Slow Cheetah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Slow Cheetah” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song by The Red Hot Chili Peppers | ||
| Album | Stadium Arcadium | |
| Released | April 7, 2007 | |
| Recorded | March - December 2005 at The Mansion in Los Angeles, California | |
| Genre | Alternative rock Psychedelic Rock |
|
| Length | 5:19 | |
| Producer | Rick Rubin | |
“Slow Cheetah” is a rock and roll song from the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 2006 album Stadium Arcadium. The song is characteristic of the band's stylistic shift from rap and funk towards a mellower sound, evident in their latest albums. “Slow Cheetah” is unusual in that it employs a rare 7/4 time signature, and it is one of the few songs on Stadium Arcadium to feature the use of an acoustic guitar.
[edit] Analysis
Andrew Perry of The Observer notes that within the dreamy, anthemic atmosphere of “Slow Cheetah,” the Chili Peppers transmute their funk and metal into a much mellower and softer style, whilst sacrificing little of their passion and energy.[1]For much of Stadium Arcadium, guitarist John Frusciante experiments with a vast array of synthesized effects, many of which are reminiscent of the idiosyncratic timbres found on 2004’s Shadows Collide With People. The ghastly outro of “Slow Cheetah” is a clear example of Frusciante’s affinity for psychedelia, and provides a stark contrast to the song’s acoustic beginning.[2] The backwards guitar at the song’s outro also recalls Frusciante’s technique in 1991’s “Give it Away”. While both “Slow Cheetah” and “Give it Away” draw heavily from Jimi Hendrix’s guitar technique in “Castles Made of Sand,” they are quite different stylistically. Flea’s bass in “Slow Cheetah” is characteristic of his minimalist techniques found in By The Way and Stadium Arcadium – a radical departure from his funky, slap-bass style in Mother's Milk and Blood Sugar Sex Magic.[3]
[edit] Opinions From The Band
Regarding the new sound of such songs as “Slow Cheetah,” John Frusciante writes that the Chili Peppers “have made music that can drive you to a place where nothingness is motion and movement and stillness are one. [We] have played with light, darkness, sound, silence, form, air, and space to make music that plays with the listener.” Frusciante also noted the band desired a greater emphasize in the emotional power of their music in Stadium Arcadium.[4]
