Red Hot Chili Peppers: Otherside Meaning

Song Released: 2000

Otherside Lyrics

How long how long will I slide
Separate my side I don’t
I don’t believe it’s bad
Slit my throat
It’s all I ever
I heard your voice through a photograph
I thought it up it brought up the past
Once you know you can never go back
I’ve got to...

1. illumanati76

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   Oct 31st 2005 !⃝

   The Otherside as a lot to do with feeling powerless. "Slitting my Throat is all I ever had," is a line defining his musical talents as being his only expanse. It's more-or-less a suicidal-oriented song, explaining how empty he feels because everything important around him is in self-destruct mode.
   
   "How long will I Slide?" focusing of Kiedis's drug addiction throughout the nineteens, and metaphorically, telling the listener that he's cheated death so many times, that his reprieve is running low. I honestly think, before suicide, it's a song of symbolism - seeing the "Otherside," as the only escape to avenge his sadness.
2. vicky@sonderby.us

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   Jul 25th 2005 !⃝

   I'm just contributing to the other entry. I believe that The Red Hot Chili Peppers are using the idea/story or part of it in their music video, with the nurse and stuff, perry Farells idea. It says in the article/interview that the peppers were interested in Farrels project and in the title it states "Flea, Frusciante Contributing to Farrell's Next Big Concept.
   
   To fully underdstand you need to see the video and read the article. You can view the article here: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1501007/20050429/story.jhtml
   
   Anyway, I think the main charectar goes to heaven and maybe, I'm not sure, can communicate to whomever is communicating with him. He must have gone to heaven from an overdose? And maybe he's battling to stay alive while in the hospital, to keep that link from reality to wherever he is, supposively near death. The wings- He MUST be dying from an overdose because he sort of knows what's going on but he's still going back and forth to different places. Mostly in his own world, I guess. His body is probably doing the best the best job it can to fight the drugs and that could also be contributing to the whole battle factor.
   
   It makes sense that the guy in the story is having these overdoses because many like three of Anthony Kiedis's closest friends have died from drug overdoses, as you'd probably know. Examples- Hillel Slovak, River Phoenix, and Kurt Cobain. That's like, not just Anthony Kierdis's friends, the whole band's. That would have a large effect on them, hopefully.
   
   The main Character has broken wings at the end, so he's not flying high anymore. I think he dies. Who KNOWS? Oh yeah, the Red hot chili peppers. They should explain. I'm confusing myself :) okay just go and visit that article. Confuse yourselves.
3. username

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   Jun 24th 2005 !⃝

   OK. Other side can be interpreted in many ways. (1) suicide, (2) communicating with the dead, and (3) a battle with drug use. The red hot chilli peppers probably meant for it to be interpreted as the battle with drug use. Lead singer Anthony Keidis (not sure of spelling), had a long addiction to heroin and even lost a friend from a drug overdose. the friend was the bands former guitar player. "I yell...and tell it that its not my friend...i tear it down...i tear it down ...and then its born again." could possibly be in reference to keidis's relapses. He'd detox, go to rehabs and then go right back into the drugs.
   another possibility is that this song (awesome if in my opinion !!) could be about communication with the dead. "I heard ur voice through a photograph...i thought it up and brought up the past...once you know you can never go back, i gotta take it on the other side..." many phsycics use photographs of the deceased to communicate with them and call the spirit. Psychics are used to communicate with the dead or missing. The "otherside" is often interpreted as the other side of living. take it on the other side...get me? my uncle was murdered and his body buried in clay pit pond in staten island. if uve ever been there youd know what a maze it is. my mother hired a phsycic in 1999 to and thats about when this song came out. very erie.
   in my opinion, i dont think this song is about suicide, but i searched "SongFacts.com" and someone suggested that since keidis sings "slit my throat, its all i ever had" the song is about suicide. I always tend to look deeper but, hey its just my humble opinion.

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