The Red Hot Chili Peppers are still smoking the music scene after more than three decades with the release of their record breaking 13th Number 1 single “Dark Necessities”.The title is apropos considering the ‘dark necessities’ that often characterized aspects in the beginning of the Chili Peppers career.

In 1983 the Red Hot Chili Peppers broke into the L.A. music scene much like so many bands before them-widely unnoticed and vastly underappreciated. Their self-titled debut album The Red Hot Chili Peppers did not achieve the widespread popularity the band had hoped, receiving minimal airplay on primarily college radio stations.

Between 1983 and 1989 The Chili Peppers released Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1985), Freaky Styley (1987), and Mother’s Milk (1989), with still very little national following, but this trend was, perhaps unbeknownst to anyone, nearing a finale.

After signing with the infamous music producer Rick Ruben in 1990 the band released Blood Sugar Sex Magic in 1991 and thus altered the course of their musical careers and our musical worlds forever.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers funk rock style of music had officially arrived, they now had their first No. 1 single “Give It Away”, and the band had also produced what may arguably be one of the greatest albums of all time. 

The Red Hot Chili Peppers release of “Dark Necessities” is a record breaking hit, that is at the end of a very long list of incredible songs (and these are just the ones that hit No.1).

Their previous Number One Modern Rock tracks are: 1991’s “Give It Away”, 1993’s “Soul to Squeeze”, 1995’s “My Friends”, 1999’s “Scar Tissue”, 2000’s “Otherside” and “Californication”, 2002’s “By the Way” and “Can’t Stop”, 2006’s “Dani California” (which spent 14 weeks at No. 1 and is one of a few songs in the history of Billboard’s Alternative Chart to debut in the top spot), “Tell Me Baby” and “Snow (Hey Oh)” and 2011’s The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ new single ‘Dark Necessities’’ adds lucky number 13 to their number one hit list.  The track is also only the 4th song to top the Mainstream Rock, Adult Alternative, and Alternative charts.

Previous record holders of the Triple Crown were The Wallflowers with “One Headlight”, Green Day with “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers busting it out yet again with “Dani California.”

The Chili Peppers have continued to release quality music for three decades.  If you take a good look around, there are not many bands that can be put into that category. 

Twenty years from now, when discussing best bands in history, even without the Red Hot Chili Peppers release of “Dark Necessities”, it would be very challenging to argue that they do not belong in the same category with the greatest bands of all time.

Chris McDonald

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