The variations between The Beatles and the Purple Scorching Chili Peppers symbolize one of many widest gaps in all the umbrella of rock music. On one facet, there are the pitch-perfect and wildly psychedelic sounds of The Beatles, who took rock music and explored almost each realm of pop music all through it. On the opposite facet, there’s the gonzo punk-funk explosion that the Chili Peppers deliver to all of their songs.
There was a quick time when the 2 in any other case unrelated worlds got here into contact with one another. That was throughout the ‘John Lennon Songwriting Contest’ again in 2015, which inspired younger musicians to ship of their greatest Lennon-like originals for an opportunity at a money prize. The competition has grow to be an annual occasion sponsored by the Lennon property, and Flea received the chance to determine on the winner in 2015, together with the Grateful Lifeless’s Bob Weir and former Prince collaborator Sheila E.
Whereas taking up the position of choose for the competition, Flea shared a few of his ideas on what Lennon meant to him as a composer and lyricist. “Once I consider John Lennon, I consider absolute integrity in music,” Flea commented. “He would have performed music that was true to his coronary heart, and he was somebody that I might simply instantly belief.”
There hasn’t been a lot crossover between The Beatles and the Chili Peppers: by the point the Chili’s had grow to be alt-rock gods, the Fab 4 had been damaged up for twenty years. If you happen to had been fortunate sufficient, you may need been capable of catch the Chili Peppers enjoying a snippet of each ‘Blackbird’ and ‘I Need to Maintain Your Hand’ dwell again when guitarist Josh Klinghoffer was nonetheless within the group. In any other case, aside from some apparent inspirations, there wasn’t actually any main connection between the 2 acts.
However The Beatles’ affect on rock music can nonetheless be heard within the Chili Peppers’ work. Their flip to much less funky and extra melodic materials all through the early 2000s wouldn’t have labored with out the muse that The Beatles laid out for them. When Flea agreed to evaluate the songwriting contest, it wasn’t to determine a direct connection to Lennon – it was to acknowledge the debt that each one rock musicians have for The Beatles.
Hearken to Flea discussing John Lennon’s songwriting within the video down beneath.
