Red Hot Chili Peppers: Californication Meaning

Song Released: 2000

Californication Lyrics

Psychic spies from China
Try to steal your mind's elation
Little girls from Sweden
Dream of silver screen quotations
And if you want these kind of dreams
It's Californication

It's the edge of the world
And all of western...

1. anonymous

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   Jul 23rd 2006 !⃝

   Ummm... I'm actually pretty sure it's about globalization... Which anthony keidis feels very strongly about, and is against.
2. anonymous

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   Jul 19th 2006 !⃝

   I don't understand the friggin video!!!
3. anonymous

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   Jul 15th 2006 !⃝

   I don't know the band THAT WELL I just like a few songs here and there. I REALY dought it's about Dani California (witch is a hella good song) because maby the lead singer just has a thing for California and he did LOTS of heroin and maby he has constant flashbacks about California who knows but Californication is a good song.
   
   anderson_stewart_69@hotmail.com

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
4. aussie_girl

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   Jul 15th 2006 !⃝

   Oh, I just want to add 'Dani California' is not a real person, so Californication is not about her! See the Dani California interpreation page for more info.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
5. aussie_girl

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   Jul 14th 2006 !⃝

   you all make good points!
   
   SugarNSpice8841: you said: the song is based on a guy from California talking about how California isn't all that people think it is (i.e. "the sun may rise in the east atleast its settled in a finer location") and how Hollywood is making California seem wonderful.
   
   firsly, it's not about a guy from California, as if they would pay out on their own state, it's a social commentary by the peppers.
   secondly, it's not 'at least settled in a finer location' it's 'At least it settles in the final location' (check the chili peppers website for lyrics) meaning that California is the ulimate place to be, said with sacasm by the chili peppers of course. aslo gives an impression of what Californains, espically those on the rich coastal places (like in the OC) think of themselves, and where they live.
   
   I would just like to add, I live in Australia, and it's true Californication is everywhere, there are 14 yr old girls watching the OC and they think it's real.
6. anonymous

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   Jul 5th 2006 !⃝

   This song is basically saying California ruined the world, but everyone thinks it's the greatest place on earth and it's perfect. While in reality, it's really the place where all the bad things people do are centered.
7. anonymous

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   May 17th 2006 !⃝

   Whoever said the song is about Dani is right, but they are an idiot, and they watched that interview of the band on the internet. For those of you who havn't seen the interview, they basically say that Dani California is about the girl from By the Way. And then they say that they think they realized that the teenage bride with a baby inside is the same girl, but they didn't realize this until they wrote Dani California. It's kind of a vague connection. So whoever keeps saying that, you are an idiot and you need to come up with your own interpretation of the song.
   
   I also think the song is about how Hollywood is bad, and it corrupts.
8. anonymous

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   May 9th 2006 !⃝

   Firstly, no ones wrong, it's called an interpretation because it's relative; that's why the site is called, guess what.....Lyric Interpretations.com; anyway, this song is amazing because it addresses both the illusion of this hyperculture "space may be the final frontier but it's made in a hollywood basement" and the prevalence of it "little girls from Sweden dream of silver screen portation" and throughout the song, discusses the irony of this interconnected, transparent society...anyway, great song...5/5
9. anonymous

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   May 8th 2006 !⃝

   Hey guys?
   
   Uh, the song's about porn?
   
   If you asked the RHCP they'll tell you the same thing, and the Dani California part is right.

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10. anonymous

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    May 7th 2006 !⃝

    The guy who said its the same person in by the way, californication, and dani california is right.
    
    In by the way it says, "Waiting for Dani The Girl"
    In Californication it says, "A teenage bride with a baby inside"
    and dani california is all about "Dani" all three songs are linked I'm telling u
11. anonymous

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    May 1st 2006 !⃝

    in short this song is about "over-rated" california.
12. anonymous

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    Apr 29th 2006 !⃝

    Ok... That was retarded...
    
    Californication is the band saying that they think that California influences everyone all over the world and that California is pretty much ruining the world. It could be seen as a narrative of some dude trashing Cali as a horrible place, I think it's more of a commentary on the influence of California and the repercussions.
13. anonymous

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    Apr 24th 2006 !⃝

    All of you guys are wrong, it's about the girl Dani California. She's also in by the way and, here's a surprise, Dani California!

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14. gabu

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    Apr 20th 2006 !⃝

    I think it's a great song because it says many truths about life. In South America we must live with all these fucking things: too much corruption, unfair things, all the time lies. This song is describing how is the majority of South America in an indirect way¡

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15. 2QT2BSTR8

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    Apr 3rd 2006 !⃝

    I agree with you guys. It's basically saying how California and the stars aren't all they're cracked up to be. One evidence of that is "Pay your surgeon very well
    To break the spell of aging
    Celebrity skin is this your chin
    Or is that war your waging." He's saying yes, they are beautiful, but it has a price and people go to a lot of extreams to become beautiful.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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