90

Suck My Kiss
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1991

Last week we had several songs from the, shall I say, adult contemporary genre. This week features several tracks that are a bit rougher around the edges, a little, dare I say, of the rock and roll genre, and no better place to start us off than with RHCP. So I think most people picking a single Chili Peppers song would likely opt for the well-known (and overplayed) Under the Bridge, maybe the vastly underrated Soul to Squeeze, perhaps a later '90s song like Californication or Scar Tissue. My favorite RHCP has always been Suck My Kiss. The entire Blood Sugar Sex Magik album is amazing, and of course it is as it was produced by the maestro, Rick Rubin. But I love the funk aspect to this song, and that bass line from Flea is just...chef's kiss.

But here's what I remember most about this album: I knew very little about this album or even the band until I found myself in Tijuana, Mexico when I was 14 years old on a church service project. I'm sitting in a car with my Stake President (non-Mormon friends: think of the head of a large collection of individual church congregations in a certain geographical area), Randy Turner, may he rest in….well actually he may still be alive. He asks me if I like the Chili Peppers and I must've told him that I didn't really know any of their music because he just cranks it up. Which was an amazing seal of approval given, well you know, the explicit lyrics and all. And this isn't even my favorite Randy Turner story! From that point forward, I was a fan of the Chili Peppers and a lifelong fan of Randy Turner (may be actually rest in peace whenever that moment arrives).

Other Songs Considered:
Soul to Squeeze, Under the Bridge, My Friends, Californication