By the Way

About By the Way

"By the Way" is a song by American funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's the title track and first single released from the band's eighth studio album of the same name. The song was the band's sixth number 1 hit on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, staying at the summit for 14 weeks, tying it with "Dani California" as the band's second-longest stay at the top, behind only "Scar Tissue," which was at the top for 16 weeks. It also spent seven weeks at number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, the band's fourth song to top this chart. The song also reached number 2 in the UK, becoming the band's highest-peaking single there alongside "Dani California," and peaked atop the Italian chart. Regarding its release, guitarist John Frusciante noted: "It wasn't really our decision to put that song out first, but our managers thought it was an exciting song and their enthusiasm convinced us. I guess they thought that it combined the wild part of our sound with the melodic part of our sound." Vocalist Anthony Kiedis elaborated: "I thought that single was an über-bombastic assault of non-commercialism. For it to be so well-received [in the United Kingdom] was shocking to me, but thrilling at the same time." more »