, I love the way the bass and guitar parts work together. Flea and John are known for that, but this is one of the best examples of their chemistry. The bassline was probably one of his most subdued at that point but it is really melodic and still carries the song. At the risk of sounding like a pretentious dick, I think this is one of the songs that proved what a master he really is at his "craft" or whatever they say. And the guitar mostly strums the chords throughout but he always manages to still make it sound great instead of your average idiot playing through the Back in Black chords over and over. I like that organ that peeks through every so often also.

I also like how John just plays the vocal melody for the solo and yet it isn't tacky or some sort of anti-solo, like Smells Like Teen Spirit. In fact that solo and the bridge immediately afterward are my favorite parts of the song; it builds up to that point so well.

And I like the vocals. Anthony is an interesting sort because he can sometimes write some really wonderful things and sometimes he will write things that make me want to strangle him. But I love what he did with this song. And while I'm at it I like the drumbeat too, and the offbeat snare hit Chad does throughout the verses. So yes, I love everything about this song, even the "Doo doo doo doo dingle zing a dong bone Ba-di ba-da ba-zumba crunga cong gone bad" thing, whatever that means.

Where I go I just don't know
I got to got to gotta take it slow.
When I find my peace of mind
I'm gonna give you some of my good time.

It's bitter baby,
And it's very sweet.
I'm on a rollercoaster,
but I'm on my feet.
Take me to the river,
Let me on your shore.
I'll be coming back baby,
I'll be coming back for more.

Doo doo doo doo dingle zing a dong bone
Ba-di ba-da ba-zumba crunga cong gone bad

I could not forget
But I will not endeavor
Simple pleasures aren't as special
But I won't regret it never.


The Chili Peppers made a "documentary" about the making of Blood Sugar and there's a section showing the recording of the rhythm guitar and vocals. I didn't post it since it's basically a couple minutes of the song that you already heard. If you're interested you can look for it though. Haha.

As I always do, though, here are a million live versions for you. This band has some songs where I could listen to a million different live takes of it and still not be bored because of the millions of stages they've gone through over the decades, and this is one of them. Even though this song came out in 1991, as far I know they didn't start playing it live until 1998, when John Frusciante rejoined.

So here are a million different videos of them playing Soul to Squeeze. You don't have to watch them. In fact I'm glad you even read this far.

This one is from one of their first shows with John back in the band. They seem kind of uncomfortable playing it but the meekness is what I like about it.



More recent, 2006 I believe.



And in comparison to the first one, this is the last time they played it with the John lineup, in 2007. Not their last show with him but one of them. The mood for this one is a downer (like most of their last shows) but they tear it up in the solo, as the kids say.



Sorry for posting so many videos of this song, but I really love it. I wish I could have gotten to see them play it live...