What does Dani California mean?

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Dani California Meaning

Tagged: Hippies [suggest]
Album cover for Dani California album cover

Song Released: 2006


Dani California Lyrics

GETTING BORN IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
PAPA WAS A COPPER
AND MAMA WAS A HIPPIE

IN ALABAMA SHE WOULD SWING A HAMMER
PRICE YOU GOT TO PAY WHEN YOU BREAK THE PANORAMA

SHE NEVER KNEW THAT THERE WAS
ANYTHING MORE THAN POOR

WHAT IN THE...

  1. anonymous
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    Dec 21st 2006 !⃝

    actually numbver seven is RAMSTEIN a german band, very popular one. In the US they might be known for tha video / soundtrack for the movie XXX (not porn, Triple x an action movie) called BANG BANG. In the video there's fire in the arena or something like that. Some of you might have seen it. But I'm 100% sure it is Ramstein , not Misfits

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  2. anonymous
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    Dec 17th 2006 !⃝

    Flea said it himself,Dani California is a character that represents ALL of the women in Anthony Kiedis's life.

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  3. anonymous
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    Dec 10th 2006 !⃝

    Ok yeah, but what about her been a bank robber or whatever, I don't think it's all about one girl I think it's about lots of his girlfriends all together kinda like. anyway whatever. Oh and I reckon AK is bi.

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  4. mz.Kiedis
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    Nov 5th 2006 !⃝

    Ok, ok ladies, break it up. Flea is called michael balzary and anthony is called Anthony Kiedis (there's also John frus-cian-te lol) ak is most certainly not gay.

    Anyway on to Dani and her story. Dani, to Anthony, is every girl he ever met. I think the line 'papa was a copper and mama was a hippie' refers to a girl, although her name is not stated in his biography, 'scar tissue' he met with her and they became attracted (though he wasn't serious about anything)and he then found she was only 14 years old, and her father, the chief of police in Louisiana (I think) which is also mentioned had the whole place out looking for her.
    Dani also appears in 'by the way', singing songs beneath the marquee and as the pregnant girl in 'Californication' though her name is not mentioned.
    California, being the beloved home place of the red hots is the perfect sirname.
    The music video, just to say, shows all the different eras of music and them being the summary at the end of all these things.

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  5. anonymous
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    Oct 23rd 2006 !⃝

    Seriously, try learning Anthony and Flea's names before making ridiculous accusations like that. (ok so flea isn't his actual name, but you get my point)

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  6. anonymous
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    Oct 20th 2006 !⃝

    To that dude who said Kiedis is gay with flea..... You are insane. Kiedis has been with more women than you've had hot dinners.

  7. anonymous
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    Oct 4th 2006 !⃝

    This song is about a girl named dani and it's about california. Weve been on the run hiding in the sun california here we come right back where we've been running from. California rest in peace time of trannys press release she's my princess he's my neiceeee... Yaaaa. This song is about anthonys childhood.

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  8. Irishchilipepper
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    Sep 20th 2006 !⃝

    I agree that "dani" is a metaphor for all the girls in anthony's life. I do not want to say that I know what this songs mean, but what I think of when I hear it is about anthony's friend who got pregenant as a teen and overdosed on drugs and died. I think you can hear a relation with this in "californiacation" in the line "teenage bride with a baby inside, getting high on information" I don't know about the imformation part, but the teenage bride is refering to anthony's friend.

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  9. anonymous
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    Aug 10th 2006 !⃝

    I think this song is about a girl named Dani California that Anthony Keadus might have dated who was really pretty, it says, who lived her life on the edge and was a sort of trouble maker it says in the song (she was stealin another breath I love my baby to death)

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  10. anonymous
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    Aug 9th 2006 !⃝

    Honestly...I think the songs anthony writes are mostly different stories put into one song. Example, in the dani california music video when we see the "nirvana unplugged" scene these lyrics follow, "...Down in the badlands she was saving the best for last
    it only hurts when I laugh
    gone too fast"
    i believe this is a direct reference to Kurt Cobain (also see the reference in the song 'californication').

    In addition, "dani" refers to the multiple women in anthony's life ("dani" was also used in 'by the way').

    Anthony's words can be twisted and turned just as easily as anyone else's...But that is what makes songwritting an art! And anthony's art is no exception!

  11. anonymous
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    Aug 9th 2006 !⃝

    Hey...Yeah...Um for the video I thought one of them was motley crue?..I might be wrong but I think they are.

  12. anonymous
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    Aug 1st 2006 !⃝

    Dani California is of course about Anthony's [the lead singer] friend who was born into a harsh life and committed suicide as a result. Anthony blames society, he saw what few others saw in dani, potential. Capitalistic society is said to have orginated in california.....He is basicaly saying dani is a victim of the california [capitalistic] ways. Dani is also referenced to in the song "by the way". By the way was actually written to his therapist while he was battling a drug addiction.

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  13. TheManOfSteel
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    Jul 23rd 2006 !⃝

    O.K...? Is someone on crack or something? Don't waste space and put that crap on there. It's not that funny.

  14. anonymous
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    Jul 20th 2006 !⃝

    Its about superman having a baby called dani with 5 eyes hence the verse "papa was superman and moma was miss piggy" duh
    so yeah and then superman was trying to kill all these guys and then here comes barney still on fire from the explosion (see metallica-fuel interpretation to know what the hell I'm talking about) and barney kills superman and miss piggy and then dani and him have sex and have superhuman dinosaur babies!

    Alec

  15. anonymous
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    Jul 18th 2006 !⃝

    This song is just a compilation of all the girls anthony has dated. I saw it on a video of them.




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