"The Zephyr Song" is a song by American rock 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 ...

, released as the second single released from their eighth studio album, '' By the Way'' (2002), on August 17, 2002. The song, as a single, was released in two parts. Both editions held two previously unheard-of B-sides, making it, collectively, hold four non-LP tracks. The single peaked at number six on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Modern Rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. ...

chart, breaking the band's streak of three straight number-one hits.

Composition

The song is about nature's healing power and human connection. In April 2017, it was revealed that

John Frusciante John Anthony Frusciante ( ; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician and the guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, having been with the band across three iterations. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic gu ...

unintentionally interpolated the song "Pure Imagination" from the 1971 film ''

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1971 American musical film, musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart from a screenplay by Roald Dahl, based on his 1964 novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory''. It stars Gene Wilder as chocol ...

''. The song's opening three guitar notes are the same as the first three sung notes from "Pure Imagination".

Music video

The music video, which was released on September 30, 2002, was directed by

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris Jonathan Dayton (born July 7, 1957) and Valerie Faris (born October 20, 1958) are a duo of American directors and producers for films and music videos. They started their career directing videos for such artists as Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M. ...

. The couple previously collaborated with the band on other videos and would continue to work with the band through the middle of the 2000s. It is generally reminiscent of a

kaleidoscope A kaleidoscope () is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces (or mirrors) tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a symmetrical pattern when viewed fro ...

, by utilizing circular and intertwining figures to achieve the psychedelic feel the band was aiming for. Kiedis would later say of the video: The music video also features

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 ...

's partner at the time, Tobey Torres.

Track listings

Personnel

Red Hot Chili Peppers *

guitar, backing vocals, keyboards *

bass *

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 ...

lead vocals, double-tracked lead vocals (chorus) *

Chad Smith Chad Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who is the drummer of the rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith has played with the Chili Peppers since 1988, appearing on ten of the band's studio albums and becoming the band's lo ...

drums, drum machine

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zephyr Song, The Red Hot Chili Peppers songs 2002 singles 2002 songs Music videos directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin Songs written by Anthony Kiedis Songs written by Chad Smith Songs written by Flea (musician) Songs written by John Frusciante Warner Records singles