By the Way (Red Hot Chili Peppers song)

"By the Way"
Single by Red Hot Chili Peppers
from the album By the Way
B-side
  • "Time"
  • "Teenager in Love"
ReleasedJune 10, 2002 (2002-06-10)
Genre
Length3:37
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Rick Rubin
Red Hot Chili Peppers singles chronology
"Road Trippin'"
(2000) 		"By the Way"
(2002) 		"The Zephyr Song"
(2002)
Music video
"By the Way" on YouTube

"By the Way" is a song by American funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. It is the title track and first single released from the band's eighth studio album of the same name (2002), on June 10, 2002. The song was the band's sixth number-one hit on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and spent seven weeks at number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Internationally, the song reached number two in the United Kingdom, becoming the band's highest-peaking single there alongside "Dani California", and peaked atop the Italian Singles Chart.

Regarding its release, guitarist John Frusciante noted: "It wasn't really our decision to put that song out first, but our managers thought it was an exciting song and their enthusiasm convinced us. I guess they thought that it combined the wild part of our sound with the melodic part of our sound."[4] Vocalist Anthony Kiedis elaborated: "I thought that single was an über-bombastic assault of non-commercialism. For it to be so well-received [in the United Kingdom] was shocking to me, but thrilling at the same time."[4]

The song was featured in the segment at the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony of the handover from Paris to Los Angeles 2028.

  1. ^ "10 Essential Red Hot Chili Peppers Songs | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum". Rockhall.com. April 15, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  2. ^ Michael Gallucci (March 2, 2013). "Top 10 Alt-Rock Videos From 2002". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  3. ^ Loudwire Staff (October 2, 2020). "The 66 Best Hard Rock Songs of the 21st Century". Loudwire. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Kerrang! Yearbook (2002), pg.25