Circle of the Noose
| "Circle of the Noose" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Red Hot Chili Peppers | |
| Released | February 3, 2016 |
| Recorded | March 16, 1998 |
| Genre | Alternative rock |
| Length | 4:26 |
| Label | Warner Bros. |
| Writer(s) | Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Dave Navarro, Chad Smith |
| Producer(s) | Rick Rubin |
"Circle of the Noose" is a song by the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers that was originally recorded in March 1998 and intended for the follow-up album to 1995's One Hot Minute however the band fired guitarist Dave Navarro in April 1998 and the album sessions were cancelled with former guitarist John Frusciante returning shortly after and new music was recorded which would ultimately make up their 1999 album, Californication. "Circle of the Noose" had circulated amongst rare collector’s circles for eighteen years and remained one of the most talked about unreleased songs amongst fans until a rough mix of the song was finally leaked to the internet in February 2016. The song is a tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and samples one of his songs.
Background
Following the One Hot Minute tour which saw 33 dates and the entire 1997 leg of the tour cancelled, the band took some time off with Navarro and Flea joining a reunited Jane's Addiction for their tour. Navarro mentioned the next album in 1997 saying "there's not much further news about the album, for which several parts have been laid down, and there is a lot of stuff that is in progress". Flea was asked about the next album prior to the Jane's Addiction tour saying "I have no idea what is going to happen with that. We recorded a few songs before we left for this tour, but it’s unpredictable." In early 1998 the band finally regrouped to start recording the follow-up to One Hot Minute. Tensions were already high between singer Anthony Kiedis and guitarist Dave Navarro who had recently relapsed back into his drug addiction. The band had completed one song and written around twenty songs for the follow-up album before Navarro was fired in April 1998.[1]"Circle of the Noose" remains the only song ever mentioned by the band out of the twenty or so they claimed to have been working on.[2] In 1997, Navarro said of the song "one of the songs we’ve done is the greatest pop song I’ve ever been a part of…It’s pop in the sense of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, hook. I really love it and we use a loop of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. It’s really nice. The best way I can describe it is it’s like pepped- up ’60s folk with ’90s ideals, but I would hate to label it as folk because it’s not, it moves."
The band over the years appeared surprised about fan interest and knowledge of the song. Flea was asked in 2011 through his Twitter page about the song and was shocked that anyone knew about it. He responded by saying "Holy cow! how in the hell do you know about that? It had a sample of nusrat fateh Ali khan in it...never was finished". After the song was leaked, Navarro posted on his Twitter "WOW what a trip down memory lane".[3]
References
- ↑ "News Flash: Chili Peppers Poised To Return To Stage". MTV News. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ↑ "Sessions for the follow-up to One Hot Minute - RHCP Sessions". Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ↑ Elias Fulmer (3 February 2016). "Red Hot Chili Peppers' Unreleased 1998 Song "Circle of the Noose" Leaks". AlternativeNation.net. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
