“Poster Child” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
A poster child, most easily explained, is someone who serves as the epitome of a certain idea, cause, characteristic or what have you. And considering that they are a quintessential example of whatever it is they are supposed to represent, they are then held up as a “poster child” – being marketed, if you will – to encourage other adherents to said ideology.
Well in this case, the vocalist is in fact offering himself to serve as a “poster child” to the addressee(s). That said, it is never specified what Anthony Kiedis is supposed to epitomize. But let it be known that the lyrics are filled with pop media reference, largely in regards to entertainers and more notably famous musicians, as are Red Hot Chili Peppers themselves. And these names aren’t being dropped willy-nilly per se, but instead there appears to be a whole lot of musing going on. All of this is by and large intended, ultimately, to speak to the state of the world.
So taking all of that into consideration, what it is the Chili Peppers are epitomizing to the listener is how to maintain in contemporary society. Or viewed differently, Kiedis and co. are confident in the example they set for their fans. They aren’t like, say popular NBAer Charles Barkley, who rather advised people not to look up to him as a role model. So all of this can be taken as the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ confidence in the pertinence of their artistry.
Release Date of “Poster Child”
On 4 March 2022, Poster Child was issued as the second single from “Unlimited Love”. The first single of this project, which is RHCP’s 12th studio album, is titled “Black Summer“.
Credits
The song was written by the members of the band. The musicians that currently make up this band are:
- Anthony Kiedis
- Chad Smith
- Flea
- John Frusciante
Poster Child‘s producer is a major musical figure who entered the game right around the time the Chili Peppers did (i.e. during that early 1980s), that being Rick Rubin, who is perhaps best known for his contributions to the development of rap.
