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Red Hot Chili Peppers — Under The Bridge
Album: Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Avg rating:
7.6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 3283









Released: 1991
Length: 4:22
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner
Sometimes I feel like my only friend
Is the city I live in
The city of angels
Lonely as I am
Together we cry

I drive on her streets 'cause
She's my companion
I walk through her hills 'cause
She knows who I am
She sees my good deeds and
She kisses me windy
Well I never worry, now that is a lie

And I don't ever want to feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way
Well I don't ever want to feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way, yeah
Yeah, yeah

It's hard to believe that
There's nobody out there
It's hard to believe
That I'm all alone
At least I have her love
The city, she loves me
Lonely as I am, together we cry

Well I don't ever want to feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way
Well I don't ever want to feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Oh, no, no, no, yeah, yeah
Love me, I said, yeah, yeah

One time

Under the bridge downtown
Is where I drew some blood
Under the bridge downtown
I could not get enough
Under the bridge downtown
Forgot about my love
Under the bridge downtown
I gave my life away, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, no, no, no, yeah, yeah
Love me, I said, yeah, yeah
Will I stay?
Comments (279)add comment
 philonair wrote:



It is not only the bass that makes this song. It is everything: Funky Guitar, Good drumming and the voice of Anthony Kiedis. I remember i was 16 when this came out. It was the great time of MTV and the video was played each day for months. But i can say i haven´t overheard this! For me it is a solid 9!


His voice may not be perfect but it does sound clear and distinctive. 
I liked them since they were a punk band. When this song came out I became obsessed with their music!
Bill just told me this is a love song. Never thought of it that way before. But, yeah, I can see it... 
IMO RHCP haters should all go see them live.
That would convert them - ALL of them....
 tinypriest wrote:


What the fuck are you assholes talking  about? If you don't get this song then don't comment. Comment on stuff you get; we'll all be cool with positive constructive. Not so much with clueless  tin-eared myopia with posts meant for another platform. Sorry, I pay to hear these beautiful mixes, so no patience for dolts with no taste. Have a day.

Hi Tiny, 

I was mostly talking about "Californication" the TV series starring David Duchovny. Super sorry if that was too hard for you to comprehend. Are we not allowed to discuss things besides the songs in tinypriestworld? Help me understand, babe...

As for this RHCP song--I get it! It sucks! You can have my share of its dani California goodness, bro. If you don't like our negative responses to this song, don't read 'em. The world will still spin regardless. 
 joko63808 wrote:

2 -> 1. Hate it.

Skip.



2 -> 1. Hate it.
 kcar wrote:

This is one my few "1" ratings. I guess people love it or hate it. 

"Californiacation" the series was beautifully done the first two seasons. IIRC seasons 3 and 4 turned into a screenwriter's wet dream--still quite entertaining though. The show might have lasted a bit too long but overall it was a great love story and a rake's stumbling progress. 


What the fuck are you assholes talking  about? If you don't get this song then don't comment. Comment on stuff you get; we'll all be cool with positive constructive. Not so much with clueless  tin-eared myopia with posts meant for another platform. Sorry, I pay to hear these beautiful mixes, so no patience for dolts with no taste. Have a day.
 unclehud wrote:

Gotta agree.  I like Californication, but only because of the SHO series.

This is one my few "1" ratings. I guess people love it or hate it. 

"Californiacation" the series was beautifully done the first two seasons. IIRC seasons 3 and 4 turned into a screenwriter's wet dream--still quite entertaining though. The show might have lasted a bit too long but overall it was a great love story and a rake's stumbling progress. 
Show ontem em Porto Alegre, Brasil.  Foi histórico, 55 mil pessoas .
I haven't felt the need to listen to RHCP in a long time, but I'll be damned if I don't stop what I'm doing when this comes on. This song is musically sublime. The guitar tone, specifically in the intro, might be the most perfect and well recorded of all time. 

I, too, remember when this song was new. I was a kid, and my friends and I were just transfixed by the song and music video. It felt "big." It still sounds so fresh.
 philonair wrote:



It is not only the bass that makes this song. It is everything: Funky Guitar, Good drumming and the voice of Anthony Kiedis. I remember i was 16 when this came out. It was the great time of MTV and the video was played each day for months. But i can say i haven´t overheard this! For me it is a solid 9!

And don't forget the Producer credits!!  Rick Rubin is amazing at getting artists to give exactly what's needed to make an album theirs.  Plus the story for this song is so very personal, which made Kiedis almost embarrassed to share with the group, and I think Mr. Rubin gets the credit for getting this on the album.  Long Live RP and staying away from being under-the-bridge!!
 pfreet wrote:

I just don't get it. Why do people like this song? In heavy rotation and wearing out the PSD button. 


Gotta agree.  I like Californication, but only because of the SHO series.
 paloeguevo wrote:

What a genius Josh Frusciante is.  A great album from top to bottom. 





Are you serious, or are you joshin' us?
 pfreet wrote:

I just don't get it. Why do people like this song? In heavy rotation and wearing out the PSD button. 


Agreed. The Peppers have made so much music, some of it brilliant. I'd be willing to provide a list.

I just don't get it. Why do people like this song? In heavy rotation and wearing out the PSD button. 
I love that you throw in Alt 90's nostalgia once in a while. This song was a bitchen 10 and always will be!  
 deniseperry wrote:

Just checked release date of this. Nearly 30 years ago. How can that be?



Sometimes mediocrity just won't go away...
 idiot_wind wrote:

It's Flea's bass that makes this song.




It is not only the bass that makes this song. It is everything: Funky Guitar, Good drumming and the voice of Anthony Kiedis. I remember i was 16 when this came out. It was the great time of MTV and the video was played each day for months. But i can say i haven´t overheard this! For me it is a solid 9!
Just checked release date of this. Nearly 30 years ago. How can that be?
Enjoying this classic, after being a bit less than satisfied with the new tracks.
I can never forget that in spring of '99, for the second time in two years I took a wonderful group of Japanese high school girls who were private students at my school in Ishikawa for an audaciously rad and fun play/ study tour... We stayed in a posh beachfront condo at Seal Beach, and I showed them everything from Malibu and Catalina to the desert of Palm Springs and the snows of Mt. San Jacinto; even took them to The Grand Canyon and San Francisco... The first full day, as we were heading up to hang out at my architect buddy John "Shadoobie"'s incredible place atop Workman Hill, above Hacienda Heights, THIS came over the radio in the big Chevy van that I was driving, AND WE ALL SANG ALONG. Such an indelible, priceless, masterpiece memory -- thanks, RHCP and RP!
Too much local radio play...
In the 1990s whoever guessed that this would become an absolute staple of classic rock.  Obviously we knew it was good back then but it was hard to guess in 30 years it would be a song everyone knows (except the kids that are only into BTS and Pentatonix).
Their best album, by far.   Cannot believe it’s 30 y.o.
 idiot_wind wrote:

It's Flea's bass that makes this song.



It's Flea's bass that makes this band. No-one else.
I'm not a big RHCP fan but I still remember in 1991 when I heard this song for the first time. It sure got my attention.
RHCP is hit or miss for me. This is a HIT!
What a genius Josh Frusciante is.  A great album from top to bottom. 



Heart ripping; simple raw images; quintessential LA
From 8 to 9
 h8rhater wrote:

Hipster alert!!  This guy loved RHCP before they were popular.  Probably when they played in his friend's basement in Encino.  


Which would have been very cool. 
this is such a classic piece
 blotto wrote:
Holy shit this is from 1991? 20 years old already. Wow.
One of the best songs ever.
 

30 years now. Feel old yet?
It's Flea's bass that makes this song.
 ExploitingChaos wrote:
Lots of talk about Kiedis, not enough about Frusciante
 

The bass player is not too bad either.
Band members mothers on back vocals.
 ExploitingChaos wrote:
Lots of talk about Kiedis, not enough about Frusciante
 

and Chad Smith 
 h8rhater wrote:

Hipster alert!!  This guy loved RHCP before they were popular.  Probably when they played in his friend's basement in Encino.  
 
Nope, I'm from Florida.  I stand by my original statement.  Thanks for the comment, however.  
 blotto wrote:

Holy shit, and now it is 8 years in the future and it is 28 years old, but still awesome
 

Hello, I am from the future. It is now 29 and holding - excellent song.
Always loved this song, in particular the beautifully surreal Disney/Wizard of Oz background choir. * A couple of years ago, after having not heard this cut in a long while, we suddenly realized the server at the butterfly sanctuary in Deerfield, Mass was whistling it while bringing out the breakfast orders. This one gets into your psyche, gestates, comes out when it's good and ready, to the pleasure of those fortunate enough to be around to hear it. Always a nice one to revisit. 
 SpencerAR wrote:
Good song, but overplayed in my brain due to my being subjected to the NYC market FM radio stations for so long.
 /agree to both points. Really a great song (phenomenal album) it's not the song's fault that FM radio, MTV and VH1 beat it to freakin' death in the mid-90s.
Thank you, for this escape, stay safe. 
Good song, but overplayed in my brain due to my being subjected to the NYC market FM radio stations for so long.
I remember vividly the first time I heard this song.  It was being played by a band in my high school.  Colby Hall was singing it and he was doing pretty well.  I was a freshman.  1992-1993.  I was sitting next to Ginger Isom.  She was looking real good.  Of course I never let on that I thought so.
One of the BEST live shows I've ever seen. After they performed; show was over imo. Forget the Stones, RHCP blew them out of the water. Red HOT is right!
Simply put, this is a 9 for me.  Long Live RP!!
I grew up in a city, but I'm not a city person - much happier to be in small, rural places now.  Still, it's captivating to hear someone sing about connecting with the soul of a city the way many folk singers talk about the natural landscape. 

The guitar work in the first half is brilliant - carries the song. I used to play with guys who were big Frusciante fans. As one of them said, "He just makes really awesome decisions". 
 blotto wrote:
Holy shit this is from 1991? 20 years old already. Wow.
One of the best songs ever.
 
Holy shit, and now it is 8 years in the future and it is 28 years old, but still awesome
This album is in my all time top 5.
 jelgator wrote:
I could happily live the rest of my life without ever hearing this song again.  And I loved the first few RHCP albums, until this one came out.  Bleah.
 
Hipster alert!!  This guy loved RHCP before they were popular.  Probably when they played in his friend's basement in Encino.  
Lots of talk about Kiedis, not enough about Frusciante
I dunno.  Musically it feels clumsy.  Not their finest work, IMO
I could happily live the rest of my life without ever hearing this song again.  And I loved the first few RHCP albums, until this one came out.  Bleah.
Haven't thought about this one in quite awhile. A Masterpiece really. Something entirely original
 maxmox wrote:
Art_Carnage wrote:
She sees my good deeds And she kisses me windy What the....? I do not want to know what body part he calls his "windy".
She blows him a kiss?
 
Duh!  Thanks maxmox.
I never understood why they were allowed to make a living producing music, but hey it's capitalism.  I guess enough people for some inexplicable reason like them, but then again Lady GaGa's bank account is pretty healthy too.

This song is soooo sublime and beautiful...  love it...
 
This is the most boring song the Peppers have ever done.
Not a RHCP fan, but I will always love this song.  
 nicolewe wrote:
I gave this song an 8 because it's a classic RHCP song, and I like Anthony, but it is overplayed on the radio and I'd rather not hear it on RP.{#Ass}

 
Two plays in the last 30 days is fine with me, but I agree back in the day the radio stations run it into the ground a bit.  Up from a 7 to an 8!  Just cuz I seen it live at Lollapalooza when it was still fresh. {#Ass}
I gave this song an 8 because it's a classic RHCP song, and I like Anthony, but it is overplayed on the radio and I'd rather not hear it on RP.{#Ass}
 akiml wrote:
annoying song from an annoying band

 
agreed
inneresting comments about this song - thanks bill
that's why i listen to rp radio paradise oh and the music
 {#Yes}SinisterDexter wrote:
Reaaaaaaaly tired of this song.
 



marvelous...
 
Wonder how many bought this album based on this song.  The rest of the album was quite different.

I liked this one, though...both then and now. 


Everybody in my church loves this song...

 
This is a frickin' awesome song. Get over your over-rated selves.
'Sok
annoying song from an annoying band
Lots of debate about Kiedis' vocals.  Blah blah blah.
Can't we all just agree that Frusciante's guitar work is impeccable? 
Speaking about down and out, dancing on the edge of a full tilt addiction. Dreams of a better life wrestling with dreams from needles and bottles... I guess we all have felt that edge at some point. Some fell over, some never got quite that close, and some never knew, never saw and never realized how human are we all...
Nice!
{#Clap}  {#Clap}  {#Clap}
 lemmoth wrote:

"Screech of grating metal."   ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND.  THIS SONG IS BRILLIANT.  IT DID NOT MORPH INTO CRAP BY VIRTUE OF THOUSANDS OF RADIO AIRPLAY.

 


No, airplay didn't kill it. The fact that Anthony blatantly can't sing did. Let's face it...the guy hits wrong notes more than he hit right ones. I can only listen to a few Chili Pep songs in a row before I am running to hit the mute button.
Anthony can rap, and he's better with yelling in a rock song. Ballands are NOT his strong point.
 kingart wrote:
This one was just WAY overplayed on FM. As such, after the 4,000th or whatever broadcast revolution, a decent song became pretentious and about as welcome as the screech of grating metal. It's the first time I've heard it on RP, and in 30 seconds got the mute key treatment. 
 
"Screech of grating metal."   ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND.  THIS SONG IS BRILLIANT.  IT DID NOT MORPH INTO CRAP BY VIRTUE OF THOUSANDS OF RADIO AIRPLAY.

 jnesser wrote:
Horribly overplayed on the radio. Makes me never want to hear it again! Too bad radio does that to so many songs.
 

I simply fail to understand the logic of "it was overplayed too much back in the day by terrestial radio, I don't want to hear it on RP now."

A great freaking song is a great freaking song and now..... on RP..... we only hear it .... if its an older classic,,,, maybe twice a month, if we are lucky enough to be tuning in.   And when I hear this song on this frequency (two meanings) I am reminded about what a freaking great song it truly is .... not was.... is.
So.. all those that have said it is soo overplayed.. are you all from USA by any chance? 

We in the rest of the world... quite like to hear tunes like this which are not overplayed here.

I guess it is just a case of what stations you are/were listening to. 
fetzig guter sound  !!
 jnesser wrote:
Horribly overplayed on the radio. Makes me never want to hear it again! Too bad radio does that to so many songs.
 

x2
 jnesser wrote:
Horribly overplayed on the radio. Makes me never want to hear it again! Too bad radio does that to so many songs.
 
Agreed.  Not the strongest cut off this album, either.  But the best cuts were probably too rap-like or too vulgar for mainstream radio (at least where I was when it came out)
Horribly overplayed on the radio. Makes me never want to hear it again! Too bad radio does that to so many songs.
This one was just WAY overplayed on FM. As such, after the 4,000th or whatever broadcast revolution, a decent song became pretentious and about as welcome as the screech of grating metal. It's the first time I've heard it on RP, and in 30 seconds got the mute key treatment. 
 dwhayslett wrote:

Two thoughts ... since he sings it pretty much the same way in each chorus, it's unlikely that this is a "screw up".  You might not like his choice, but that doesn't mean it was some sort of mistake.  And as I've said elsewhere, if you're looking for absolute tonal precision in your music, you're probably in the wrong place, and/or listening to the wrong genre of music.
 
Not looking for absolute perfection. I like many artists that fall into the category of 'somewhat flawed'...nowadays in the studio, artists choose to do a 'take' and then copy and paste it for the rest of the tune where the chorus is...which probably saves time, money and effort. When someone sings out of key or flat or sharp...it isn't really up for debate. It's a fact that one is on pitch or not. The variable is in the listener...and their ability to decipher such. I love all kinds of music including much of RHCP...just the singing on this tune isn't very well done. I'm not looking for opera or any such 'trained' or 'perfection'. Simply stating the truth. I wasn't attacking anyone's preferences or anything. Interesting that no one seems to feel inclined to 'speak up' when someone posts positive things about something they agree with...but when someone has a contrary thought about something, it gets construed as an attack. 
Anthony SO can't sing. Every wrong note is nails on chalkboard.
I still like this song, but really wish RHCP could make a song that's NOT about California...
 blotto wrote:
Definitely one of my top 5 albums of all time. This whole album is an 11
 
It's well crafted and unlike so much downloadable music now, should be listened as a whole entity. Like Joe's Garage. 
A friend was just on a flight with the band and said Anthony Keidas was very polite and talked to him for a while about the early days, when they used to play record store parking lots.  
I like this song :) Brings up old memories.

Reaaaaaaaly tired of this song.
 Art_Carnage wrote:
"She kisses me windy"

WTF??

 

I am so totally wanting to explain ... but I resist the impulse
i hate to be a hater, but i hate this song.
there are soooooo many good songs on this album...please play a different one. 
snooze.....
This was a very fun summer album, for that one summer, now....eh...don't really need to hear it anymore.
"She kisses me windy"

WTF??

 GRVMPY wrote:
One of the few times I have to hit mute.
 
Any idea where the "-10" button is? Not my cuppa. 


The whole album is Magic!
Holy shit this is from 1991? 20 years old already. Wow.
One of the best songs ever.
Brings me back to my high school days. I grew to hate this song bc it was SO overplayed. Now it's nice to here it rarely played and is a bit refreshing. Thanks RP!!
If you don't dig the Chilies that's cool, but I seem to recall that it was the Jane's Addiction album and then BSSM that blew open thew doors for all the other alternative and grunge rockers that came later. Have to give them some props for being original and growing musically after all these years.
This and the cover of Higher Ground brought the Peppers home to me.

Fantastic and unique band.
 ziakut wrote:
Anthony Kiedis does a perfect job at screwing up the pitch on the words "feel" and "love" in the chorus. Oh so beautifully sharp on those. It's a real dinger. Hard to listen to that when it happens.  Hard to believe that this is acceptable. Being a-tonal is not something I value much. The rest of the tune is pretty good. I like other tracks off of this album better.

 
Two thoughts ... since he sings it pretty much the same way in each chorus, it's unlikely that this is a "screw up".  You might not like his choice, but that doesn't mean it was some sort of mistake.  And as I've said elsewhere, if you're looking for absolute tonal precision in your music, you're probably in the wrong place, and/or listening to the wrong genre of music.

Definitely one of my top 5 albums of all time. This whole album is an 11
 nicolewe wrote:
Way overplayed..
 
+1
 nicolewe wrote:
Way overplayed..
 
Sadly.  I got the CD before this became a big radio hit in NYC.  Therefore, I got to know the tune on my own accord before it was overplayed.  This is probably my favorite RHCP cd but I do love the early stuff (Uplift Mofo Party Plan, Freakey Stylie).  Too bad they're soooooo far removed from that style and feel now.  They are older and wiser now, I guess.  Their music can no longer be the product of that earlier lifestyle. 

One of the few times I have to hit mute.
I'll take a little imperfection in my pop music vocals before I'll ever accept auto-tuning to save one's butt to be dead on pitch like a robot.

 
ziakut wrote:
Anthony Kiedis does a perfect job at screwing up the pitch on the words "feel" and "love" in the chorus. Oh so beautifully sharp on those. It's a real dinger. Hard to listen to that when it happens.  Hard to believe that this is acceptable. Being a-tonal is not something I value much. The rest of the tune is pretty good. I like other tracks off of this album better.

 

 lemmoth wrote:
It may be their most popular song and way overplayed,  but it is still a great song and a wonderful performance by the band.
 
i agree. i'm sick of it from radio-overplay but i have to acknowledge that it's a pretty fantastic song

Radio-friendly unit shifter.
If I never hear this again, that would be fine.
It may be their most popular song and way overplayed,  but it is still a great song and a wonderful performance by the band.
 ziakut wrote:
Anthony Kiedis does a perfect job at screwing up the pitch on the words "feel" and "love" in the chorus. Oh so beautifully sharp on those. It's a real dinger. Hard to listen to that when it happens.  Hard to believe that this is acceptable. Being a-tonal is not something I value much. The rest of the tune is pretty good. I like other tracks off of this album better.

  
Jeez, loosen up a little - it's a first-person recollection about shooting heroin - not an opera performance.
I guess there are cases where an out-of-pitch warble gets to me - but I don't detect any "real dinger"s on this tune.  I imagine we all hear different things.
{#Meditate}

Way overplayed..
Anthony Kiedis does a perfect job at screwing up the pitch on the words "feel" and "love" in the chorus. Oh so beautifully sharp on those. It's a real dinger. Hard to listen to that when it happens.  Hard to believe that this is acceptable. Being a-tonal is not something I value much. The rest of the tune is pretty good. I like other tracks off of this album better.

Well it got overplayed (by myself, mostly), but when you haven't heard it in ages - as I haven't - and it suddenly comes on, it really hits the spot.

{#Cool} 
Damn!
My favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers song, by far.  I love the way the vocal line and the guitar interact.

This set this morning is nothing but awesome, Bill!

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge
Big Brother And The Holding Company - Piece Of
The The - Dogs of Lust

{#Bananajam}


 romeotuma wrote:


What do you care?  What I say has absolutely nothing to do with you...  stick your nose up your own butt...
 
lol....that's different.   Go RT!

This song stirs so many positive memories for me and always gets me singing.
Going to check to see if I still have this cd and give it a listen.
 wrangler wrote:
no, no, no.  no thanks.
i listen to radio paradise to get away from top 40 drivel like this. 
 
Oddly enough, I'm not so sure this was ever intended to be a "hit" when it was written & recorded.  Who knows.  Listen to the rest of this album...their magnum opus, me thinks.  The interplay between Frusciante's guitar licks, Flea's bass lines, and Chad's drum work bring me back to this CD on a regular basis.