Song Meanings by Band:

            Forums

     Requests

           Links

    Random Song

  Submit an
      Interpretation

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California Song Meanings

1 2 3 Next >

This song seems to be about a girl named Dani. She was born to a poor family, a cop and a hippy. She, obviously, is a "bad seed". She robs banks and gets herself into all kinds of trouble, to the point that she is frequently staring down gun barrles. She ends up dead, which is why he says, "Day was gonna come when I was gonna mourn yeah".

Submitted by: fenderchik421
Added: 2006-05-02 20:04:57     Rating:

Yeah, it's about a girl named Dani California "California rest in peace." In the video they were saying California rest in peace and spoofing all these other bands because they're saying California get ready 'cause a lot of untalented bands are taking over.

Submitted by: 2QT2BSTR8
Added: 2006-05-08 14:45:46     Rating:

To a certain degree, I think you're both right. I think it is saying "California rest in peace" as a way of saying California isn't the glamorous place it used to be. He is saying California is going to the dogs (also known as the untalented bands) and they are turning California into a completly different place. The girl is, metophorically, California.

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2006-05-15 19:56:15     Rating:

I don't think you guys really understand the lyrics!! ha
The song is about a friend of Anthony Kiedis', a girl named dani, who commited suicide.
She lived a crazy life: was pregnant as a teen, robbed banks, was a prostitute, did drugs, was poor her entire life.
She was such a wild child because of what the world has turned into.
Because California is a trend setting city and is becoming such a bad place (Californication).
Anthony knows what a great person she could have been if she wasn't born into such a cruel world.
He fell in love with her after her suicide and fell that much further from love with society, "simultanious release"....or that is just a sexual refrence..ha
Anthony knows "what others have died to proove" and this song is a simple tribute to his friend dani and he is singing about how she won't be lost and a lesson will be learned from her life.
That lesson is preached by Anthony (society's priest) in the song DANI CALIFORNIA

Submitted by: AnthonyKiedis
Added: 2006-05-15 20:13:46     Rating:

You just sang the words right out of my mouth...all correct except the prostitute part, close but check my lyrics in By The Way again!!!

Submitted by: colin
Added: 2006-05-18 07:35:16     Rating:

The bands they dress up as are bads they rate not bands they hate.

Submitted by: luvmeister
Added: 2006-05-23 06:35:34     Rating:

The video has nothing much to do with the song! The video is showing that they are part of the history of rock! It's a bit arrogant but it is true! Good luck to them I say!

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2006-05-28 17:52:06     Rating:

I think that "Anonymous - 5-15-06 – 19:56:15" is right. Well, for the most part.

SONG: The song "Dani California" was written about an old friend of Anthony Kiedis named Dani. She was born into a hard world in which she did drugs, got pregnant as a teen, and lived her life in poverty. She later went on to commit suicide. (Hence the line, "California rest in peace") The fact that she lived in California didn't make life any easier for Dani, for California is the state where things happen, the state everyone wants to live in, and the society that everyone wants to be a part of.

VIDEO: It all started when the director of the video sat down w/ the RHCP's producer and listened to "Dani California". The second the song was over he said that he had the perfect concept, the perfect layout for the video. He called up the guys and they loved the idea. And then, the "Dani California" video was BORN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The video is great. It shows the evolution of Rock n' Roll starting in the 50s and ending in the 00s.

Submitted by: styk2dafacts
Added: 2006-05-31 15:53:06     Rating:

Actually anonymous, I was watching an interview of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on MTV, and they asked them if the song was about a factual character. They said that Dani California is in fact, not a real person, that they sometimes need a fictional character to muse them. So all that about it being anthony's friend is not true, because he said it himself!

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2006-05-31 20:30:12     Rating:

Dani is not anthy's friend in an interview with him he said the name dani is a metaphor for every girl he has ever known. "Dani" is in fact a compalation of different woman in Anthony's life.

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2006-06-11 20:30:39     Rating:

Thanks styk2dafacs, you'er totally right. I think some of you sit there and make up things to try to sound smart..but I'll stop myself before I get nasty..lol. jk jk.

Anyway Dani California is about what California is turning into, sure but more so it's about what society, (women/girls) are turning into. Listen to the lyrics and get the facts straight everyone who mistakedly thought Dani was a real person.

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2006-06-12 20:02:48     Rating:

Whether or not the song is about a real person seems rather trivial. Dani could be a real girl or she could be a compilation of many girls. The underlying fact still remains the same. They society today is in bad shape. Many girls do get pregnant too early, do drugs, etc. California was chosen because it seems to be the center of it all. With hollywood and other rich areas that get a lot of media coverage, we tend to see a lot of stories about drug overdoses, people getting pregnant, the list goes on.

I think the fact that he names a lot of cities can have a few meanings. If it based on a real person (emphasis on IF), then they may have been the actual places. By naming a variety of places from the south to the north, he makes it seem like a national problem, which is it.

The multiple gun references show that her lifestyle is going to kill her. The "mourn ya" line also shows this. Suicide does make sense, given the girl and the point they are conveying.

Just a question. Does anyone know what bands are in the video? I get the one is Nirvana doing "All Apologies" (the part with the candles). The last part looked like Green Day (the part where he has a red and black tie on). The earlier ones I am not sure about.

The video reminded me a lot of the video for "1985" by Bowling for Soup, though that one stopped in the 1980's...go figure!

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2006-06-12 20:33:01     Rating:

I just posted something, but when on doign research and found the answer to my question. I had assumed the last band was Green Day becuase I didn't think they would do themselves in the video. The RHCP symbol in the back was obvious and making me wonder. I just didn't they would do themselves. The shirtless part also really didn't fit Green Day.

Anyway, here is the bad line up: 1.Elvis 2. Beatles 3. Jimi Hendrix 4.David Bowie/Alice Cooper 5.Parliament/Funkadelic 6.Sex Pistols 7.Misfits 8.Hair metal, 9.Nirvana (unplugged era) 10. Present day Red Hot Chili Peppers.

I read that the Hair Metal may be Poison, but it really seems to be any generic Hair Metal Group. It is surprising how many people don't know Parliament Funkadelic. Especially since they were a huge influnce for the Chili Peppers.

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2006-06-16 11:32:31     Rating:

hi, I have looked at the video a few times and I have a list of who is in it, btw Jimi Hendrix is not in it...
1 is Elvis
2 is the Beatles
3 is Prince
4 is Gary Glitter
5 is David Bowie/ Alice Cooper
6 is The Sex Pistols
7 is some heavy metal German band lol
8 is Poison
9 is Nirvana
10 is the Chillis
11 the guitar solo is done to make it look like Rory
Galligher

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2006-06-17 21:40:35     Rating:

7 isn't some random german metal band its the misfits

dani california is a compilation of several women anthony has known

she was mentioned in by the way "dani the girl is singing songs to me"

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2006-06-18 18:51:28     Rating:

Green Day was not in the video it looked like My Chemical Romance

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2006-06-21 00:11:02     Rating:

erm.....they were just doing a video about rock through the ages....they weren't spoofing any bands or anything....and the last one is the modern day chilli peppers not green day or any other band.....didn't you guys watch making the video...

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2006-06-22 17:13:43     Rating:

Dani California is not a person he actually knows. It's a made up character consisting of many different women he knows or has dated.

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2006-07-10 18:57:31     Rating:

I think everyones right about Dani being a "bad seed" and everything but I think the song video is interpreting that she killed herself because of all the crappy bands (hence the video)!

Submitted by: anonymous
Added: 2006-07-14 12:08:56     Rating:

I think everyones right about Dani being a "bad seed" and everything but I think the song video is interpreting that she killed herself because of all the crappy bands (hence the video)!

LOL you can't be freakin serious.. The bands in the vidoe are not ment to be the crappy bands! it even shows them in the end so get your facts straight before you insult some of the greatest bands of all time

1 2 3 Next >

Submit your interpretation!

Discuss this group in the Red Hot Chili Peppers forum

Email me when this band is updated

Back to Red Hot Chili Peppers Song Meanings

Home

Users Online
There are 19 guests and 0 registered users online.