Several cuts humbly regret past decisions or rely on friends. On “She Looks to Me” lead singer Anthony Kiedis feels led by God to help a drugged-out girl. “If” is a romantic ballad. A line on “Make You Feel Better” alludes to prayer. A marriage proposal recognizes that couples “are as one” (“Hard to Concentrate”). Relationships require patience and hard work (“C’mon Girl”). A hard-living, bank-robbing woman suffers the consequences of that lifestyle on “Dani California,” however …
Some will view the title character as a folk hero rather than a moral tragedy. Sexual shenanigans appear on “Hump De Bump,” “She’s Only 18,” “Storm in a Teacup” and “So Much I.” Racy metaphors are also an issue. A guy chases down sexual prey on “Charlie,” which includes a mild profanity. Partying is therapeutic (“Turn It Again”), which isn’t inherently problematic unless it includes alcohol or drugs, which get a subtle nod on “Warlocks.”
Kiedis’ lyrics are mostly indecipherable nonsense, a blitzed stream of consciousness filtered through a rhyming dictionary. Kiedis told Rolling Stone he feels “blessed to be in a position to transmit light to people all over the world with music.” Any light on Stadium Arcadium is dimmed by references to sex and drugs. Teens looking for light will find the real thing in John 8:12.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
