"Desecration Smile" is a song from the

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

and was on their 2006 double album, ''

Stadium Arcadium ''Stadium Arcadium'' is the ninth studio album by American rock music, rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was a double-album released on May 5, 2006, on Warner Bros. Records. It produced five singles: "Dani California", "Tell Me Baby", "Snow (He ...

''. The song was the fourth single released from the album. The song was first heard by fans when it was played at the

Bridge School Benefit The Bridge School Benefit was an annual charity concert usually held in Mountain View, California, every October at the Shoreline Amphitheatre from 1986 until 2016 with the exception of 1987. The concerts lasted the entire weekend and were organ ...

in 2004. However, the structure and chorus of the song are different from the version released on ''Stadium Arcadium''. The single contained the album outtakes, "Joe" (which was a tribute to

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British singer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, ...

) and "Save This Lady". Both songs were also on the single for "

Hump de Bump "Hump de Bump" is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from their 2006 double album, ''Stadium Arcadium''. The song is the fifth and final single released from ''Stadium Arcadium'' and the last single the band would release with John Frusciante un ...

". The cover artwork is from

Stefanie Schneider Stefanie Schneider (born 1968) is a German photographer living in Berlin and Los Angeles. Schneider's photographs exhibit the appearance of expired Polaroid instant film, with its chemical mutations. It has been released in books and exhibition c ...

Composition

Desecration Smile is in the key of D major and has a moderate tempo of 92 BPM.

Formats and track listings

CD single 1 5439 19997-9 # "Desecration Smile" # "Joe" (previously unreleased) – 3:54 CD single 2 9362 49991-9 # "Desecration Smile" # "Funky Monks" (live) – 6:29 # "Save This Lady" (previously unreleased) – 4:17 Promo Single PR016186 # "Desecration Smile" (album version) # "Desecration Smile" (radio edit) 7" picture disc 5439 19997-6 # "Desecration Smile" # "Funky Monks" (live) – 6:29

Personnel

Anthony Kiedis Anthony Kiedis ( ; born November 1, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is a founding member 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 Fa ...

- lead vocals *

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 ...

- acoustic and

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...

guitars, backing vocals, piano *

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 ...

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

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 h ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion 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. Exc ...

Music video

The music video was shot and released in February 2007 and directed by "

Under the Bridge "Under the Bridge" is a song by the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and the eleventh track on their fifth studio album, ''Blood Sugar Sex Magik'' (1991). Vocalist Anthony Kiedis wrote the lyrics while reflecting on loneliness and the st ...

" director

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, producer, photographer, and musician. He has earned acclaim as both an independent and mainstream filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultur ...

. It was shot entirely in one take with one camera and featured the band huddled together singing all the way through. There is also an alternate version of the band singing and playing their instruments by the ocean cut together with parts of the official video. Although the first one is considered the official, it was the alternative version that was published on the official Warner Bros. YouTube account.

Live performances

"Desecration Smile" has been performed 14 times with its first performance coming in 2004, two years before the release of the ''Stadium Arcadium'' album. That version featured different lyrics and chorus. The song hasn't been performed since 2007.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control Red Hot Chili Peppers songs 2007 singles Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin Songs written by Flea (musician) Songs written by John Frusciante Songs written by Anthony Kiedis Songs written by Chad Smith 2005 songs Warner Records singles