“Dark Necessities” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
According to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ leader, Anthony Kiedis, “Dark Necessities” is embedded with a special meaning. The title alludes to the negative aspects of an individual’s personality, i.e. his or her dark side.
Manifesting such a mind state, though potentially disturbing, is something that we all do. But in this case, the artists are not presenting this reality as being all bad. Rather they recognize such incidents as having the potential to bring forth something positive. For instance, a person can have a creative moment while going through such an episode. Indeed some of the greatest songs in music history were written under the influence, if you will, and substance usage is also recognized by fans as a subtheme of this song.
This track is also based on the idea that “growth and light” can also be the results of entertaining “dark” thoughts. So ultimately, this song understands mental negativity as somewhat of a prerequisite, i.e. a ‘necessity’, which can bring out some fruitful qualities in an individual.
Music Video
Olivia Wilde directed the music video to this song. It features female athletes participating in a sport known as long board.
Release Date of “Dark Necessities”
This came out as the lead single from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ album entitled “The Getaway”. Warner Bros. Records issued the song as such on 5 May 2016.
Song Production
“Dark Necessities” was produced by an artist named Danger Mouse who is actually known more as a hip-hop producer.
Danger Mouse worked on the entirety of “The Getaway”. And he actually petitioned to make sure that “Dark Necessities” was indeed released as the first single from the project.
“Dark Necessities” was a Chart Success
Chart-wise “Dark Necessities” is one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ greatest hits. For example, it appeared on six different Billboard lists and actually topped four of them. It also scored a number one on music charts in Canada and New Zealand. And internationally it was recognized in over 20 countries.
Who wrote “Dark Necessities”?
The writers of “Dark Necessities” are Danger Mouse along with the members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Hence the official writers are as follows:
- Danger Mouse
- Anthony Kiedis
- Josh Klinghoffer
- Chad Smith
- Flea
Love the girls skateboarding. Shows me when you fall get back up and try again
In this video, I see a casting couch, a sinister bare mattress that shows up again in a 2022 Interview Magazine article, bruised and abused women, the darker version of some sunglasses in a 2022 BHG feature, a fighter’s moves that I watched a popstar do as warm up to his European shows, a style of swim wear that was worn on a well-publicized yacht …… there is more to this story, and it appears to be dark indeed.