“These Are the Ways” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

The way vocalist Anthony Kiedis has explained the lyrics of “These Are the Ways” imply that they speak to the concept of American excess. And that would not only be in the material sense of the word but also in terms of all the different aspects of life residents must deal with as Americans. However, Anthony was also quite explicit in pointing out that this is not intended to be a critical piece. Rather, he has tasked himself with more or less reporting, i.e. chronicling things from his perspective.

But said analysis does lead to the vocalist questioning “have we all had too much?” And more comprehensively, once again going back to the above explanation, what Kiedis is putting forth is that, all things considered, perhaps now would be a good time for his people to stop and do some analyzing as opposed to continued consumption. 

It’s as if he’s recommending that Americans take a diet from society, if you will. Furthermore, it can also be postulated that he is making such a recommendation in the name of said individuals ascertaining where their priorities truly lie.

Facts about “These Are the Ways”

Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) is a quartet consisting of:

• Anthony Kiedis
• Flea
• Chad Smith
• John Frusciante

All the four members of the band are credited with writing this song. 

The official music video for “These Are the Ways” , as assembled by director Malia James, features Flea’s wife, a lady by the name of Melody Ehsani.

The song itself was produced by Rick Rubin, a music industry vet who may be primarily known for his contributions to the development of hip-hop. However, Rubin began his music career more along the lines of the rock genre and has for the most part been dedicated to that cause since the late 1980s.

Release Date

This song was officially released through Warner Records on 31 March 2022, the day before Red Hot Chili Peppers first performed it live on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live (which in that case was hosted by Jimmy Fallon) that aired the following day. They also filmed said performance on 31 March, which was the same day RHCP, who have been around since the early 1980s, was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

This track is from “Unlimited Love”, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 12^th studio album and also their 12^th overall to be produced by Rick Rubin.

“These Are the Ways” came out as Unlimited Love‘s second single. The first single to be released from this album was “Black Summer“.