Warped by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Album: One Hot Minute (1996)

Charted: 31

License This Song

lyrics

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

In Anthony Kiedis' autobiography Scar Tissue, he explains that this song was written around the time he got back into drugs. He quit drugs in 1989, but got hooked again around this time. He kept this secret from the band, but was shocked no one figured it out based on some of the lyrics he was writing, particularly to this song. He admitted that the intro was a confession about his secret drug usage.
This was the first single by the band to feature Dave Navarro on guitar. Navarro, who was a member of Jane's Addiction, replaced John Frusciante on One Hot Minute when John temporarily left the band.
This has not been played live since John Frusciante's return to the band. In fact, no song from One Hot Minute has been played live since John's return, except for "Pea" which is performed only by Flea. >>>
Suggestion credit:
Bert - Pueblo, NM, for all above
In a 1994 NME interview, Kiedis explained that working titles are often more important to the band than the real ones. "Warped" was originally called "Swirly," which "is descriptive of the way the song sounds to us."

Comments: 3

Deepkick from Montreal, QcI asked Chad Smith (at a drum clinic) why they never play any songs from One Hot Minute (my all time favourite record) and he said (with his eyes rolling) that "John, apparently never listened to any of the songs from OHM, so that's why they're not played." Which I also read in a rock magazine (interviewing John). Personally, I find that inside and kinda bull, but John is insane so it doesn't really surprize me.
Evan from Kali, MiThis song really impressed me, it's so powerful and different from the rest of their work.
Luke from Manchester, EnglandThis song has to be one of the best Chili's songs written, for sheer aggression and musicianship.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Life Is A HighwayTom Cochrane

Tom Cochrane wrote "Life Is A Highway" to pull himself out of a funk following an exhausting humanitarian trip to Africa.

ProblemAriana Grande

Ariana Grande's hit "Problem" started off as a track written by One Direction songwriter Savan Kotecha. He gave it the working title of "The Whisper Song," after a 2005 Ying Yang Twins hit.

BadMichael Jackson

Wesley Snipes played the rival gang leader in Michael Jackson's "Bad" video.

Hash PipeWeezer

MTV wanted Weezer to record a version of their song "Hash Pipe" as "Half Pipe" to appeal to the skateboarding crowd. The band refused, and MTV listed the song as "H*** Pipe."

Dixie ChickenLittle Feat

The Dixie Chicks got their name from the Little Feat song "Dixie Chicken." In 2020 they became "The Chicks" because Dixie refers to the American South in times of slavery.

CruiseFlorida Georgia Line

Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" spent 24 weeks on top of the Country chart - the most ever until Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road" was #1 for 34 weeks. The record was previously held by Eddy Arnold's "I'll Hold You in My Heart (1947-48), Hank Snow's "I'm Moving On" (1950-51) and Webb Pierce's "In the Jailhouse Now" (1955), which each led for 21 weeks.