Rick Rubin explains why Red Hot Chili Peppers are the heirs to The Beach Boys
During the 1960s, The Beach Boys’ unique style of surf pop became synonymous with the sunny state of California. America’s answer to The Beatles, The Beach Boys pioneered a number of production techniques, and Brian Wilson is widely regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. His romanticised portrait of the seaside state in hit tracks like ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’ and ‘California Girls’ defined and popularised the California sound – optimistic, commercially friendly songs gushing about the magic of Los Angeles beaches and summer loving. The Beach Boys went on to sell over 100million records worldwide, retaining their association with California even now.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers seem at odds with the idealism and cheeriness of The Beach Boys, combining funk and punk to forge a new LA alt-rock. High school classmates turned international rockers thanks to college radio, MTV and a deal with EMI, the Red Hot Chili Peppers found inspiration, too, in California.
‘Californication’ deals with dreams of Hollywood and its dark truth, while ‘Dani California’ is a love song about a “runner, rebel and a stunner” who robs a bank in Indiana. Though not as optimistic and commercial, the Chili Peppers, like The Beach Boys, would go on to have great commercial success, selling over 120million records worldwide and becoming one of the biggest alternative rock bands of all time.
Though they diverge sonically, hip-hop and rock producer, Rick Rubin has suggested that the Red Hot Chili Peppers were to succeed The Beach Boys as the defining artist in contemporary Californian culture. In a 2016 Rolling Stone interview, Rubin reflected on recording ‘Breaking the Girl’ with the Chili Peppers and suggested that they served as his introduction to the state: “I was living in California at the time, and it was really fun for me to work with the Chili Peppers, because I was new to Los Angeles, and the Chili Peppers were so ensconced in Los Angeles culture.”
Though they differ sonically and lyrically, the succession from one to the other lies in their connection to California. The Beach Boys presented the state as idyllic, focusing on sun, sea and love. The Red Hot Chili Peppers took the baton from their predecessors to reveal the superficiality of Hollywood and its destructive power.
Rubin continues, “It’s like after the Beach Boys, the next California band was the Chili Peppers. They really were the Los Angeles band. That was like my ‘Welcome to Los Angeles’. I loved just going out with them. I really got to experience Los Angeles in a local way being with them, and it was really a beautiful experience.”
