Warlocks by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Album: Stadium Arcadium (2006)

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Songfacts®:

A warlock is the male equivalent of a witch, and implies someone with mystical and magic powers. This song seems to be about the power of music, complete with references to artists the Red Hot Chili Peppers admire. Here are some possibilities:

"Subterranean" - "Subterranean Homesick Blues" by Bob Dylan.
"Jane" - The band Jane's Addiction.
"Blow By Blow" - An album by Jeff Beck
"Santa Monica" - A song by Everclear.
Beatlemania - a Beatles reference.
Uncle Weezer - the band Weezer.
Billy Preston played clavinet on this song, and sadly it was the last song he played on before dying of kidney failure in 2006. Preston was an innovative keyboard player who performed with The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Little Richard, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Sam Cooke and many others in addition to his solo work. He was best known for his work with The Beatles, and became the only non-Beatle to receive a credit on one of their songs when he contributed to "Get Back." His appearance on this song is appropriate, as Preston represents the music the Chili Peppers are embracing. They make reference to Preston and The Beatles with the line, "A little Beatlemania when I can." >>>
Suggestion credit:
Bertrand - Paris, France
The line, "I got a rockapotamus in my hand," is a reference to the Chili Peppers' fan club, Rockinfreakinpotamus. Their song "Good Time Boys" also makes reference to it. >>>
Suggestion credit:
Bert - Pueblo, NM
According to Frusciante, this tune is a looser brand of funk akin to the 1972 Funkadelic album, America Eats Its Young. Flea wanted a rougher sound and was worried it was too smooth the more they worked on it, so they ended up using an earlier take that had a harder edge.
In the album commentary, Kiedis said this is about the highs and lows of show business in Los Angeles. The character in the song is experiencing the low end. "This character is so beautiful and perfect to begin with, but she sort of feels the need to be validated by that world," he explained. "And really, you know, she's already been validated by the big amigo in the sky."
The Red Hot Chili Peppers had been together since 1983 and released eight studio albums before dropping their first chart-topping release, Stadium Arcadium. A huge success, it was a triple-Platinum seller (three million copies) and a multiple-Grammy winner, including Best Rock Album. After the grueling tour that followed, the band took an extended hiatus until reuniting in 2009 - without guitarist John Frusciante - to start work on their next album, I'm With You.
The lyrics reference Brigitte Bardot, a popular French actress and singer of the '50s and '60s. She sang several duets with Serge Gainsbourg, including the quirky 1968 tune "Comic Strip."

Comments: 7

Kyle from Tolland, Ctif this is a tribute to the power and growth of music, then the warlock probably refers to the grateful dead. they were known as the warlocks before they became the grateful dead. also, the line about Jane could also refer to "sweet jane" by the velvet underground instead of jane's addiction. oh and tupelo is the town elvis was born in.
Patrick from Raytown, MoA bit of a correction. Male witches are simply witches, the same as females. "Warlock" is a term which means "oath breaker". A witch, male or female, can become warlocked by revealing coven secrets, tricks of the trade, so to speak. It is a term of dishonor, and not a name for a male witch.
Kris from Bay City, Mi( Ring side and blow by blow another main event at the old rainbow)is a reference to when he would go with blackie/ his dad too the rainbow club in LA and do lines of coke with his dad and his dads friends ringside
Kria C. from Skagland, SlovakiaYeah, let's shoot everyone who thinks the Chili's sold out because IMO this is their best album to date (Mother's Milk being a close second)
Alex from Boucherville (montreal), QcAm I the only one but this song kinda seems related to drugs? It's a free interpretation, but "Every night I go looking for you, everyone in the world adores you, little pocket of something kind" the Blow by Blow thing, the psychedelic and absurd lyrics, and if we know about Kiedis addictions, it seems logical that it could be about drugs, yeah... altough "power of music" (whatever it means) can be related to drugs effect, like love or anything in the world, if we do a little imagination effort.
Grayson from Cleveland, Ohvery funky song. no way they sold out
Nicole from Chicago, IlIt really bugs me when people act like the Chili Peppers "sold out" on this album, because this song totally has funk, and the lyric "ticky ticky tackita tic tac toe" is totally true to their roots.

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