Say what you want about Red Hot Chilli Peppers, but Stadium Arcadium, to put it bluntly, is the shit. The album goes all over the music spectrum, with some songs like Hey, being sadder, more melodic ballads, compared to more up beat, funkier songs like Dani-California, as a general example.

I remember first getting this album as a Christmas present when I was 15, and I’ve loved this album ever since. Blasting it from my speakers then and still to this day. (Probably annoying flatmates and the unlucky person who lives below me, but it’s good music so put up or shutup right?)

Because I have listened to this album for so long, songs have taken on different meanings over the years, and as my music taste has developed, I’ve come to love this album more, noticing things like lyrics or guitar solos and constantly being blown away. This is still going on today. Yesterday, I put on especially in Michigan whilst going out for a cigarette, a song I enjoy but am not blown away by. I hadn’t listened to it for a while. It has a slow start which was always a turn off for me, but halfway through the song I started to notice all the echoes used to make the vocals sound more interesting and the sounds used on guitar and bass all done to make a more interesting song. It still isn’t my favourite song, but I can say I appreciate it more.

Hey is another good song for personal reasons, the lyrics are relatable in a non cringey, “oh woe is me” way. Its about realising that the person you love doesn’t love you anymore, and again, it works on so many levels. The lyrics, the harmonies on vocals and the blend of John Frusciante’s iconic guitar style and Flea’s somewhat restrained smooth bass line, work incredibly well, culminating in a blistering guitar solo, which just makes you sit back and think “dam.”

When an album means a lot to you, it takes on a whole new meaning- as Cliche as it sounds, it becomes part of you because you can sight so much about it. And that’s why Stadium Arcadium is on this blog.