The Auditory

I think that, occasionally, we all need a reminder that catchy music CAN be good music.  This is the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2002 hit “Can’t Stop”.  We’ve certainly seen this band write more meaningful, serious songs, but there’s some kind of magic to this song, in particular.  It’s the kind of song that you’ll find yourself singing all day, all the while wondering why, or how, it creeped its way into your brain.

Admittedly, I have no idea what the song’s about.  With lyrics like, “white heat is screaming in the jungle” and “sweetheart is bleeding in the snowcone”, how can anybody understand exactly what these guys are talking about?  The lyrics are full of these ridiculous metaphors (if that’s even what they are), which I’m assuming they only chose to fit the rhyme scheme of the song.  Regardless, I’ve got to give them some credit for completely baffling their audience.  The song’s lyrics, to me,  are only second in confusion to the lyrics to Beck’s 1993 hit “Loser”—which opens with the line, “in the time of chimpanzees, I was a monkey”.  Alright, Beck.  I don’t know what that means, but I’m sure you were.

Generally, I despise songs that are written without any regard for audience understanding; to me, so much about being an artist is being able to communicate a definite message to your audience.  However, no matter how hard I try, I can’t hate “Can’t Stop”.  Maybe it’s because I know that the Chili Peppers are actually legitimate musicians; maybe it’s because the track is so damn catchy.  Maybe the video has some kind of strange, hypnotic quality to it.  Regardless of the reason, I’m definitely addicted to the shindig—whatever that means.

Plus, there is at least one meaningful line in the song—whether or not it fits the context of the rest of the song.  It’s the last line, which states, “this life is more than just a read-through”.  I can respect that notion.

-Leah Creary