In a first for the L.A. rock group, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Californication” video has topped 1 billion views on YouTube.
The music video for Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2000 hit “Californication” — featuring shirtless bandmates Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith and John Frusciante and their avatars traversing a fictional open world video-game — this week hit 1 billion views (and counting). So far in 2022, it has averaged over 290,000 daily views, according to YouTube.
The official “Californication” video was uploaded to YouTube in October 2009. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the 5-minute, 21-second video is a rumination on the dark side of the Golden State, including Hollywood — and ends with the virtual California gamescape being destroyed in an earthquake.
The billion-views YouTube milestone for the band comes the same week they announced a 2023 tour of North America and Europe, spanning 23 dates, with supporting acts including The Strokes, St. Vincent, Iggy Pop, the Roots and King Princess. The Red Hot Chili Peppers recently wrapped a 40-city stadium tour, which was their biggest to date, and this year released two chart-topping albums, “Unlimited Love” and “Return of the Dream Canteen.”
“Californication” was the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ fourth single from their 1999 studio album of the same name — and has become one of their most enduring hits. The song reached No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and and hit No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks in the U.S.
This summer, YouTube celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the first song to crest 1 billion views: Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” which remains in the top five most-viewed music videos on the platform.
