It started with a jacket. A movie star’s jacket, actually. Most people think Give It Away by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is just a frantic explosion of funk-metal energy or a nonsensical collection of rhymes about Bob Marley and "sixty-nine," but the DNA of the track is way more altruistic than the chaotic music video suggests. Anthony Kiedis was hanging out with Nina Hagen—the German punk singer—and he spotted a beautiful jacket in her closet. When he told her how much he liked it, she didn’t just say "thanks." She told him he had to take it. Her philosophy? If you have something great, you have to give it away to keep the good energy flowing in your life.
That one moment in a closet basically birthed a Grammy-winning anthem.
The song dropped in September 1991. If you remember that year, you know it was a seismic shift for music. Blood Sugar Sex Magik hit the shelves the same day as Nirvana’s Nevermind. It was a weird, loud, sweaty time for the Billboard charts. While Kurt Cobain was busy bringing angst to the masses, the Chili Peppers were busy perfecting a bridge between George Clinton’s P-Funk and the aggressive snap of 90s rock. Give It Away wasn’t just a hit; it was the moment the band stopped being a "college radio" curiosity and became a global powerhouse.
The Rick Rubin Effect and the "Dry" Sound
Before this album, the Peppers were drowning in 80s production. It was all big reverb, gated drums, and slick layers. Then came Rick Rubin. He moved the band into "The Mansion"—a supposedly haunted estate in Laurel Canyon—and stripped everything back.
Listen to the opening of Give It Away. There’s no fluff. It’s just Flea’s distorted bass line, which sounds like it’s growling directly into your ear canal. Flea actually wrote that bass line during a jam session with Chad Smith, and it’s arguably the most recognizable four bars in alternative rock history. Rubin’s genius was realizing that the band didn't need "polish." They needed space.
Chad Smith’s drumming on this track is a masterclass in restraint. He’s hitting hard, sure, but he’s staying in the pocket. He’s not overplaying. It creates this tension—this feeling that the song is a coiled spring ready to snap. John Frusciante, who was barely 21 at the time, added these jagged, scratchy guitar licks that felt like they were cutting through the rhythm section like a razor blade.
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The recording process was notoriously intense. They lived in that house. They slept there. They breathed the music. You can hear that intimacy in the track. It sounds like four guys in a room, not a digital construction. That’s why it still sounds fresh today. It doesn't have the dated "shiny" sound of other 1991 records.
Decoding the Lyrics: It’s Not Just Gibberish
Kiedis gets a lot of flak for his lyrical style. Critics love to joke that he just lists California landmarks and makes up words. Honestly? Sometimes he does. But with Give It Away, the message is surprisingly focused.
The chorus is a literal mantra. "Give it away, give it away, give it away now." It’s about the idea that hoarding your possessions, your love, or your talent eventually poisons you. It’s a Buddhist concept dressed up in baggy shorts and tube socks.
Key References in the Song:
- Bob Marley: "Bob Marley poet and a prophet." Kiedis was deeply influenced by Marley’s message of unity and "One Love."
- Sixty-nine: People assume this is a sexual reference. While the Peppers aren't exactly shy about that stuff, Kiedis has noted it’s also a nod to the year 1969—a pivotal time for the counterculture movement he admired.
- River Phoenix: The actor was a close friend of the band. The line "There's a river born to be a giver" is a direct tribute to him. It’s a bittersweet layer to a song that otherwise feels like a massive party.
There is a frantic energy to the delivery. Kiedis isn't really singing; he’s doing a rhythmic spoken-word performance that mimics the percussion. It’s a vocal style that bridged the gap between the burgeoning hip-hop scene and the rock world.
That Wild Music Video and the "Silver Man"
You cannot talk about Give It Away by the Red Hot Chili Peppers without talking about the video. Directed by Stéphane Sednaoui, it’s a black-and-white fever dream filmed in the California desert.
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It was cheap. It was weird. It was perfect.
The band was painted in silver acrylic paint. They wore ridiculous outfits—braids, horns, and skirts. The label actually hated it at first. They thought it was "too weird" for MTV. But they were wrong. The video became an aesthetic touchstone for the 90s. It used a specific camera technique where the film was shot at a different speed than the music, creating that jerky, hyper-energetic movement you see Kiedis doing.
It won two MTV Video Music Awards and basically cemented the band's visual identity as the "funky weirdos from LA." It proved that you didn't need a massive budget or a narrative storyline to make an impact. You just needed a desert, some silver paint, and a lot of jumping around.
Why the Radio Initially Rejected It
It’s hard to believe now, but Give It Away almost didn't happen on the radio. When the band’s label, Warner Bros., sent the song to a major rock station in Texas, the program director reportedly sent it back with a note saying, "Tell the band they can come back when they have a melody."
They thought it was too rhythmic. Too "rap."
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But the fans disagreed. The song started blowing up on modern rock stations like KROQ in Los Angeles. It eventually hit Number 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. It stayed there for weeks. It proved that the "alternative" sound was becoming the mainstream sound.
Technical Brilliance: The Outro
Let's talk about the ending. The song concludes with a chaotic, backwards-sounding guitar solo that feels like the whole track is folding in on itself. That’s Frusciante experimenting with tape loops and reverse tracking. It adds this psychedelic layer to an otherwise grounded funk song.
Most bands would have faded the song out on the chorus. The Peppers chose to end it with a sonic breakdown. It’s those little risks that separate a "hit" from a "classic."
Actionable Insights for Music Lovers and Creators
If you’re a musician or just someone who appreciates the history of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, there are a few "takeaways" (pun intended) from this track's success:
- Embrace the "Dry" Production: If you’re recording your own music, don't hide behind reverb. The impact of Give It Away comes from its clarity. Let the instruments breathe.
- Collaborate with a "Catcher": Every band needs a Rick Rubin—someone who can listen to a messy jam session and say, "That bass line right there is the hit."
- Visual Branding Matters: The "Silver Man" look of the video stayed in people's brains for decades. Don't be afraid to be visually "weird" if it feels authentic to the music.
- Lyrics Don't Always Need a Story: Sometimes, a song is about a feeling or a philosophy. You don't need a beginning, middle, and end if the mantra is strong enough.
To truly appreciate the track today, go back and listen to the remastered 20th-anniversary vinyl. The separation between Flea’s bass and Chad’s kick drum is a religious experience for anyone who loves low-end.
The song remains a staple of their live sets for a reason. It’s a physical manifestation of energy. Whether you're at a festival or just stuck in traffic, when that bass line kicks in, it’s impossible not to move. Give it away, indeed.