"Fight Like a Brave" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...

. It was released on September 29, 1987, as the first and only single from their third studio album, ''

The Uplift Mofo Party Plan ''The Uplift Mofo Party Plan'' is the third studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 29, 1987, by EMI Manhattan. Due to prior obligations resulting in temporary personnel changes following the band's format ...

'' (1987). It is also the band's debut single. The single included a cover of the

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

song "

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

" as a B-side, which would later appear on '' The Abbey Road E.P.'' and '' Mother's Milk'' as a tribute to guitarist

Hillel Slovak Hillel Slovak (; April 13, 1962 – June 25, 1988) was an Israeli-American musician, best known as the founding guitarist of the Los Angeles rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he recorded two albums. His guitar work was rooted in fun ...

, who died in 1988.

Composition

Most of the song's lyrics revolve around

Anthony Kiedis Anthony Kiedis ( ; born November 1, 1962) is an American musician and lead vocalist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis and his fellow band members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Kiedis spent his youth in ...

' addiction to

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

. At the lowest point in Kiedis' addiction,

Flea Flea, the common name for the order (biology), order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by hematophagy, ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult f ...

had kicked him out of the Chili Peppers with no intention of letting him back in unless he was proven sober. After getting clean through various rehab programs, he called Flea to tell him of his success, and was accepted back in the band. On the plane ride home, Kiedis wrote this song about his struggles with drugs and his overcoming them. The song is mostly an attempt to inspire other people like the rehab sessions were motivational for Kiedis to abandon the drugs. Kiedis described "Fight Like a Brave" as "a metaphor for trying to encourage someone who feels as though they don't have a chance s thoughthey're grovelling in the gutter of life." He also said the song expressed the band's discontentment with

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

, their label at the time.

Live performances

Despite being a single, the song has only been performed 37 times and has not been performed live since 1989. It was teased on

The Getaway World Tour The Getaway World Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers that was in support of their eleventh studio album, '' The Getaway'' which was released on June 17, 2016. It marked the first time since June 2014 that the ba ...

Track listing

7" single (1987) # "Fight Like a Brave" # "

" 12" single (1987) # "Fight Like a Brave" (Not Our Mix) # "Fight Like a Brave" (Boner Beats Mix) # "Fight Like a Brave" (Mofo Mix) # "

" 12" picture disc/12" promo (1987) # "Fight Like a Brave" (Mofo Mix) # "Fight Like a Brave" (Knucklehead Mix) # "

" 12" Japanese split promo/DJ copy (1987) # "Fight Like a Brave" (album) by Red Hot Chili Peppers # "Contradiction" (Heavy Mix) by Lions & Ghosts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fight Like a Brave Red Hot Chili Peppers songs 1987 debut singles Songs written by Anthony Kiedis Songs written by Flea (musician) Songs written by Hillel Slovak Songs written by Jack Irons Song recordings produced by Michael Beinhorn 1987 songs