"Breaking the Girl" is a song by American rock band

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...

from their fifth studio album, ''

Blood Sugar Sex Magik ''Blood Sugar Sex Magik'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released September 24, 1991, by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Rick Rubin, its musical style differed notably from the band's previous album ''M ...

'' (1991). It was released as the fourth single from their studio album in August 1992 and is a melodic ballad that refers to a turbulent relationship between frontman Anthony Kiedis and his former girlfriend, Carmen Hawk.

Composition

"Breaking the Girl"'s bridge is marked by a percussion break that builds through the use of increasingly complex rhythms. The

percussion instruments A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

consisted of junkyard debris found by drummer

Chad Smith Chad Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the ...

, guitarist

John Frusciante John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...

, and bassist

Flea Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...

. Frusciante's main

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...

was inspired by

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

's ballads, such as "

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" and " Friends". The song also makes use of a

12-string guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

and a Mellotron, using the flute patch. It is one of only six songs the group has recorded in the 6/8 time signature, the others being "Porcelain" on ''

Californication Californication may refer to: *Californication (word) ''Californication'' is a portmanteau of California and fornication, appearing in ''Time'' on May 6, 1966 and written about on August 21, 1972, additionally seen on bumper stickers in the U.S. ...

'', "Love of Your Life" and "Open/Close" from the '' I'm with You'' sessions later released on the ''

I'm Beside You ''I'm with You Sessions'' (also known as ''I'm with You Singles Collection'') is a group of nine singles by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers featuring 17 songs recorded in contention for the band's tenth studio album, '' I'm with You'' ...

'' double LP compilation, "The Hunter" from '' The Getaway'', and most recently “Tangelo” from 2022’s “

Unlimited Love ''Unlimited Love'' is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers, released through Warner Records on April 1, 2022. Produced by Rick Rubin, the album marks the return of guitarist John Frusciante, who left the ...

.” Chad Smith said in ''The Chad & Flea Show'' that his drumming in the song was inspired by

Mitch Mitchell John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell (9 July 194612 November 2008)In his book about the Experience, Mitchell states he celebrated his 21st birthday while on tour on 9 July 1967, which makes his birth year 1946.Mitchell's obituaries in ''Billboard' ''T ...

's work in the

Jimi Hendrix Experience James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

song "

Manic Depression Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was released on July 30, 1992, and was directed by

Stéphane Sednaoui Stéphane Sednaoui () is a French director, photographer, film producer and actor. Over the years, Sednaoui has redefined his artistic approach to focus on his fine-art and cinematographic projects. New and existing work have been exhibited ...

, who had previously made a video for the song " Give It Away". It makes heavy, experimental use of vibrant colors, with the background and costumes changing constantly. The band members adopt surreal appearances and behavior, with Kiedis for example having an overall Princess Leia-esque look, complete with robes and a "donut" hairstyle. The "Breaking the Girl" video is one of only two videos to feature

Arik Marshall Arik Ben Marshall (born February 13, 1967) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, poet, and author, best known as a one-time member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Early life Arik Ben Marshall is the third of five children born to an Afr ...

(who briefly acted as a replacement for guitarist

) the other video being for "

If You Have to Ask "If You Have to Ask" is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from their 1991 studio album ''Blood Sugar Sex Magik''. It was released as the album's fifth and final single in 1993. A music video was made, but merely consists of live footage of th ...

" – though he did not play on either track. The video also features a brief cameo by

River Phoenix River Jude Phoenix (; August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor, musician and activist. Phoenix grew up in an itinerant family, as the older brother of Rain Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, and Summer Phoenix. He ...

, who was good friends with members of the band. The woman in the video is model/actress

Patricia Velásquez Patricia Carola Velásquez Semprún (born 31 January 1971) is a Venezuelan actress and model. As an actress, she is known for her portrayal of Anck-su-namun in the 1999 film ''The Mummy'' and its 2001 sequel ''The Mummy Returns''. Early life Ve ...

Live performances

The song was performed once on the

Blood Sugar Sex Magik Tour Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk, ...

opening date in 1991, and later reappeared in the band's setlist once in 2000 but not again until 2003. After an eight-year hiatus from being performed, the band added the song to a few setlists on their

I'm with You Tour The I'm with You World Tour was a worldwide concert tour by American rock band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers in support of the band's tenth studio album, '' I'm with You''. It marked the band's first tour in four years and first with guitarist Josh K ...

. Kiedis also briefly performed the song with The Roots during his appearance on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

'' in November 2014. The song returned after a five-year hiatus from the band's setlist in January 2017 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 (Red Hot Chili Peppers album), The Getaway'' which was released on June 17, 2016. It marked ...

Track listings

CD and 12-inch single (1992) # "Breaking the Girl" (edit) # "Fela's Cock" (previously unreleased) # "Suck My Kiss" (live) # "I Could Have Lied" (live) CD single version 2 (1992) # "Breaking the Girl" (edit) # "Suck My Kiss" (live) # "I Could Have Lied" (live) 7-inch single (1992) # "Breaking the Girl" (edit) # "Fela's Cock" (unreleased) Cassette single (1992) # "Breaking the Girl" (edit) # "The Power of Equality" (album version)

Personnel

Red Hot Chili Peppers * Anthony Kiedis – lead vocals, percussion *

– guitars, backing vocals, percussion *

– bass, percussion *

– drums, percussion Additional musicians *

Brendan O'Brien Brendan O'Brien may refer to: *Brendan O'Brien (bishop) (born 1943), Roman Catholic archbishop of Kingston, Ontario, Canada *Brendan O'Brien (cricketer) (born 1942), Irish former cricketer *Brendan O'Brien (journalist), senior Irish journalist on R ...

– mellotron

Charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breaking The Girl Red Hot Chili Peppers songs 1990s ballads 1991 songs 1992 singles Music videos directed by Stéphane Sednaoui 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